Where to buy a car?

Where do people buy cars in Belarus. A clear-cut answer to this question is hard to come up with. You can go to a car market, you can buy from a dealership, you can buy through an ad, you can buy from a neighbour, or you can buy from a "car runner."

Let's take a look at each of these options.

Buying a car at a car market. What could be simpler, right, just go and buy one. But it's not that simple. Markets are often full of resellers, or sellers whose owners have handed off two or more cars to flip, and whose earnings depend on how well they can pull the wool over a buyer's eyes. Private sellers mostly show up at the market on weekends, and they hold firm on price too. There are only a handful of car markets in Belarus, one, two, and that's it. And they're often stuffed with junk. But if you really want to, you can buy a car at the market.

Buying a car at a dealership. Nothing complicated about it. You need to settle on a model, try to find a dealership (if you live in Minsk, that's no trouble, but other Belarusians aren't so lucky), bring plenty of money, and come to the dealership. Dealerships nowadays sell both new and used cars. If you've decided to buy a car from a dealership, be ready to spend a lot of money and to meet a tax inspector who'll take a while to figure out where a public-sector worker like you got so much money. But that can be avoided by buying the car on credit, though these days that's not easy either. And no one will guarantee that even a new car won't give you trouble.

Buying a car through an ad. A quite reasonable option, especially for those who want to save money and buy something simple but reliable. Cars are sold through ads by resellers, "car runners," and ordinary Belarusian citizens. It's that third option we're after. These are usually people who don't enjoy dealing with sales. Often their price is set low, or you can haggle with them. Their car isn't in bad shape, they just want to trade it in for something else. But even so, when buying you still need to stay alert.

Buying a car from a neighbour, a friend, an acquaintance. Not a bad option. You've probably ridden in this car more than once, you know it. But don't forget that they want to get rid of this car. So even a friend might just happen to forget to mention that it needs a major overhaul.

Buying a car from a "car runner." In my view, one of the most reliable options. These people usually have partners abroad who source cars for them. Often these are mid-class cars, in very good condition (otherwise they wouldn't sell them), and at affordable prices. Such people often work to order, which suits them and you both. Their stock doesn't sit around, and you can order the colour, engine size, and various trim details. Especially good are the "runners" who ship the cars over rather than drive them in themselves. But even here, be careful. Better not to pay upfront — pay only after you've seen and test-driven the car.

So it turns out buying a car in Belarus isn't the hard part — buying a good one, one worthy of you, that's where the real difficulty lies!