{"id":5150,"date":"2017-08-23T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T10:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=5150"},"modified":"2017-08-20T16:55:16","modified_gmt":"2017-08-20T16:55:16","slug":"buying-a-car-in-the-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/buying-a-car-in-the-netherlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying a Car in the Netherlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though the bike is the #1 mode of transportation in the Netherlands, some people will inevitably have to (or want to) buy a car. After sharing with my husband the experience of buying a car, I came up with the following list of useful information.<\/p>\n

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Photo take by paramita found on Flickr.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Nieuwe Auto, Tweedehands Auto<\/h3>\n

Considering the significant difference in price of cars between the Netherlands and my experience in the U.S., buying a new car is not always an option. Depending on your budget, you will have to choose if you can buy\u00a0een nieuwe auto\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0een tweedehands auto.\u00a0<\/em>If you would like a new car,\u00a0de dealer\u00a0<\/em>is your best bet. If you would like a used car, you have to check the\u00a0occasion\u00a0<\/em>listing. By just googling\u00a0auto kopen<\/em>, you can check a variety of websites where dealerships and people list their cars for sale. Even\u00a0marktplaats.nl\u00a0<\/em>has listings for used cars!<\/p>\n

Welke type auto wil je?<\/h3>\n

Each person has their own set of requirements for a car so it’s important to understand the vocabulary related to a car’s description. The most basic is to know what\u00a0merk\u00a0<\/em>or brand you would like and, if you are buying a used car, what are your parameters for\u00a0bouwjaar<\/em> and\u00a0kilometerstand\u00a0<\/em>or milage.<\/p>\n

If you grew up in the U.S. where a good majority drives automatic cars, you might be surprised to find out people in the Netherlands (and I dare say Europe for that matter) mostly drive\u00a0handgeschakeld\u00a0<\/em>or stick. The driving exam in the Netherlands<\/a> is even done driving stick unless you don’t mind having a restricted license.<\/p>\n

Depending on how much you drive and how much you can pay on taxes, you might have to look into the choice of\u00a0brandstof\u00a0<\/em>for your car. A regular\u00a0benzine\u00a0<\/em>car cost less in taxes than those with\u00a0diesel\u00a0<\/em>but the price per liter of diesel is cheaper than that of gasoline.<\/p>\n

Other important things to think about are\u00a0aantal deuren, aantal zitplaatsen,\u00a0<\/em>and extra features such as\u00a0navigatie, airco, elektrische ramen, kleur en materiaal van bekleding.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The following video gives you tips for what sort of things to look out for when buying a car.<\/p>\n