vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

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obakesan
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vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by obakesan » Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:56 am

Hi

Despite having lived there on and off (starting in 2006) I have remained ignorant as to the base costs for many reasons (never bothered to add it up, sheltered by others helping me, not owning one for some periods)

However now (in advance to returning) I am considering a small car (like an older Polo) or a motorcycle (like 400cc dirt bike) to supplement my regular transport (bicycle, walking and trains).

I understand that there are some fees which are not related to operation. I have been lax in :-) driving my questions such as "what is registration called" to my Finnish friends, who seem unaware themselves of the various costs (for reasons like their spouse does it).

So if someone could give me a list of the things that equal; registration, insurance (which in Australia is broken into 3rd party and then 3rd party property or comprehensive insurance) for a car and a bike as mentioned that would really help my planning.

I for instance already have a passing knowledge of katsastus but even that seems a bit mysterious to me (despite having taken our car to it a few times). Sometimes one focuses on the most pressing urgencies and ignores /forgets the details.

Thanks :-)



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Piet
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by Piet » Mon Sep 28, 2015 12:09 pm

First things first, the motorbike.... Expensive insurance and without a good (warm) suit and an extra set of wheels with spikes pretty useless in Winter. Insurance is extra expensive for dirt bikes and or off road light bikes hence these are mostly used by youth which relatively (statistics) make more accidents.
Insurance for motorbikes in Finland is calculated in relation to the average amount of accidents for that type of Bike. If that bike does not exists yet in Finland you are really screwed and pay the full monty.

Good thing of motorbikes is that they have no mandatory "kastastus" every year like older cars have and no yearly road tax.

Next cars... well where to start:
Once a year to the katsatsus cost vary from 50 to 100 euros depending on what kind of car. Polo from 2009 : about 70€

Road tax, yearly, depend on the max. loaded weight or the CO2 emissions, for a Polo it cannot be much, I think about 80€

Insurance. Only Third party liability (when you make a mistake all costs to the OTHER car are paid) depends on your bonus and that depends on how long you have driven without accidents (you need a statement from your previous car insurance company, not older than 3 years). If you have no proof for this that standard starting bonus will be 20%, every year you earn another 5% bonus discount for your yearly payment of the car (insurance year runs from September till September). for a Polo I guess it will not differ so much from another car unless it is a sports car, you will have to check a lot of different companies, in general the Company "If" seems quite cheap but "Lahitapiola" is cheap too. Google for others Prices... from 15€ a month to 150€ a month I guess...depending on a lot of factors.

Good luck and for more info: infopankki.fi

edit typo :wink:
Last edited by Piet on Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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riku2
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by riku2 » Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:49 pm

The pojola insurance pages are quite useful since they are in english and even if you don't get your insurance from them you can see explanations of car insurance and the kind of options offered (most companies offer similar things).

https://www.pohjola.fi/pohjola/private- ... en&srcpl=3

Most companies offer a basic liability insurance (the legal minimum, for damage you do to other people/cars/property) and then varying cover for damage to your own car. Whether you choose this optional part (and which level) I suppose depends on how likely you think you are to damage it and how much it's worth. Normally if somebody else crashes into your car then you claim from their insurance but of course arguments can take place or the person drives off. I always call the police if another driver damages my car while i'm driving and they take a statement. This avoids people changing their story later and blaming you for their bad driving.

When you get a quote online you can adjust the policy with various options. for example you can bump up the excess from 200e -> 400e and that cuts your monthly cost. or you can decline a temporary car if yours if off the road. All this can help reduce the monthly cost and normally if you phone or visit an office they will not spend an hour with you giving all the different combinations of prices.

Some companies are reluctant to deal in english, with replies like "If you want buy an insurance from Popvakuutus, you have to speak finish!" (that was their complete reply to my request about insuring a 75k euro BMW with them, obviously they do not want me as a customer).

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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by Upphew » Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:03 pm

Piet wrote:Good thing of motorbikes is that they have no mandatory "kastastus" every year like older cars have
...
Good luck and for more info: infopanki.fi
Yet. If the motorists can't keep the noise in check they might get to visit Katsastus too soon.

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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by obakesan » Tue Sep 29, 2015 7:04 am

Hi

firstly, thanks to everyone for their replies.
Piet wrote:First things first, the motorbike.... Expensive insurance and without a good (warm) suit and an extra set of wheels with spikes pretty useless in Winter.
I'm sort of thinking that I may not ride it in winter, but having lived in Japan where I rode motorbikes all year round (and because I've lived in Finland for multiple winters) I think I understand what I'm getting into ... which is why I'd probably not ride far in winter. That and the next point are why I'd consider a smaller car (rather than a bike) to allow me to get out and go XCSkiing in winter to places out of town ...
Insurance is extra expensive for dirt bikes and or off road light bikes
expensive relative to price of insured item or outright expensive?

