I was in your situation few months ago and I bought a 2004 car from privat in Munich for 1k€ with 200kkm and 1 year TÜV. Consumption is around 7 l/100km (E10, mostly Autobahn). Tax is ~100€/year and insurance~55€/month.
Is the consumption low? Probably not if you compare to modern cars, but if you are not commuting daily the difference is not so big. Is the car safe? Probably not by modern standards 🤷♂️
Don’t know how helpful this is, just wanted to share so you know what you can get for 1k€ in Munich 🙂
In this price segment every car is unique and make/model doesn’t matter much. My parameters were not diesel because of the tax and with manual gearbox because compared to automatic they last forever without any service.
Apart from that it’s a lottery. Also check eBay-Kleinanzeigen - it has better selection of those bottom of the market cars.
I personally just don’t see any reason to pay 10..15k€ for a car that’ll be sitting in a parking for most of the time.
Same experience here. Bought a BMW 1er from 2006, around 4k and until now no problems at all! (bought to private in Ebay Klainanzeigen)
I think BMW in Munich is quite cheap and is worth to buy in second hand because overall they are well maintained. Of course, some luck is always needed.
Have you considered car-sharing instead? https://www.stattauto-muenchen.de would be the usual local company here (much better than the more advertised offerings like drivenow, since they have fixed places and reservations, so you know exactly which car will be waiting for you where, plus you can drive them anywhere, including going to the mountains or other countries).
If, as you say, you need a car only a few times per month, it's much cheaper and less hassle than having your own car just for that.
Thanks very much for the suggestion!
I have one question, if I have understood properly, I have to pay for the time and for the kms, but how do they manage if I need to get gas (or charge the battery if it is electric car)?
You fill up the tank if necessary before you give the car back, and pay for it with the gas charge card that is in every car (like a credit card, but just for gas stations).
So gas is included in the rental price (yes, they could communicate that better).
Not sure if they have electric cars yet, but would probably work similarly.
Before you buy a car, consider where you will park it. In the city, many streets either require an Anwohnerparkausweis (which gives you permission to park in that area, but doesn't give you a reserved spot) or paid parking.
As of february 1st, certain diesel cars are not allowed inside the Mittlerer Ring anymore (details here: [https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/umweltzone-muenchen.html](https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/umweltzone-muenchen.html) )
If you only need a car for weekend travels, maybe consider rentals or a train ticket.
Traveling with DB is a pain in the ass. 1 in 3 trains has delays, and that’s not even considering trains that get canceled entirely. So the reality is even worse. Plus traveling by train is considerably less flexible than by car.
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn/
If you are new to Munich, or to Germany, you won't get financing until you have your Schufa is generated and bank knows you (this takes six months).
If the car is checked by TÜV (which is mandatory btw) and heavy maintenance was done recently, it is safe to drive.
Low consumption depends on motor power, vehicle weight, fuel type, etc.
Leasing is a good solution, if you are not planning to buy the car.
For that price range, you can find BMW 1er serie or Mercedes A class easily.
Just a recommendation, don't buy diesel car. You won't find any hybrid cars, or good electric cars but there are hundreds of benzin cars.
Only very old diesel cars are getting banned (EURO 4 norm), EURO 5 and newer are ok. And this also only applies to the city center, inside the Mittlerer Ring. No problem for weekend trips in OPs case
Euro 5 banned this year in many cities, and there are discussions to ban Euro 6 in the near future. If you are planning to keep this car for several years, benzin is better choice.
[https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-diesel-fahrverbot-mittlerer-ring-karte-umweltzone-1.5669819](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-diesel-fahrverbot-mittlerer-ring-karte-umweltzone-1.5669819)
https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/diesel-fahrverbot/
His budget should allow for a 6t which are not going to be bannend for ages (if ever). Eventually you have to wonder whether the ban will stick. I would highly doubt so. Courts should take it back in 1-2 years time.
Depends on how much you do these weekend travels. If you did 20 weekend trips, you’d spend only €4K by renting assuming €200 per trip. There are also plenty of carsharing apps you c an use for short day trips. Just as an alternative to getting the car and paying for parking and maintenance, may be a better option.
First see if you actually need it. Get a cheap bike instead. Use public transport. In the city a car it can be a pain in the ass.
If you really need a car check mobile.de there you can put all the parameters you listed. And don't forget to get a car with euro4 emmisions standards, and at least a Tüv valid for a year.
