So, you’ve finally relocated to Northern Cyprus and you want to get around and need some independence – i.e., you want to look around for that ideal form of transport, the car!
Buying a car here is actually really quite easy, and there are heaps of car dealerships for both brand new and second hand vehicles. We will offer some tips and advice on how to get the best deal, what to expect within the cost of buying a car, and what you need to do to keep it legally on the road!
If you fancy getting an idea of prices before venturing out to look at the thing in all its metal glory, then it’s a great idea to get a copy of the Alım Satım Magazine (Buying & Selling) which you can find in supermarkets and newsagents. It has hundreds of cars, mostly advertised by the dealerships themselves, as well as some private sales too. If you know the type of car you want then you will know straight away whether it’s affordable for you. If you are not sure, then again the magazine will give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay.
From time to time you may also find someone selling their vehicle in the classified ads section of the Cyprus Today
Other things to think about are the running costs of a vehicle too. Road tax here is based on the weight of the car, which is aimed at trying to reduce the amount of juggernaut Hummers and other big off-road vehicles that have become a popular purchase in the last few years! Insurance is available either as a standard third party policy, which will only cover costs to a certain limit should you have an accident, or there is also fully comprehensive which is calculated based on car type and purchase price.
The engine size is not really taken into account it would seem, although the smaller the engine the cheaper to run and less polluting from an owner’s point of view! Just to note that MOTs are not required for newly registered cars, (unless it’s a commercial van for example which needs an MOT each year). MOTs are only required after a car has been registered for around 4 years (no matter how old it is!) – so that’s a great bonus. This is the same for emissions tests as well which are only required at the time of an MOT.
When you are looking around make sure you visit a few dealerships. The main ones tend to be in the Lefkoşa area along or around the main airport road. After you reach the main roundabout after coming down the mountain from Kyrenia you will see the roads to the right and left are packed with dealerships. As you approach the roundabout there is the big Opel dealership, and all along the road to the left you will find dealerships for Mercedes, Fiat, Renault and Toyota for example, all mingled together with second hand dealers as well.
Our main advice is that it’s sensible to shop around. There are some dealerships in Kyrenia and also Famagusta, but they do tend to be a little more expensive for some reason, so it’s always better to take a trip into Lefkoşa as this is where the car fraternity appears to congregate! The majority of second hand dealerships seem to mainly offer cars from the Japanese market. This could be because they have plenty of nearly new car auctions there and their cars are easy to purchase over the Internet and get shipped here – plus the steering wheels in Japanese imports are on the correct side for Cyprus, ie., the right hand side! One particular car service company has a relative working in Japan, so it’s an even easier process for them to get their cars to North Cyprus!
Some dealerships will do you a deal for your old car should you own one already, and in particular if you have brought from them previously and are taking your first purchase back to them to change it for a new one – they may give you a few hundred pounds more than if you were a new customer for example.
All that you need do now is remember to have all the requirements in place to run it legally here in North Cyprus, with the obvious insurance documentation, service schedule and emissions tests, MOT and Road Tax. We shall save all that for other articles in the future though! In the meantime, if you need to know more about obtaining a TRNC driving license please click the link provided.
3 Comments
Hi,
i Was wondering if in northern cyprus if they have any websire similar to the autotrader here in the uk. i trying to help a friend over in trnc to buy a car?
Hi Tarkan – this site is pretty useful – http://www.kktcarabam.com/ Ed
Hello,
I want to purchase a used car in TRNC and today went into a Dealer near Famagusta called OSHAN who specialise in importing used Japanese Cars such as Nissan NV200 , Suzuki Every etc , and asked about information and pricing of the many vehicles they have on display and the Salesman said “are you a Turkish CITIZEN ?? and I said no I own a house here and we live here permanently for the last 18 months
He said you can only purchase a car from us if you are a Turkish Citizen !!!, You must become a TRNC Citizen first
I do not quite understand this, is it because they import directly from Japan ?? so maybe get a tax concession
Hopefully you can clarify this as they have many good vehicles on display
Regards
Derek G Stoddart