Seeing the first costs after purchase in advance

The purchase price is the number that gets negotiated. The items due in the first months afterwards are the number people forget. For a young car with a fresh test and a fresh service it is small. For an older one whose test runs out soon and whose major service is outstanding, it can be a noticeable share of the price — and then it belongs in the sum before you commit.

Three items can be assessed fairly well before buying: the periodic roadworthiness test, because its date is known; garage work, because price lists exist; and parts, because their prices are public. The “After you buy” block on the car's page brings together what garages and parts sellers on Carvexia state themselves for these three items. It estimates nothing and forms no average. Where there is no information, a line or the whole block is missing — which does not mean nothing is due.

Running costs — insurance, tax, fuel, depreciation — are not in it. They belong in the monthly calculation described in a separate guide. This is about the items attached to this particular car.

At the top of the block is the test — MFK in Switzerland, HU/AU in Germany, Pickerl in Austria, elsewhere simply “test” — with the month until which it is valid. Next to it: “as stated by the seller”. The date comes from the listing, not from a register. Ask to see the last test report or the entry in the papers before you rely on the date.

The date has three states. If it is more than a year away, it simply appears. If the test runs out within a year, the block says it is due. If it has expired, it says “expired since”. In the last two cases the block shows test prices from garages near the car, and a link leads to the page on what the test involves.

For you, a test that is due means more than the test fee. More expensive is whatever it flags and what has to be fixed beforehand: brakes, suspension, lights, rust on load-bearing parts, leaks. A fresh test before handover shifts that risk to the seller. If the test runs out within the next three months or has expired, the enquiry form offers a dedicated question for exactly this: whether it will be renewed before handover.

The prices in the block are lines from the price lists of garages on Carvexia, as each garage keeps them. At most three garages are shown per line, from the car's country. If the listing has a map point, they are ordered by straight-line distance from where the car is; otherwise alphabetically. There is no paid placement.

A second line names garages that list the car's make in their profile, with their hourly rate. Where known, an “as of” date appears next to the price: the day the garage last changed it. A price with an old date may be out of date. Amounts in another currency are converted and therefore approximate.

Every price line has one of four price types, and they mean different things:

Below the block it says: “The garage's price list, not a quote.” That is the most important sentence in it. A price list says what a service usually costs at this garage. A quote says what the work on this car costs once someone has seen it. The difference lies in what is found, the parts and the labour time.

Nor are the lines an average or a market price. Three garages near a car do not tell you what a test or a service usually costs in that country; they tell you what these three charge. Scope and VAT are as the garage states them — whether a price includes tax or not, you check with the garage.

And the garages are near the car, not near you. If you are buying in another region or country, they are useful for two things: a pre-purchase inspection by a garage you commission yourself, and work that should be done before the car is transferred. For garages that accept appointment requests, “Request” takes you straight to the request. For the time after, you find a garage near you.

The third line covers parts: how many items there are on Carvexia whose sellers list this car's make, model and year, and the price of the cheapest one, with a date. Items “for all makes” are not counted, because they say nothing about this model.

Read the number for what it is: an indication of how much matching supply there is on this platform right now. It says nothing about how good parts supply for the model is overall, and the lowest price belongs to some item — perhaps a filter, not the brake discs you need. Whether a part fits rests on the seller's statements; for safety-relevant parts, have the fit confirmed using the VIN.

The line becomes useful when you get specific. “Parts search for this car” shows you the individual items, so you can see what the parts due on this car cost: brake pads, filters for the service, a set of tyres. With tyres, age matters as well as tread: the last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall give the week and year of production, 2319 meaning week 23 of 2019. That does not make a garage bill — the labour is missing — but it gives an order of magnitude for the materials.

An item becomes an argument when it meets three conditions: it is certainly due, it has a figure attached, and the seller has not already priced it in. A test that expires in four months is certainly due. A timing belt whose last change is unknown according to the seller's statements is, for a careful buyer of an older car, due as well. A scratch on the bumper is not.

Having a figure means not “that will surely cost a fair bit” but a number with a source. The price lines in the block are a start; a garage's quote for this very car is better. With it you are not saying “I want to pay less” but “this work is due, this is what it costs, here is the quote”.

Then there are three routes, and all of them are fair: the seller has the work done before handover and provides proof; you deduct the amount from the price; or you record in the contract that the car will be handed over with a fresh test. For the test, the third route is often the best, because then the seller bears whatever it flags.

And one limit: whoever puts every conceivable item on the table is not negotiating but talking the car down. A seller who lists a car with a test due may already have allowed for it in the price. So compare with similar cars that have a fresh test before you ask for the full amount.