CARS - BUY IN UK OR SPAIN??

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Second hand cars are expensive in Spain.

One of the things to consider is actually to buy a car in Gibraltar and import it into Spain.  With the current exchange rate you can actually save quite a bit of money.

A friend of mine runs a business who does this for people:

Personal Car Shopper

Have a chat with him and see what he suggests.

Justin

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Thanks for that Justin, we will give him a call once we know when we are coming over.

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Changed to left-hand drive???? Easy for motorbikes - not so easy with cars, methinks!!

There are dedicated LHD dealers in the UK, so you could buy from one of those, and I can see Justin's point about the ex-rate - but make sure you investigate fully the hassle and cost of re-registering a car here. Search the forum, there have been discussions about this before. Personally, I would not advise it - and certainly wouldn't recommend bringing a right hooker if you're planning on staying.

If you want to buy new, you can find out all you need to know by looking at manufacturers websites, and main dealers, certainly in the area you're heading, will have English speaking staff, so the buying process should be simple enough.

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Thanks, Just on the Opel (vauxhall) website in Spain now and I am having difficulty understanding it!!  They don't seem to give a price so when we are over I think we will have to pop into one and have a chat with them. We are looking at living in the Estepona/Duquesa area so probably Malaga will be the nearest?? Will check out Gib too and see about that.

Ohhhhhh so much stress!!!!

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The stress is the very reason I would advise against bringing a car over from Blighty! A lot of people do it. I've done it, but wouldn't bother again.

Yes, the Opel website is rubbish. It's the first manufacturer's website I've seen with no prices. A quick Google found Opel dealers in Marbella and Estepona - probably others near you, I don't know that area well.

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This might help give you some idea of comparison UK/Spain.

I'm not a big fan of Renaults (and especially not their most famous driver!!) but their website is a breeze. Bear in mind models can vary in name and spec slightly, but the entry level Grand Scenic 1.9 diesel 7 seater is £19,805 in the UK, €24,250 in Spain. Not much in it at current ex-rate then, but I suppose there could be some gain to make by importing.

There's a Renault dealer in Estepona

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For convenience and peace of mind I think it would be better to buy in Spain then you don't have to worry about changing the registrations over or being legal with a foreign plated car etc. Try looking on www.autoscout24.es here you can search for brand new and second hand cars. You need to know a few words in Spanish but it is fairly self explanatory. I have found two left hand drive cars from this site over the past year. One from Germany and another very very recently right here in Spain. The one I found in Spain surprised me as I found it at a main dealer (not some back street garage) in mint condition, 1 private owner low miles and at a price which was actually a little less the then what an equivalent car would have cost me in the UK (and a lot less then what it generally costs in Spain). The dealer even included 1 years warranty, transfer costs, new ITV (like the MOT in UK), and a years road tax! Proof that bargains are possible even in Spain. The site also lets you search for brand new cars, some from brokers but often from main dealers I was surprised how cheap you can pick up certain cars when compared to cost of the same model new in the UK but it really does depend on the exact make and model that you are after.

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Bearing in mind the following;

a) I sadly only get to spend about 5 weeks a year in Spain (totalling say 3 trips)

b) I have underground (out of sight ) parking

I am considering simply driving over a UK left hand drive car and leaving it.

I understand that I would need it to have a current mot and insurance each year-can I have opinions please?

The car ideally would be something like a focus estate worth about £4k ie easy to service iinexpensive for parts etc

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Hi Advisor

I can't understand why you want to buy a cheap UK car to leave here when you can buy a cheap Spanish one that will give you less grief driving it around with the police etc. (also toll booths are a nightmare when you are on your own in a RHD car) just one example.

If you bought over a UK car you would have to take it back every year for the MOT, a Spanish ITV (MOT) won't be legal. Without the MOT you can't get your road tax and without both of these I would guess that any insurance you had would be void.

 After saying that its also against the law to keep a UK car here for more than 3 months without changing the registration although many have in the past the traffico are now starting to clamp down.

I couldn't do with the constant worry.

Have a look a this beauty, using your example ie 4k ford focus estate

http://www.segundamano.es/sevilla/ford-focus-16-trend-wagon-5p/a23487187/?ca=29_s&st=a&c=4

Lot of car for the money 06, high miles but as you said parts are cheap

s

 Edited to say, missed in your post that you we proposing to bring a uk LHD to Spain - The rest of my post holds true though.

 

 

This message was last edited by Team GB on 05/01/2011.

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Team GB

thank you for your response, I have always been led to belive it is a nightmare purchasing and registering a car in Spain.

Do you know what has to be done and what the average annual costs are?

tia

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Tia, It's no more difficult then buying anywhere else. If you buy from a dealer they will they care of the paperwork for you, if you buy privately then you would be better of giving the paperwork to a jestor to do. Either way if you are not mechanically minded then you may want to get the car looked at by a mechanic or someone who knows what they are doing before you buy. In terms of annual running costs apart from fuel, insurance you need to pay the road tax which is payable at your town hall and varies in price from one town to another. For a Focus I would estimate around €80.

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As RG says, it's only a nightmare because it's unfamiliar, so use a gestor (rather than a jester!) or buy from a reputable dealer.

Slightly more than your intended budget, but I did a quick search and found this: http://www.yellowcar.com/coche.php?coche=163&idioma=en&cat=23&pag=1&order=modelo which I thought may suit you. May have high mileage, being an ex-renatal, but probably properly maintained and has 1 year warranty too. Check about frequency of ITV (MoT) with ex-rentals though - I have a feeling they have to be done every 6 months, even after passing into private ownership, but am not really sure about that.

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thank you

so annual requirements same or similar to UK

ie: annual road tax

   annual mot?

any known sources for insurance as ideally

a)it is only used 5 weeks per year (any do it based on limited mileage?)

but realistically would like any driver over the age of 21? 25?

 

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Yes that's what I meant gestor .... typo! For insurance try Linea Directa (Spanish subsidiary of Direct Line) or Ibex or Liberty Seguros. All of whom have policies in English the later two are available through most brokers. I don't think there are specific policies in Spain for limited mileage or modern classics cars as they do in the UK.

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First Mot (ITV) is at 4 years old, then every two years, and every year after 10 years old. For rental cars, the first test is at two years, then annual until 5 years, after which it is every 6 months. I have heard that ex-rentals have to be tested every 6 onths for ever after - but do not know if there is any truth to that.

Annual tax depends on the car and town hall, but as RG said, €80 for a Focus is ball park.

Most insurance policies cover any driver over 25. Over 21, probably cost a lot more. I use Linea Directa, I do only about 5,000 kms a year but I don't get any allowance for that. Just a guesstimate, but I would think a couple of hundred euros will buy you basic cover for a Focus. 

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Invaluable help

thank you gents

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heard that ex-rentals have to be tested every 6 onths for ever after - but do not know if there is any truth to that.

I bought an ex rental, after it had been transferred into my name, the company had it ITV'd for me and it reverted back to 2 year renewal.

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any websites for dealers in the Manilva area-or say 15km either way?

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Gordon Robertson has been around a long long time, advertises every week in the Sur. Don't know anything about his reputation, but he brought a car all the way up to Torremolinos once for me to see; didn't buy it because he wouldn't take mine as p/x - said it wasn't good enough, he only handles top notch condition cars! Seemed like a genuinely decent guy. Based Marbella, but if that's too far for you, I presume he´ll come to you. http://www.robertsoncars-spain.com/index.asp The first car on his listing here is a Focus for 3,500 euros - not a wagon, but looks like a good deal. 

SemiJ - thanks for the info, good to know from someone who's done it - much better than hearsay!

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