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A used mobile airco is a smart buy in autumn or winter, when sellers want the space back and prices drop. Make sure it's a compressor airco with an exhaust hose, not an air cooler, and test that it blows cold within a few minutes before you pay.
A mobile air conditioner has a compressor and a wide hose that blows hot air out of a window. An air cooler (luchtkoeler or aircooler) is a fan that blows over water or ice. Air coolers add humidity and lower the temperature only slightly, and in a humid Dutch summer they often make a room feel worse. Many listings mix up the words.
Rule of thumb: no thick exhaust hose means no airco. A device under about 10 kg with a water tank you fill is a cooler.
Capacity is listed in BTU or kW. A 7,000-9,000 BTU unit suits a bedroom; 12,000 BTU is for a larger living room or an attic under the roof. Bigger isn't always better, because a strong unit in a small room is noisy.
Single-hose units suck room air out through the hose, which pulls warm air back in through gaps. Dual-hose units take outside air for cooling and work more efficiently, but are rarer. Newer models use R290 (propane) as refrigerant.
Split-airco units with an outdoor unit are a different category: installing or moving one involves the refrigerant circuit and should be done by a certified installer, so a used split unit is rarely the bargain it looks like.
Ask the seller to run it in cooling mode for ten minutes before you arrive, or bring an extension cord to test outside.
Common brands in the Netherlands are Qlima, DeLonghi (the Pinguino series), Tristar, Princess, Inventum and Midea. DeLonghi units tend to be quieter and better built. Check the noise level on the spec sheet: mobile units are never silent, and for a bedroom a model around 50 dB or lower at low fan speed is much more pleasant.
The Midea PortaSplit and similar designs put the compressor in a separate unit outside the window, making them quieter indoors. They're newer and more expensive used.
A mobile airco uses roughly 0.8 to 1.3 kW while the compressor runs, depending on the model. Running it for a few hours a day in a heatwave is affordable; leaving it on all day adds up. Keep the exhaust hose short and as straight as possible, close the window kit properly, and shut curtains on the sunny side. In dehumidifying mode, empty the water tank regularly or attach a drain hose, because a full tank stops the compressor.
Prices follow the weather. In a heatwave, used units sell for close to new prices within hours. From September to March, the same units sit on Marktplaats for weeks. Buy in the off-season, test it then, and store it upright.
Transport it upright too; if it had to lie down, let it stand for a few hours before switching on. On vindje.com you can ask for a 'mobile airco with exhaust hose, at least 9000 BTU, quiet, under 150 euro within 20 km' and keep the air coolers out of your results.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| Basic 7,000-9,000 BTU unit (Tristar, Princess, Qlima) | EUR 60-130 |
| 12,000 BTU unit | EUR 120-220 |
| DeLonghi Pinguino | EUR 150-300 |
| Window kit (raamafdichting) alone | EUR 10-25 |
Rough Marktplaats asking prices in the Netherlands. Condition, age and season move them a lot.
Describe what you want in your own words and vindje.com searches Marktplaats in Dutch, then reads every listing and keeps only the real matches. For example:
Mobile airco with exhaust hose and window kit, at least 9000 BTU, quiet for a bedroom, under 150 euro, within 20 kmSearch Marktplaats like this
An airco has a compressor and an exhaust hose and cools the air. An air cooler blows air over water and only cools slightly, while adding humidity.
Around 7,000-9,000 BTU for a bedroom and around 12,000 BTU for a larger living room or an attic room.
Yes, the exhaust hose must go outside, usually through a window with a window seal kit.
In autumn and winter, when demand is low and sellers lower their prices.