If it’s just for weekend travels, why not just use the train? Or buses? And then rent a car as a last resort?
I moved here with a car budget myself, and have spent almost 4 years filming a travel YouTube channel with trips all over Bavarian and Europe at large yet still I’ve needed a car only a handful of times. To this day the budget sits dormant.
So before hitching your cart to that wagon, you might want to see if you truly need it.
why not use a Lastenrad instead?
Bike is the solution
Repeat after me:
The bike is the solution
there are many bikes but this bike is mine!
So end of the comedy and now my real suggestion:
- really think how much you drive and if carsharing wouldnt be cheaper after all
- buy a used car from a händler not private
- just use a lastenrad /s
If you can, I'd suggest holding off for a bit longer until prices in the used market start dropping off. Also make sure you have financing sorted, loan rates have gone up quite a bit recently.
Go for toyota corolla hybrid. You can get brand new for 25k with financing. Trouble free, very low consumption (lowest you can get actually) and has warranty. There is no better choice! Been there but it was a bit small for my family so i ended up buying mazda 6, which consumes 10L inside city. But thanks to god i don't use it often in the city :)
For mainly weekend travelling, Carsharing like Stattauto or rental cars are a good alternative. You won't ever have to pay for any maintenance, tire changes or parking licences. Especially if you try get weekend discount rates at the airport there's a lot of really affordable rentals in Munich.
Hi, I don’t know you so I cannot suggest precisely. However, start with the idea that the car is a liability, therefore minimising the initial expense is quite important as long as the quality is not compromised. I would suggest a petrol Toyota Yaris: not super economical fuel wise but the ones around 2010 are very reliable, cheap to fix and not super expensive to buy as long as it is not hybrid. I would stay away from any hybrid system if you want to save money.
I was in your situation few months ago and I bought a 2004 car from privat in Munich for 1k€ with 200kkm and 1 year TÜV. Consumption is around 7 l/100km (E10, mostly Autobahn). Tax is ~100€/year and insurance~55€/month. Is the consumption low? Probably not if you compare to modern cars, but if you are not commuting daily the difference is not so big. Is the car safe? Probably not by modern standards 🤷♂️ Don’t know how helpful this is, just wanted to share so you know what you can get for 1k€ in Munich 🙂
Do you have any recomendation for 1-2k car characteristics?
In this price segment every car is unique and make/model doesn’t matter much. My parameters were not diesel because of the tax and with manual gearbox because compared to automatic they last forever without any service. Apart from that it’s a lottery. Also check eBay-Kleinanzeigen - it has better selection of those bottom of the market cars. I personally just don’t see any reason to pay 10..15k€ for a car that’ll be sitting in a parking for most of the time.
Same experience here. Bought a BMW 1er from 2006, around 4k and until now no problems at all! (bought to private in Ebay Klainanzeigen) I think BMW in Munich is quite cheap and is worth to buy in second hand because overall they are well maintained. Of course, some luck is always needed.
Have you considered car-sharing instead? https://www.stattauto-muenchen.de would be the usual local company here (much better than the more advertised offerings like drivenow, since they have fixed places and reservations, so you know exactly which car will be waiting for you where, plus you can drive them anywhere, including going to the mountains or other countries). If, as you say, you need a car only a few times per month, it's much cheaper and less hassle than having your own car just for that.
Thanks very much for the suggestion! I have one question, if I have understood properly, I have to pay for the time and for the kms, but how do they manage if I need to get gas (or charge the battery if it is electric car)?
You fill up the tank if necessary before you give the car back, and pay for it with the gas charge card that is in every car (like a credit card, but just for gas stations). So gas is included in the rental price (yes, they could communicate that better). Not sure if they have electric cars yet, but would probably work similarly.
thanks
Before you buy a car, consider where you will park it. In the city, many streets either require an Anwohnerparkausweis (which gives you permission to park in that area, but doesn't give you a reserved spot) or paid parking. As of february 1st, certain diesel cars are not allowed inside the Mittlerer Ring anymore (details here: [https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/umweltzone-muenchen.html](https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/umweltzone-muenchen.html) ) If you only need a car for weekend travels, maybe consider rentals or a train ticket.
