Thessaloniki - Post Report Question and Answers
What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
You should buy an economical car! Right now, gas is 1.09 euros per liter, that's about 4 euros per gallon or roughly, $5.00 a gallon. I own a large 4x4 SUV Jeep Cherokee and although I love my SUV, like most Americans, it costs roughly 80 euros (or $100 USD) for one tank of gas. Indeed, I am regreting buying such a large, gas guzzling, car that gets about 20 mpg. With that said, you don't need an SUV for short distances around the city, although I've used it when it snowed (yes, snow in Greece) in Panorama in the winter. Automotive repair is readily available in Thessaloniki, although spare parts for American and some other non-European models are hard to obtain. Ford, Honda, Chrysler (Jeep only), Toyota, Hyundai, and all European manufacturers have service and parts facilities in the city, but may be unfamiliar with models not sold in Europe. - Jul 2006
