BLOG

Imported car (EU) vs. Finnish car

Import car vs. finniauto blog post photo exchange car condition car

THIS TIME DEALING WITH THE ETERNAL HOT POTATO. WHAT IS THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN IMPORTED CAR AND A FINNISH CAR?

All cars have left the factory in the same condition - although, thanks to car tax, foreign cars are better equipped and often have more powerful technology. Of course, foreign cars lack winter equipment, such as a heater, interior plug and winter tyres. Well, they are missing from Finnish cars too, if they are not ticked when you order them. Cars imported from Sweden usually have winter equipment.

ARE ROADS SALTED ABROAD?

Salting. Salt is not a Finnish invention, they salt the roads wherever it's slippery and there are cars, like in Germany. Of course it is less common, that's why rust on imported cars is sporadic. Used cars are individuals, everything affects everything. Even in southern Finland you can find a 10 year old car without rust - while it is even exceptional if you find a rusty one in Germany, for example. The threshold for rust protection is lower in Finland, although the trend has perhaps faded a little in this millennium. On the other hand, rustproofing is not an eternal protection for the chassis of a car.

TECHNICAL CONDITION?

Finland is one of the most expensive countries to maintain and repair a car. The cold fact is that when you're talking about a car that's been driven for 10 years and 200km - it's likely that an imported car has been better maintained and has better quality spare parts. The problem is often that the documentation is missing and difficult to get hold of afterwards. Fortunately, electronic car maintenance databases are rapidly addressing this problem. Where the Finnish motorist even writes in a checkbook to change a wiper blade - abroad the car is a tool to be driven and when it needs servicing > it is taken to a professional, not to a neighbour's bum who promised to do it cheaply.

SCREWED KILOMETRES?

Not anymore today. When the '90s instrument cluster screwdriving boom was all the rage - times have changed. In fact, I've always said that anyone can screw on a gauge and how easy it is when the gauge is controlled by a manipulable electronic unit called an ECU. The problem is that today you can get a good quality and reliable report on a used car for between €5 and €50. The truth comes out in ten minutes. Today, screwing with the instrument cluster is almost impossible without getting caught. In addition to the report, most cars have other electronics in the ECU to record the mileage. Unambiguously, I don't see any reason why changing the mileage would benefit anyone.

I BELIEVE IN JUDGING CARS ON THEIR OWN MERITS AND NOT FORMING PREJUDICES BASED ON WHERE THEY WERE IMPORTED FROM.

IRON MATTERS! 😁

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

You can submit your questions on this topic either by emailing miikka@koivistonautotalo.fi or by contacting us on our social media channels. Facebook & Instagram

We will answer you personally and share the frequently asked questions in the follow-up to the blog. We will not disclose the personal data of the questioners.