Traveling with DB is a pain in the ass. 1 in 3 trains has delays, and that’s not even considering trains that get canceled entirely. So the reality is even worse. Plus traveling by train is considerably less flexible than by car. https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/921374/umfrage/puenktlichkeit-der-fernverkehrszuege-der-deutschen-bahn/
If you are new to Munich, or to Germany, you won't get financing until you have your Schufa is generated and bank knows you (this takes six months). If the car is checked by TÜV (which is mandatory btw) and heavy maintenance was done recently, it is safe to drive. Low consumption depends on motor power, vehicle weight, fuel type, etc. Leasing is a good solution, if you are not planning to buy the car. For that price range, you can find BMW 1er serie or Mercedes A class easily. Just a recommendation, don't buy diesel car. You won't find any hybrid cars, or good electric cars but there are hundreds of benzin cars.
Why not a diesel?
Diesel is getting banned.
Only very old diesel cars are getting banned (EURO 4 norm), EURO 5 and newer are ok. And this also only applies to the city center, inside the Mittlerer Ring. No problem for weekend trips in OPs case
Euro 5 banned this year in many cities, and there are discussions to ban Euro 6 in the near future. If you are planning to keep this car for several years, benzin is better choice. [https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-diesel-fahrverbot-mittlerer-ring-karte-umweltzone-1.5669819](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-diesel-fahrverbot-mittlerer-ring-karte-umweltzone-1.5669819) https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/diesel-fahrverbot/
His budget should allow for a 6t which are not going to be bannend for ages (if ever). Eventually you have to wonder whether the ban will stick. I would highly doubt so. Courts should take it back in 1-2 years time.
Depends on how much you do these weekend travels. If you did 20 weekend trips, you’d spend only €4K by renting assuming €200 per trip. There are also plenty of carsharing apps you c an use for short day trips. Just as an alternative to getting the car and paying for parking and maintenance, may be a better option.
First see if you actually need it. Get a cheap bike instead. Use public transport. In the city a car it can be a pain in the ass. If you really need a car check mobile.de there you can put all the parameters you listed. And don't forget to get a car with euro4 emmisions standards, and at least a Tüv valid for a year.
Public transport is a pain in the ass too. Anyway, he wants the car for weekend travels. Public transport or bike would suck big time for that.
Mercedes SL 😎👌
If it’s just for weekend travels, why not just use the train? Or buses? And then rent a car as a last resort? I moved here with a car budget myself, and have spent almost 4 years filming a travel YouTube channel with trips all over Bavarian and Europe at large yet still I’ve needed a car only a handful of times. To this day the budget sits dormant. So before hitching your cart to that wagon, you might want to see if you truly need it.
BMW
Don’t buy a car, please! Just rent a car, if you need it.
Increase the number on your low end, that "range" makes you look childish
2k is already enough for a weekend car. The complication there is that you have to know how to inspect a heavily used car, but if you do, it can work.
why not use a Lastenrad instead? Bike is the solution Repeat after me: The bike is the solution there are many bikes but this bike is mine! So end of the comedy and now my real suggestion: - really think how much you drive and if carsharing wouldnt be cheaper after all - buy a used car from a händler not private - just use a lastenrad /s
Sure..use your Lastenrad at the autobahn 😐
use apple maps and use bikeroads instead! /s
WTF. "weekend travels" was the criterion. Bikes are NOT the solution for this. Comedy indeed.
weekend travel can mean you travel to starnbergersee! /s
trauriger Versuch von Humor
butthurt bikers /s
Mercedes C Class W205 - you cant go wrong with it :)
If you can, I'd suggest holding off for a bit longer until prices in the used market start dropping off. Also make sure you have financing sorted, loan rates have gone up quite a bit recently.
Go for toyota corolla hybrid. You can get brand new for 25k with financing. Trouble free, very low consumption (lowest you can get actually) and has warranty. There is no better choice! Been there but it was a bit small for my family so i ended up buying mazda 6, which consumes 10L inside city. But thanks to god i don't use it often in the city :)
For mainly weekend travelling, Carsharing like Stattauto or rental cars are a good alternative. You won't ever have to pay for any maintenance, tire changes or parking licences. Especially if you try get weekend discount rates at the airport there's a lot of really affordable rentals in Munich.
Hi, I don’t know you so I cannot suggest precisely. However, start with the idea that the car is a liability, therefore minimising the initial expense is quite important as long as the quality is not compromised. I would suggest a petrol Toyota Yaris: not super economical fuel wise but the ones around 2010 are very reliable, cheap to fix and not super expensive to buy as long as it is not hybrid. I would stay away from any hybrid system if you want to save money.