Buy a motorhome in Poland

Finally after all unexpected circumstances we can trigger our project concerning the Basque heritage in Europe! The American part still far ahead! We have come through many difficult issues but fortunately we were able to overcome them. When you want to set off on any trip you always expect some tough problems, nevertheless you would never expect that buying a camper can convert into a psychological analysis of one nation. In this case Polish people.

Myself being a Polish could have seemed easier to me understand those particular behaviors that make you think why people inhabitating eastern plains of Europe tend to be reserved. Well after the latest experience I am not sure anything about it.

But let's start our camper story first.

It all started one year ago when we were still young and innocent. Looking through Polish websites that offer you ''a wide variety of used cars'' we have seen many....but in reality only a few that fulfiled our conditions. During Christmas time we decided not to bother the potential sellers with our tiring phone calls, but when the merry spirits have fallen we have started our inquiries.

Calling.....no signal.....calling again the same number after half an hour.....no response – why the hell are you selling cars you do not want anybody to buy?? Another call....this time the guy picks up the phone – ''I have forgotten that I still have this ad on the xxx website, what a surprise!''.. Really? I would not think it is a surprise... Another phone call – moreover we liked the car...riiing...riiiing. No answer. Nevertheless in 15 minutes the guy called us back – you could not hear anything, only some birds tweeting (in winter it was quite strange...but maybe someone has an aviary at home). ''Ohh I've sold the camper long time ago!'' So why don't you remove the ad from the xxxxx website??? After various days of sending emails without response and calls without answer we almost gave up – but how can one give up so easily?? Come on, maybe people in Poland like to be called because they need somebody to talk to that is why they keep their ads for months...

But then my dad found a guy in a city close to Warsaw – Konin (in reality there's nothing there, just some trains on their way to Poznań are passing and on the train station they will sell you a gummy ''zapiekanka'' for 5 zł). Maciek the Mechanic, as we baptised the guy seemed to be a ''competent seller'' devoted to his work. He said that the car is in a perfect state and only waits for a driver to take it wherever you want – if it breaks down you can fix it with ''a hammer and a screwdriver'' – an incredible car! He himself brought the car from Germany, some 800 km, sleeping comfortably in it. A price was quite high but we said – ''let's negotiate with him''.

After taking a train from Warsaw to Konin, a 2h30min ride we got out on the train station in Konin. With our positive vibe we thought its not going to be diffucult. My both men knew the cars well and could make a quick overview. However, we have forgotten about one very famous Polish proverb – don't praise the sun before sunset!

After calling Maciek the Mechanic and waiting for him for over an hour and a half..well, we decided not to buy this car...you can't do these things to Basques!! When Maciek the Mechanic arrived (of course without apologizing for being late) we didn't know if we should laugh of cry. The door handle to the cabin was broken, water in the container was frozen, there was rust everywhere on the chassis and the rear bumper was damaged (someone wanted to fix it but unfortunately it did not work out, instead it looked as a wet toilet paper sticking to the bumper – someone has forgotten to flush the water!). Even after all those fails the ''mechanic'' was still sticking to the exorbitant price! I am not sure if any gipsy would dare to buy this piece of lumber. The only thing true about the car was the ad info – ''I didn't touch anything in the car since I've brought it from Germany.''

Desperate about the car we decided to wait... my handyman-dad in front of the computer found a couple who was selling cars in the northern part of Poland. After contacting with them and resolving some crucial issues we decided that we have to risk and check the car. We set off from Warsaw on one Thursday afternoon....six hours on a train, trying to be calm and not to go crazy with Polish PKP we arrived to Koszalin. We had a sleep in a guesthouse and in the morning we had a meeting with the owner. The guy arrived on time – first important point. He took us to his place where the camper was parked, explaining us every detail of the car and how it works – nothing in a Maciek the Mechanic style ''check alone and I will smoke'' . The blind was in a good condition – the one in Konin's car had a huge hole (btw the Mechanic didn't want to open it because it ''might have been frozen'' .....). After some negotiations we were able to lower a bit the price, buy the camper and head straight to the southern part of Poland – some 900 km! In the end we did it!!!

Now you try and buy a camper in Poland!!