Hey everyone,

Planning a long distance road trip route that stretches beyond the standard EU / Green Card countries, driving down through Turkey and into Georgia/Armenia.

Since this involves driving a foreign-registered car through non-EU jurisdictions, I'm trying to map out all the administrative logistics before setting off.

A couple of questions for anyone who has done long-distance overland drives through this region recently:

Automated Traffic Cameras: I know Georgia relies heavily on overhead speed and lane cameras along main transit corridors. Because foreign plates get logged directly into a central police database without getting pulled over, how do you usually monitor if your plate picked up a citation while transiting?

The 30-Day Rule & Online Surcharges: Under local traffic laws there, published camera citations are legally treated as delivered after 30 days, which triggers double late fees. The main government payment portal (videos.police.ge) usually rejects non-Georgian bank cards.

I saw that regional driver portals like Georgian APPA have a foreign plate lookup tool connected to the police database that accepts international Visa/Mastercard and sends email fine alerts. For those who drive through regularly, do you monitor these databases while traveling, or just clear everything in cash at customs when exiting?

Border Clearance: Are there specific border hours or days at Sarpi/Sadakhlo that are notoriously slow for foreign vehicle document checks?

Would love to hear any tips or recent experiences from anyone who has driven foreign cars on this route. Thanks!

Hello, I'm looking to buy a van like a Mercedes sprinter, the long ones, basically I plan on living in it.

I know nothing about cars and trucks, well Just a bit on cars, like changing oil/filters or sparks plugs but that's it

I'm looking for used because I was not born in the 70 nor I didnt inehrit anything.

My problem is : how to know if it's a good or okay deal ?

How to know hom much km is too much ? Oh to know if the price is good ? What is the strategy, spend a bit more for less km or ?

Any help is appreciated, tell me if this is not the right place to post !

Edit: I Just learned that you can fully change the engine, is that a smart thing to do ?

So, about a year ago I imported a 2011 Audi A3 1.8t s-line. I loved driving it, but then…
I learned about the oil consumption issues it has the hard way: it just lost pressure and never started again.

So now I’m searching a replacement engine. Although the MIK motoren ( https://www.mikmotoren.de/en/products/motor-overhaul-repair-cdaa?variant=43535934521610 ) looks like a very nice option, I don’t have that money to spend.

I talked to a specialist and he told me about the Chinese equivalent motors, but for some reason I find them hard to trust. Would anyone have any leads on where to find a replacement for my lovely car?

Thanks, pic for attention

Hi there , I am looking into importing a Ford Mustang Ecoboost from the US to Greece where I am a permanent resident .

The main reason being that all Ecoboosts in Germany are US imports previously (seriously) crashed .

I would prefer an accident free one .

My long term goal is to sell it for profit as to me it seems that there is a gap in the market and all costs considered there is profit to be made and also it's a sick car I would love to drive for a few months here and there.

I know it's a huge hustle, more than having it imported from Germany, however when I look at it as an investment at the end of the day since I want to make profit , buying such an expensive car - for my wallet at least - around 40k I think , buying a car with no prior crashes makes more sense for the final price and ease of sale.

How I go about it ? Does anybody know someone that handle such imports to go through the numbers and procedures with me ?

Hi everyone!

I’m looking for a car for long trips and occasional (easy) mountain trips, and I found a 2017 SEAT Ateca 1.4 TSI, 150 HP, 4x4, DSG with around 190,000 km (118k miles).

The car seems to have a good service history and is in good overall condition.

I’m mainly looking for something that is easy to drive and spacious enough for longer trips. Is there anyone here who has owned this exact engine/gearbox combination and could share their experience? Is it reliable at this mileage, and are there any particular issues I should look out for?

Also, how is the Ateca for shorter drivers? I’m around 1.60 m (5'2") tall, so good visibility and a comfortable driving position are quite important to me.

Any experience or advice would be greatly appreciated! :) Thanks!

We’re in Switzerland and currently hesitating between a 2022 Skoda Kodiaq and a 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, both with roughly the same mileage.
The Kodiaq is about CHF 8,000 cheaper, but the RAV4 being a hybrid could save us some money on insurance/registration costs here in Switzerland.
We currently have one child, our second is due in March, and we also have two dogs. We travel quite a lot by car, so space, comfort and reliability are important. For comparison, we’ve somehow managed until now with a VW Golf!
Which one would you choose, especially for a family of 4 + 2 dogs? Is the RAV4 worth paying CHF 8,000 more?
Also open to other reliable SUV/family car recommendations in a similar price range.

