Vehicles
Until now, the most common cars on the streets in Turkey have been Tofas, a product of Fiat, which has been produced in Turkey under license from the Italian firm. The bestseller was the Sahin, which is the original Fiat 131 and which is still available in Turkey. It is well known for its stability and cheap spare parts. Important when driving on Turkish roads!
During the last two years there have been lots of changes. Most European producers now have outlets over here where the models available are similar to or the same as the European models. Some companies have also established their own production sites in Turkey.
What you might find curious are the prices over here. Most small cars are on the same price level as they are in Europe. But as soon as you have bought the car you need to know what to do next. As well as the money for the car itself, you need to think about taxes and insurance.
As an example: most cars sold over here have 1.6 litre engines. If you want a bigger engine, e.g. 2.0 litres, which are as common in Europe as small engines, the money you may need to pay in tax is more than double the amount for the 1.6 litre version. Get some information before deciding on model and engine size. This can save you a lot of money.
Some producers offer vehicles in Turkey which are not well-known in Europe: dual-fuel motors. Quite often you find cars in Turkey which are able to use petrol and gas together. Most petrol stations sell gas as well, and the price of it is just half that petrol. If you do a high mileage, this can have a very positive effect on the cost of using the car in general.
As far as insurance is concerned, the familiar systems from Europe are used here as well, i.e. third party liability, part comprehensive or fully comprehensive insurance. Lots of well known insurance companies already have offices over here, many being connected to big banks, as they are in Europe.
