Editor’s note: This is the third article in Tapxe.com’s Buying a car in Germany series. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.
With a decent view of what sort of cars were available and what the typical German drives, I set out to visit an Autohaus or two, get ein paar Angebote, and ultimately buy a car.
I did not think about what order in which to visit the dealerships–instead, I started with the one closest to home and stopped each time I came to a new one. My actual order went: Mazda, Renault, VW, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Peugeot and last but not least Mini/BMW – phew. In retrospect, this worked out fairly well, though I would offer a few words of advice if I had to do it again.
Rank the brands you are interested in and then visit them in reverse order, saving the ones you are most interested in for last. Why? Use the first few dealerships to get comfortable with how the process works, to learn the types of questions the dealership will ask you, and to figure out how the requirements you identified in Part 1 mesh with reality. Ideally, by the time you get to the dealerships you are most interested in you’ll sound like you’ve been in Germany for years. By being at ease and confident, you’ll stand the best chance of making a successful decision. Making a good impression at the dealership and building a relationship with them from the start that makes them want to help you is the difference between driving off in a used Renault Clio or a new BMW 3er.
Buying a car in Germany: Types of cars at the the German car dealership
There are a few types of cars you are likely to find at the dealership:
- Neuwagen – New cars
- Gebrauchtwagen – Used cars
- Vorführwagen – Dealership demonstration cars
- Jahreswagen – Literally means ‘Year car’. These are cars I believe were bought by employees of the car manufacturer at a large discount and are able to be sold after a certain period of time. BMW explains their Jahreswagen policies here.
As with buying a car in the States, buying a Neuwagen is the surest way of getting a warranty if you want one. With a Gebrauchtwagen, Vorfürwagen, or Jahreswagen, it will depend entirely on the vehicle and probably how long it has been since the Erstzulassung (first registration). What about ‘Certified Used Cars,’ a term now very popular at dealerships in the U.S?
Volkswagen offers certified used cars through their First Class program. Every First Class car comes with a minimum 12 month warranty: Da ist es beruhigend, dass jedes Volkswagen First Class Fahrzeug inklusive einer mindestens zwölfmonatigen Gebrauchtwagen-Garantie ausgeliefert wird. Amoung other things, First Class certified cars are no more than 4 years old and have fewer than 100,000 km on them.
BMW offers certified used cars through their Premium Selection program. BMW Premium Selection cars are no more than 7 years old and have fewer than 120,000 km on them. Premium Selection cars come with the EUROPlus Garantie that covers alle mechanischen und elektronischen Teile Ihres Fahrzeuges ohne Kilometerbegrenzung – für ein Jahr (all mechanical and electronic parts of the car for one year – regardless of mileage).
Audi offers certified used cars through their Plus program, and Mercedes through the Europa-Garantie. Like BMW and VW, both of these manufacturers offer similar certified used car warranties with Audi giving you a warranty through 12 months and Mercedes giving you through 12 months or to 100,000 km on your vehicle.
Buying a car in Germany: The test drive
I found two major differences in test driving a car in Germany. First, dealerships do not offer it readily: you need to ask. Second, once you have arranged a test drive and filled out the paperwork, you can take the car for several hours (perhaps that’s why they don’t like doing it!). In terms of paperwork, your US drivers license, Passport, and the Anmeldebestätigung should suffice.
Buying a car in Germany: Some German car vocabulary
While test driving cars and talking with dealers you’ll likely need some new vocabulary.
- Geshwindigkeitsregelung – cruise control
- Nebelscheinwerfer – fog lights
- Leichtmetallräder – alloy wheels
- bleifreies Benzin – unleaded
- Fahrwerk – chassis, typically used in Sportfahrwerk - Sport chassis/suspension
- Kraftstoffverbrauch - fuel consumption, typically in liters per 100 kilometers (l/100 km). For an explanation of why l/100km is a useful way of thinking about fuel consumption, check out Predictably Irrational. For more information on fuel economy in general, Wikipedia. 1 MPG is about 235 l/100km.
- innerorts/städtisch – in the city
- außerorts/außerstädtisch – on the highway
- kombiniert/insgesamt - combined
- Höchstgeschwindigkeit - top speed
- Schaltgetriebe – manual transmission
- Automatikgetriebe – automatic transmission
- Erstzulassung – date of first registration
- Kilometerstand - current mileage
- KW and PS – Germans display the car’s power in terms of KW (kilowatts) and PS (Pferdestärke). PS is roughly equivalent to horsepower (HP) in the States. For more information on the history, usage, and converting between these measures, please go here.
- Hubraum – displacement
- Drehmoment - torque
- Vorderradantrieb – front wheel drive
- Hinterradantrieb – rear wheel drive
- Scheibenbremsen - disk brakes
- Federung – suspension
Buying a car in Germany: Discussing the Angebot
Once you’ve settled on a few cars you are interested in, it’s time to talk about the Angebot. What does the Angebot consist of? It’s a signed letter from the dealer to you outlining the car in question as well as the terms of the deal. What sort of terms? Assuming you are not paying all in cash up front…
- Is the car finanziert or will you be leasen?
- The decision about whether to finance or lease is a personal one. Depending on the specials the dealership is offering, and the length of time you plan on holding the vehicle, one might be financially günstiger than the other. In my experience, the dealer was able to offer more favorable financing terms on certain cars and more favorable leasing terms on others.
- Anzahlung – down payment
- Laufleistung – mileage per year
- Rate – monthly payment
- Zulassung – Registration fees
Buying a car in Germany: Can you negotiate?
Yes and No. As with negotiating and buying anything as a foreigner in a new town, just remember to look for a winning deal for both you and the dealer. Your time as an expat will be much better if you have a network of friends you can count on – and yes, this goes for your car dealer as well. Some things to negotiate about? Increase your yearly kilometer per year allowance – 30,000 instead of 15,000. Ask to have such things as winter/all season tires or a better stereo included. If it’s a used car, ask about extending the warranty.
Now that you’ve found the car, and are happy with the offer, it’s time to close the deal. Buying a car in Germany continues with Part 4 – Closing the Deal and required documents.