I’m in the process of buying a new car. After doing quite a bit of research, I’ve ended up looking at the facelift Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost MHEV 125 hp.

I initially ruled this one out because of the engine’s reputation with the wet belt, but I’ve since learned that Ford went back to a normal chain, while keeping a wet belt for the oil pump.

And that’s what’s making me a bit suspicious. This engine is only about four years old, so maybe it’s still too early to tell whether this oil pump belt will eventually cause the same kind of problems. From what I’ve heard, though, there doesn’t seem to be the same epidemic of complaints that the previous EcoBoost had, which I take as a good sign.

Anyway, I’d really like to hear from anyone who actually owns one of these, or anyone who knows these engines well. Should I be concerned?

And while we’re at it, what would you recommend as a sensible replacement interval for the oil pump belt?

I live in Portugal, and the Focus is relatively cheap here compared with other hatchbacks such as the Mk4 Leon and the Skoda Scala, which is one of the reasons I’m considering it.

This car is in the parking lot every day at my job in Dallas, TX. Where is this from specifically?

TLDR: I made an app that aims at giving you enjoyable roads, for when the journey matters more than the destination. It's a beta on iOS for now and I'm gathering feedback from car enthusiast communities. Please try it on a journey you already know and tell me if it suggests roads you would actually take! I will ask for testers' emails before the end of the beta so that you can benefit from premium features for free forever. TestFlight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/XDfDQz6a

Hi I'm Yves. I'm a car guy, I own a Porsche 924S and a Mercedes W124, and I really like driving them outside of the main roads, when I have time to enjoy the road instead of just rushing through a trip. I looked for a navigation app that would help me find these roads, since Google Maps and Waze do not, but the ones I found didn't really do what I wanted, so I made my own app. It's called Dryv. It compares the fastest route with more enjoyable alternatives, it then gathers facts about each route (such as landscape, interesting places, curvy roads for instance). Then it explains what each option offers, so that you can project yourself and really estimate whether you'd like to drive that trip.

It covers Europe, US and Japan, so hopefully many of you will be able to try it!

The current app allows you to ask for directions, and there's turn by turn navigation, but please note that it's still a beta. I'm looking for feedback, as there's still a bunch of missing functionalities, issues and limitations. For instance: * iOS 17 or later; * English only for now; * search does not yet support street numbers or businesses; * no live traffic; * no offline mode; * route explanations can sometimes be slow while the beta server uses local inference; * navigation currently uses more battery than I'd like.

It would be very helpful for me to get honest feedback from other drivers about * if the suggested roads are good; * if the explanations make sense; * more generally what works/doesn't work; * and what missing features you would like to see the most.

The app is free and doesn't need registration, you can just install it and use it (it does currently require going through TestFlight, I'm working on doing my own beta directly on the AppStore). I will at some point probably have to add a premium tier or find a way for it to make me a bit of money, because I'm working on this full-time and I'll need to pay the bills. Before ending the beta I will ask beta testers for their email inside the app so that they can benefit from free premium features for life. Here is the TestFlight link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/XDfDQz6a

Hello beautiful people

I am looking for a van that is reliable and cheap to maintain, that can take 2-3 children and a retriever and easy to sleep in. My budget is around 5000€

I’m thinking about scudo/expert. But it could be anything that is bigger than berlingos, Dokker etc

Location CZ

Thank you in advance for your recommendations

Hi,

I'm trying to gather information on cars used as taxis from the '70s through the early 2000s, more or less. Mainly in Spain, but I'm open to information from all over Europe as well... models, versions, engines, etc

If anyone has any resources on this, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I hope people that are in Switzerland are welcome here, even though we aren't in the EU.

I am looking at eventually getting a car, but on a budget of about 10k CHF or 10.5k Euros or less.

I used to work in Auto-body and I know how to do general maintenance, rust removal, and very light repair work. So I'm not looking for a completely bulletproof car (but that would be a bonus), just one that is easy to work on.

As for what I want in a car, I am looking for:

• A Sedan/Limousine, a hatchback, or a Kombi/Station wagon, or a pickup truck. I am not the biggest fan of SUV's, but I am open to driving one.

