Buyer's guide

A practical guide to buying a used vehicle in Greece: budget, inspection, pricing, paperwork and transfer of ownership.

The real budget

The asking price is not the cost of the car. Before you fix a figure, put everything you will pay in the first year on the same sheet of paper:

Road tax — depends on engine size or CO₂ emissions and on the date of first registration.
Insurance — get a quote for that specific vehicle before you buy it, not after.
Transfer of ownership — the transfer fee, duties, and new plates if required.
Roadworthiness test (ΚΤΕΟ) — if the next one is due soon, budget for it and ask whether the last one passed.
Immediate servicing — oil, filters, timing belt if it is near, brake pads, tyres.
Real-world fuel consumption — not the factory figure, but what owners of that model report.

Rule of thumb: set aside 10-15% of the purchase price for the first months. A used car that "needs nothing" almost always needs something.

Searching properly

Start wide and narrow down. Apply twelve filters at once and you will see three cars and conclude there is no market.

Pick a body type and a price range — nothing else at first.
Add fuel and transmission only if they are genuinely non-negotiable for you.
Narrow mileage and year last: that is where most of the good cars disappear.
Sort by best value to see what sits below the market first.
Save anything promising to your Garage and compare two to four side by side.

The map helps when distance matters: you see what exists within a radius of your city and avoid a 400km round trip for a car you will reject in ten minutes.

Is the price right?

On every advert we show how the price stands against comparable vehicles on the market: good, fair, or above market, with the percentage difference. The comparison uses the same make and model, close year and close mileage.

A "good price" does not mean a good car. Often it means something is missing — history, servicing, a valid roadworthiness certificate — or that it has damage.
A price above market is not always wrong: full main-dealer history, rare equipment or very low mileage all justify a premium.
Check how long the advert has been up and whether the price has dropped. Both give you room to negotiate.

The price indicator is statistical guidance, not a professional valuation. It does not replace a technical inspection.

Paperwork and history

Before agreeing a price, ask to see — not to be told about:

The registration document: owner's name, date of first registration, engine size, emissions.
A valid roadworthiness certificate and the previous one if available — mileage is recorded on them.
A service book or workshop invoices. Invoices are harder to forge than stamps.
Proof that road tax for the current year has been paid.
Confirmation there is no retention of title or lien on the vehicle.

If the vehicle is on a lease and the seller proposes transferring the contract, you are not buying a car — you are taking over an agreement. Ask for the contract and check the remaining instalments, the residual value, the mileage cap and who pays the transfer fee.

Inspecting before you buy

View the vehicle in daylight, in dry weather, parked on level ground and with a cold engine. If the seller has already warmed it up "so it's ready", ask why.

Body: look at the gaps between bonnet, wings and doors. Uneven gaps mean an impact.
Paint: shade differences in sunlight, overspray on rubber seals and trim.
Tyres: same brand per axle, manufacturing date, uneven wear (suspect alignment or suspension).
Cold engine: smoke, noises, warning lights that do not go out.
Fluids: oil colour, coolant level, traces of leaks under the engine.
Electrics: windows, air conditioning, camera, screen, every light.
Mileage: compare it with wear on the steering wheel, pedals and driver's seat.

The cheapest way to save thousands is an inspection at an independent workshop before purchase. If the seller refuses to take it there, that is your answer.

The test drive

Drive for at least 15 minutes, including town and a fast road.
Turn the radio off. Listen to the suspension over bumps, the brakes under hard braking, the gearbox on shifts.
On a straight road, loosen your grip on the wheel: if it pulls, something is wrong.
Try reverse, the handbrake on a hill, and the air conditioning at full.
After the drive, look under the car again for leaks.

Negotiating

Negotiation is not "what's your best price?". It is a reasoned proposal: you found it needs tyres and a belt, you know what those cost, you offer accordingly.

Inspect first, discuss price second — never the other way round.
Name a specific figure, not a range. A range is always heard from the end that suits the seller.
Use the offer form inside the conversation: it stays in writing and binds for as long as it is valid.
Be prepared to walk away. It is the only real negotiating tool you have.

Transfer of ownership

Transfer takes place at the regional transport authority, at a citizen service centre (ΚΕΠ) or through an authorised office. You will generally need:

The vehicle's registration document.
ID documents and tax numbers (ΑΦΜ) for both buyer and seller.
Road tax paid for the current year.
A valid roadworthiness certificate where required.
Duties and the transfer fee.

Do not hand over the full amount before the transfer is signed. And do not leave a vehicle registered in your name after selling it — until the transfer completes, the fines are yours.

Warning signs

A price far below every comparable vehicle, with no explanation.
The seller refuses a phone call or an in-person viewing.
A deposit is requested to "reserve" the car before you have seen it.
The photos look downloaded: different lighting, foreign plates, steering wheel on the wrong side.
Excessive urgency, or "another buyer is coming in an hour".
The details on the registration do not match the person selling, and there is no authorisation.

If you come across an advert like that, report it from its own page. Reports are reviewed and adverts are taken down.