# Running costs of a second hand car



## seasideman (Nov 8, 2015)

I am thinking of buying a second hand car when I get over to Albir, but just wondering what the running costs would be and the average price of a second hand car.

Would it also be a good idea to take a couple of lessons to get use to the roads and signs in spain.

I would be looking at an automatic.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

seasideman said:


> I am thinking of buying a second hand car when I get over to Albir, but just wondering what the running costs would be and the average price of a second hand car.
> 
> Would it also be a good idea to take a couple of lessons to get use to the roads and signs in spain.
> 
> I would be looking at an automatic.


Average price for a five year old BMW or ten year old SEAT?
How frequently and over what kind of terrain will you be using the vehicle?
As a rule of thumb second hand cars are more expensive in Spain. Road tax varies according to region. Insurance costs depend on many variables.
Maintenance costs can't be predicted. In one month this year I ruined two tyres on my LandRover.
Hard to give definitive answers to questions like this.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

I would say that the costs are not that different to in UK.

So, what would you pay in the UK for the car you're thinking of buying?


----------



## olivefarmer (Oct 16, 2012)

Hi 

In my opinion cars are more expensive here but they do not rot so quickly as they do in the UK. Paintwork suffers in the relentless sun. Rest of the bills about the same. Car insurance includes recovery breakdown but that is a good thing. They come out to you pretty quickly too.

There isn't the turnover of cars here mostly I think due to the costs associated in buying. UK costs a stamp to send off the conterfoil. Here you are advised to use a gestor to carry out the transaction in case of debts on the vehicle. There are also some taxes to pay on the transfer. Typically you can expect the buyer to have to bear those for both parties. Can be several hundreds of euros.

Automatics are a rarity here. (14% on the website below) I lost count of the number of garages/tyre depots etc I visited where the mechanic let me drive it on the ramp as "they had never driven an auto before".

You will be lucky to find a vehicle with service history as to receive proper documentation means paying IVA (VAT equivalent) on the bill.. Newer cars just a few years old may well have all the stamps and history. You may also consider paying a premium for a vehicle from a dealer rather than a private sale. My jaundiced view is that folk here only sell their car when something needs doing to it! 

Have a look on this site to get an idea of costs of vehicles secondhand. Kilometreages tend to be higher here pro rata than mileage in Britain. Simply because places are further apart here.

MIL ANUNCIOS.COM - Venta de coches de segunda mano - Vehículos de ocasión de todas las marcas: BMW, Mercedes, Audi,...

Cambio is the drop down box to select automatics.

Getting used to the roads? You soon do that . If you have a passenger get them to remind you "driving on the right" whenever you leave a car park and so on. Once on the roads it is fairly obvious. Do a search on the expat forums for road signs and priorities. and rules.


----------



## seasideman (Nov 8, 2015)

snikpoh said:


> I would say that the costs are not that different to in UK.
> 
> So, what would you pay in the UK for the car you're thinking of buying?


If i bought a second hand car in Spain, I would take a local person with me. My running costs over here are £40 a week petrol, road tax, pay monthly, so not got a clue what that is. I was paying yearly but like this monthly payment. And on the car i have got, i pay about £200 a year in maintaining it.

It is an automatic, so I may go in for my manual test to give me more options.

If we do not buy a car then i would just rent one when needed


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Depending on where you live, running a car here in Spain is cheaper than in UK. Fuel is cheaper. Roads are less congested (except in towns) so for a given distance you will use less fuel and the car will suffer less wear and tear. For example, we live 75km by road from Granada and between home and the outskirts of Granada we will probably meet only about 50 other vehicles, and that is in the "rush-hour." In Uk we were driving in a 60mph traffic jam as soon as we left the town where we lived.

Car tax is levied by the council where you live. For us, this year it was 69€ for a Peugeot Partner. You will scratches and scrapes on the sides of some vehicles but that is not so much down to bad driving as it is to narrow roads and tight corners in some towns and villages.

To get an idea of s/h car prices try www.autoscout24.es put in the area you are interested in and make any other selections (auto/manual, petrol/diesel, body shape, etc.)


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

seasideman said:


> If i bought a second hand car in Spain, I would take a local person with me. My running costs over here are £40 a week petrol, road tax, pay monthly, so not got a clue what that is. I was paying yearly but like this monthly payment. And on the car i have got, i pay about £200 a year in maintaining it.
> 
> It is an automatic, so I may go in for my manual test to give me more options.
> 
> If we do not buy a car then i would just rent one when needed


Fuel is a lot cheaper, especially diesel. We pay 170€ road tax for two-litre cars in our town.

Maintenance might be more but it depends on model, make, age etc.


----------