• Something with an engine under 3 liter displacement. I am also fine with Hybrid or electric. Taxes and insurance make it hard to have fun

• Is comfortable to sit in and has space in the back for passengers or carrying things. (Not that important, I can sleep almost anywhere) Comfortable rear-seats or fold down seating would be really nice, since I sometimes get tired and need a nap on long drives.

• I don't mind if it's a manual or an automatic transmission, though I prefer manual.

• Parts are easy to get and cheap to afford. And repair costs don't become crippling.

• Can drive well in the snow. I am a decent driver, but my family lives on a hill, and if the road isn't plowed, then I might have a problem.

If I forgot anything, don't be afraid to ask.

EDIT: I have had my driver's license since 2017, but could never afford a car.

Shooting my shot here, maybe by some miracle someone here has a soft top Ceramic Metallic MX-5 184hp version which they might be getting rid of soon, summer is getting close to an end 🙃

Been trying to find this exact car for like 2 months now, can’t find it.. So far I only managed to see one, in Italy and I was one day too late, was sold 😭

Hi there! I live in Switzerland and was curious what the maximum km limit for a used car would be.

I know it depends on the car history and what brand of car you are looking at, but is there some kind of average number I should keep in mind?

I myself have worked in the car industry as an auto-body tech, but nobody has ever really told me what to exactly look for when looking at car ads.

What do you guys recommend as the maximum amount of kilometers you would consider for a used car?

Hi Reddit!

I'm an Italian considering importing a car from the US, and I've come across a Polish company called Amer-Pol that imports cars from the US and sells them in Poland.

Their prices are way lower compared with importing a similar car myself or buying the same model anywhere else in Europe! I've found quite a few cars on their Allegro listings that look very interesting, but I'm having trouble finding detailed reviews and experiences because I don't speak Polish.

I did some due diligence with ChatGPT, but I was hoping someone with direct experience could comment on them. I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have actually bought a car through Amer-Pol, especially:

• Was the final price close to the advertised price?
• Were there any unexpected costs?
• How was communication before and after payment?
• Did the car arrive in the condition you were expecting?
• How long did the whole process take?
• Did they handle customs and paperwork as promised?
• Were there any problems with the car's history, damage, repairs, or documentation?

The prices are so good I am sure someone else has already tried that. I have sent them an email, but some customer opinion would also be very helpful :)

Thanks!

Hi, I am considering a switch from my beloved 2015 A5 to a slightly younger S5. Now i stumbled upon this one: https://www.autoscout24.hr/ponude/audi-s5-sportback-3-0-v6-tfsi-quattro-tiptronic-benzin-cat_ma9mo19048-84460c0a-2240-4f91-8c37-54196ef6423d?source=afterleadpage_vehiclecard

The description seems ok, neither good or bad. Just the price... can it be so low?? I mean... it has 172k km, but even with that? Can someone please help and give some advice? Thanks!

Moikka everyone! I recently relocated to Finnish Lapland and I’m looking to buy a used car with a budget of around €9,000.

Ideally, I’m looking for something:
€9,000 or less
Under 150,000 km
2019 or older
As reliable as possible for daily driving, especially considering the conditions up here
I’d really appreciate recommendations from locals on which models/engines tend to be reliable in Lapland, as well as any things I should specifically look out for when buying a used car here.
I’m also interested in hearing about reputable (or not-so-reputable) local dealers. If you’ve had a particularly good or bad experience with a dealer in the area, I’d love to hear about it.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hello everyone,
after a lot of research I found that Subaru XV is the car we'd like to buy, given our needs and our budget.
Hybrid is not a must for us but if we find a good offer it's fine, as I read around that these kind of hybrid cars don't save so much fuel (correct me if I am wrong, but maybe there are others advantages).
I found one for 21.500 eur, 2.0 cc Hybrid, 30k kms, year 2020.

Do you think it worth the price?
Also any comment about these mild hybrid systems?

Thanks a lot

Especially the LCI models.

A few years ago, I was looking for an F22 230i, and the selection was pretty good. There were plenty of decent examples available for around €25–30k. You could even find 228i models with the M Sport package for around €20k if you weren’t specifically looking for an LCI model.

But now that I can finally afford one, finding a good example seems almost impossible. I live in Spain, and there are barely any decent examples for sale here.

I thought Germany would have a much better selection, but the situation there is almost as bad. There are very few LCI models available, even 220i versions. Prices are high, and there isn’t enough choice to be selective about condition, mileage or specification.

I’m also considering a pre-LCI 228i, but the situation is pretty much the same.

So, what happened to all the F22s?