BUYING A SECOND-HAND CAR IN THE NETHERLANDS

You know what it’s like, right? You want to buy a second-hand car, so you go to a search engine and type in ‘second-hand car’. So many options pop up that you don’t know where to begin. But you pick one anyway. A series of vague photographs appear – or suspiciously shiny ones – and you make a list of favorites. Then you find out that each car is sold by a different dealer, and before you know it, you have 11 open windows and find yourself clicking back and forth to decide which car appeals to you the most. When you’ve narrowed it down to five, you find out that the geographic locations of these dealers – which had not rung a bell as you never studied Dutch geography – are clear across the country, in various directions. There’s no objection against exploring your new home country, but just to see whether you like a car? And to do this four or five times?

Try One on for Size

Buying a car is one of the few things that does not allow you to ‘try one on for size’ by ordering something online, getting to know it, and returning it because the fit is not right. Until now. Bynco (Buy Your Next Car Online) is the first web shop that allows you to do just that. You pour yourself a cup of coffee, open your laptop and go to bynco.com to peruse the selection of cars that come from their own stock and selected suppliers. No clicking back and forth between multiple windows, no trying to find a way to compare 11 different cars, presented in 11 different ways.

And what’s more, no driving across the country in five different directions to get a feel for your new wheels. Within 2-5 work days, Bynco brings the car to your home – at no charge – where you get to keep it for a 14-day trial period; instead of a quick spin around the block, or a fast tour on the highway. Now you can really get a good idea of what it would be like to own this car. There are so many more issues that you need to experience before knowing whether you and your new car will be a good team: the cushioning in the seats, how smoothly it changes gears, how it hugs the road, how it accelerates, how touchy-feely the brakes are, whether your fellow passengers are comfortable in the back seat, how effectively the windshield defogs on a cold winter morning, or how quickly the car cools off on a hot summer afternoon.

Support

When Bynco delivers the car for the trial period, they help you put it in your name and you pay for it through GoCredible (an independent third-party bank account). If you don’t like the car, you can return it no questions asked, and they will pick it up and bring another car for you to try – if you have indicated that you would like this – once again helping you with the deregistration, new registration and payment.

Bynco is officially recognized by the RDW (the Dutch Road Traffic and Transport Authority) and the cars, which are hand-picked by Bynco’s experts, come with a 180-day warranty. A full inspection report, or Carfax report, is available for almost all cars and can be downloaded for you to study before you decide to try one out. The price includes the extra warranty and making the car road-worthy, so there are no surprises there. Service is offered in English and their chat service, also in English, is available 24/7 for any questions you may have.

Foreign Driver’s License

Having a foreign driver’s license is no impediment to buying a car with Bynco; the only extra requirement is that you will have to register the car with an official RDW office, which are located throughout the Netherlands, and Bynco will help you do this. Don’t forget to bring along a valid driver’s license as well as proof of your registration with the municipal population register (GBA – Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie), which will have to include your Dutch social security number (BSN – Burgerservicenummer). This document may not be older than three months.

A car is something you will probably be making use of every day. Having a bad fit is as uncomfortable as a pebble in your shoe or a sagging matrass. Being able to try out your new car for 14 days before having to make your final decision – as well as the support you will receive in putting the car in your name, even if you have a foreign driver’s license, and the ease of finding and comparing cars through one single website, including a full inspection report – make Bynco’s services well worth your while. All that is left to do, is enjoying the satisfaction of a car that is the best possible partner on the road for you.

www.bynco.com