Acquisition of a car abroad for Russians today is becoming a rather profitable enterprise. One of the options that has the right to life and is often considered is buying a car in Finland. And not only new, but also used. There are practically no special requirements when buying a car in this country, there is a wide choice, there is no need to go far, so such a decision may be quite reasonable.
Why buying a car in Finland is interesting
In the country of Suomi, cars are not produced, and due to high import duties and taxes, some models are more expensive than ours. Therefore, you cannot buy a cheap car there. Except maybe hybrid or all-electric. In Russia, there are almost none, and the cost of such machines is high, so such an idea may look very tempting.
Finns are conservative, down-to-earth and don't tend to change transport too often. At the same time, they are neat and thrifty drivers who value high-quality service (and they only have that), and they themselves know how to keep track of cars.
Roads, fuels and lubricants and spare parts in Suomi are of the highest quality. Salt reagents are not used there, and the mandatory technical inspection requirements are much stricter than in Russia. Therefore, even a ten-year-old car often looks like new here.
Where and how to buy a car in Finland
The car market of any European country offers a lot of options for buying a car. And Suomi is no exception. For this, there are many official dealerships, sites of used cars, buyouts and ordinary car dealerships.
Shopping in the salon is fast and completely safe. If desired, the employees will give you an hour's test drive, draw up a sales contract and an export permit, and issue transit numbers.
However, it is unprofitable to buy a new car in Finland - it is very expensive there.
Therefore, you need to look for a used car. In Finland, this can be done at a car dealership, a bazaar, and via the Internet.
Of course, the decision to buy is usually not spontaneous, so they often start choosing a car at home. Numerous auto sites can help with this. In particular, new cars can be viewed on the following web resources:
- Autokilta;
- Automerkit;
- Autotie.
The first site has a Russian-language version, so there shouldn't be any problems when working with it. But in order to take full advantage of the rest, you need a minimum knowledge of the Finnish language.
As for used cars, we can name the following portals where offers for their sale are posted:
- nettiauto.com;
- auto24.fi;
- miseva.fi;
- kamux.fi;
- autotalli.com.
In fact, these are far from all Finnish sites - there are many more, while there is not a single one in Russian. Only the first two allow you to use the English version. True, there is a Russian-language bulletin board (doska.fi), but the sellers there are all Russian.
Of these sites, the Nettiauto portal is the most trusted. If you need a motorhome, there is a specialized resource for selling them - nettikaravaani.com.
The risks of buying a used car in Finland are the same as in Russia, although the Finns do not twist the mileage and do not seek to deceive buyers. Nevertheless, it is safer to buy a used car not by hand, but through a specialized site.
Here the cars undergo technical inspection and pre-sale training, they are given a minimum guarantee, usually for a year. Often a second set of tires is offered free of charge. You can find such salons on the outskirts of many cities near busy highways. In the port of Kotka there is a site of the Global Auto USA company, which specializes in the import of cars from the USA.
There are also auctions in Finland - for example, on the website avk.fi. Pledged and confiscated property is traded on huutokaupat.com. Here you can find buses, tractors, minibuses, trucks, loaders, mobile homes, and even excavators.
How to buy and drive a car from Finland yourself
There is no point in talking about how to choose a car. Of course, it is advisable to buy a car from its first owner, who has posted a lot of good photos and provided maximum information about it in the annotation. It remains only to contact him and make an appointment. Phone and email must be on the sales site.
However, you will have to prepare for the trip:
- Receive from the seller a printout of the Certificate of Title of a Vehicle - an analogue of the vehicle passport (PTS).
- Make a preliminary expert opinion.
- Make a customs deposit and receive the appropriate certificate.
If the haul and registration of the purchased car will be carried out by a hired driver, a power of attorney will be required. When filling out the papers, you should indicate through which checkpoint you plan to cross the border - the local customs should be aware of your plans.
When the warranty certificate is in your hands, you can go shopping.
The deal is completed in a few minutes in three steps:
- The seller prints out the owner change forms from the local traffic police website (Trafi).
- After filling them out together, the new owner gives or transfers the agreed amount to the seller.
- The former owner signs the receipt of money and gives the car keys. The original form must remain with the buyer.
Further, the car should be insured, since you cannot drive without insurance in Finland, and the change of ownership should be legalized. This can be done at any service station or in an insurance company.
The policy may cost differently, but the cost of the service for entering data into the Trafi system is € 14. The buyer will receive an electronic passport in his name, printed on a regular A4 sheet, after which he can go home. Finnish numbers will be valid for another week.
Anyone can overtake a car, for example, employees of an intermediary firm. The cost of their services for the delivery of a car to St. Petersburg ranges from € 150-200.
Driving to Moscow or a Russian city farther from the Finnish border will cost much more. But then the hardest part begins.
The procedure for importing and customs clearance of a car is regulated by the Customs Code of the EAEU, according to which it is required to place a car under the customs regime and carry out customs clearance.
This procedure assumes:
- Registration of declarations (form TD-6 plus GTE, if the car is not transported on its own).
- Provision of a package of documents (passport, customs certificate and receipt, bill of sale, certificate of conformity Euro-5).
- Inspection and placement of the car at the customs warehouse.
- Mandatory payments (from the deposit).
- Purchase and installation of GLONASS.
- Issuance of a certificate of carriage and a new vehicle title.
After all this, you will only have to register the car with the traffic police.
How to buy a car on order with delivery
All of the above difficulties can be avoided by contacting an intermediary company that delivers used cars to Russia and clears them at customs. Moreover, you can use the services of such companies at any stage of the enterprise, starting with the choice of a car and ending with its registration. The only question is the price.
It should be borne in mind that the cost of intermediary services will be very significant. In addition, the opportunity to “touch” the product with your own hands will not be presented immediately.
The algorithm for contacting all intermediary structures for the purpose of buying a car is the same and does not depend on the country of purchase and the point of delivery. For this you need:
- Login to the site.
- Choose the offer you like.
- Discuss the details and conclude a contract.
- Make an advance payment.
- After receiving the order, pay in full.
If you pay for the goods remotely, you can entrust the case to a transport company - Russian or Finnish. However, in this case, customs clearance will have to be handled independently.
Finnish prices for new and used cars
This is not to say that the prices for new cars in the country of Suomi are too attractive. And although VAT on departure in the amount of 24% will most likely be returned to you, given the overhead costs and increased customs duties in recent years, the risk of being lost is too great.
To get a real benefit when buying, the car must be 3-5 years old. To find out the real cost of a car along with customs clearance, you can use the online calculator at www.tks.ru/auto/calc.
The most expensive cars in Finland are diesel powered.
Even for very old cars, prices remain stable, as they try to operate them there as long as possible. According to statistics, the demand for new cars in the country is falling.
Finnish reimports will be cheaper due to the fact that cars from other countries are kept in warehouses and do not go through customs until they are purchased. In other words, the lowest prices for cars are in large cities, where the turnover of vehicles is faster, and in the ports through which they are imported.
Finally
Finally, we have prepared tips for those who decide to buy a car in Finland:
- Look for an indigenous vendor. This is a guarantee of the quality of the product and that there will be no deception.
- Do not try to find a popular brand model. This applies to all Volkswagen and Toyota, as well as Skoda Octavia, Nissan Qashqai and BMW 5.
- Do not take diesel, because on the "secondary" it is quite expensive and, as a rule, with a huge mileage.
- Take a closer look at domestic brands or models with hybrid power plants.
In general, try your luck in another country - for example, in Sweden or Norway. According to experts, there is more choice and lower prices.