I guess I'll google that at those links

Road tax, yearly, depend on the max. loaded weight or the CO2 emissions, for a Polo it cannot be much, I think about 80€
ok, so the list is:
* katsastus
* road tax
* insurance

are there other components?
Insurance. .... If you have no proof for this that standard starting bonus will be 20%, ... for a Polo I guess it will not differ so much from another car

good to know, I probably wouldn't have thought about that till I was there ... thanks!

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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by obakesan » Tue Sep 29, 2015 7:08 am

Hi
riku2 wrote:The pojola insurance pages are quite useful since they are in english ...
Some companies are reluctant to deal in english, with replies like "If you want buy an insurance from Popvakuutus, you have to speak finish!" (that was their complete reply to my request about insuring a 75k euro BMW with them, obviously they do not want me as a customer).
thanks of the link ... I've found the english / non english attitude something to deal with that' for sure. So far I've been glad to have had enough of the +ve experiences to balance out the negative ... but that took a bit of time to even out.

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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by Upphew » Tue Sep 29, 2015 9:41 am

obakesan wrote: ok, so the list is:
* katsastus
* road tax
* insurance

are there other components?
Those are the stuff that needs to be in order or coppers will pull you out of traffic. Where you park your car? Where the other set of tyres? Servicing, and repairing as we are talking about older car.
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obakesan
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by obakesan » Tue Sep 29, 2015 1:22 pm

Hi
Upphew wrote: Those are the stuff that needs to be in order or coppers will pull you out of traffic
.

Exactly the things I didn't know before
Where you park your car? Where the other set of tyres? Servicing, and repairing as we are talking about older car.
These are the things I already know (although estimates of service requirements are akin to predicting football scores)

:-)

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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by Karhunkoski » Tue Sep 29, 2015 1:53 pm

obakesan wrote: although estimates of service requirements are akin to predicting football scores)
But less open to bribes :D
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Piet
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by Piet » Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:53 pm

obakesan wrote: expensive relative to price of insured item or outright expensive?
Outright expensive overall. Image

If you want any advise to keep the service cheap for a car: Forget about the VW, parts are expensive.
Go for the small Toyota (Yaris, Yugo, Aygo, Auris), indestructible little car, most value for your buck: Yaris, just change the oil and filter at regular intervals and it will run good for a very long time.
When buying, always check the underside of the Engine for excessive oil leakage, due to huge temperature differences in Finland, engines start leaking oil from the gaskets easily. Open the hood and do the same from above, have the engine run and listen for knocking or other louder than normal sounds.. and always always test-drive longer than 10 minutes.
Preferably buy one that just had its Katsastus (no guaranty for a good car but just an indication it might run for a little longer).

Personally I found most 2nd hand cars in Finland overpriced, under maintained (neglected) and generally the shock absorbers and wind-shield are in bad condition.

And.... beware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11MtfMqg4ko so check previous kastastus papers thoroughly for any inconsistencies.

Good luck
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obakesan
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by obakesan » Sat Oct 03, 2015 2:35 pm

Piet wrote: Good luck
Thanks.

All good points. I'm a Toyota or Mitsubishi driver here in Oz, so it all makes sense what you said about parts and prices.

:-)

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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by obakesan » Wed Nov 23, 2016 11:26 pm

Just wanted to thank all who assisted ... car purchased and katsastus done and in my name with IF

Image

bewdy!

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Piet
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by Piet » Fri Nov 25, 2016 6:04 pm

obakesan wrote:Just wanted to thank all who assisted ... car purchased and katsastus done and in my name with IF

bewdy!
you're welcome 8)

So it became a Honda, well lets see how long it will run :lol:

Let us know what happens, share your experiences with the car here :lightbulb:

PS I just hope you didn't pay too much (with the big dent and all) :wink:
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Re: vehicle costs in Finland - basics question

Post by judderbar » Thu Dec 01, 2016 7:29 am

I do all of the work on my car. Getting parts is very expensive sometimes if you get them from Finland. I suppose this is partly explained by the way Finnish scrap yards have warehouses for parts already taken from cars ready for you when it is -25 and the availability of parts you are wanting in the southern region is usually none existing and they have to be sent down from further north where it is even colder and the winters even longer. Why are parts so expensive?? Taxes?? Just no idea why there is such a large difference for the same part in the UK and in Finland but motoring here is much more expensive once a car is older because of that. Yes it is a smaller economy. Wages are higher. Housing costs are astronomical. Taxes are higher. Etc.


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