Car-buy in UK or Spain

My boyfriend and I are planning on moving to Spain in June, we would like to drive over to be able to take our belongings with us, Is it recommended to buy a LHD car in the UK before we travel or to buy a car in Spain, drive it back and load up before heading back. Getting mixed messages with regards to import tax and registering the car etc. and wondered if anybody has previous experience . I'm looking to sell my RHD car and wondered whether part-ex with a LHD would be the way forward? Many thanks if anyone can offer advice on the subject.

If you did buy a LHD in the UK you will still have to buy right dipping headlights and get the vehicle itv,d(equivalent to mot)and re registered. You will also have to have fitted a rear fog light on the left hand side if it has not got one fitted already. The tyres must be the same make and size on each axle eg both Michelins on front and something else fitted to rear or the same tyres all round.

We bought our RHD vehicle over three years ago and got it re registered, tho I now believe the authorities are clamping down on this due to the drivers impared vision being RHD.

 There are many people who can re register your car for you at a reasonable price, where are you thinking of moving to in Spain??

 Im sure someone else will reply to you as this is a very helpfull forum.

Welcome to EOS and good Luck with the move.

Steve.

Thanks for replying   We're hoping to move to Manilva/Duquesa. Hoping to buy a spainish LHD so hopefully lights etc would all be sorted and also registered . Think  we need to get our NIE's sorted so we can register it ourselves? Lots to think about-just where to start!

Buying a Spanish car in the UK can be a very convenient way of buying a car. You will need to be sure that there are no outstanding fines or debts, as they stay with the car and you will be liable for them.   Apart from the usual car documents, make sure that you have a copy of the passport and NIE document of the previous owner.        If you decide to buy in Spain, don't rush into it, as there is a lot of tat on the market and it pays to shop around.   Car hire is very cheap at this time of year, so we hired for 6 weeks and searched thoroughly before buying.

Many ex-pats in Spain still use Ebay UK to sell their cars and you often find some nice cars for sale on this site and your local site, www.manilvalife.com .

Best of luck with the move.

Jon