# 2nd Hand Cars



## Eamon (Mar 5, 2009)

Id like some opinions on which type / models seem to fare well in Spain?
By that I mean, parts readily available if things go wrong, and without costing a fortune. 
Petrol or Diesel?....why?

Here's what I am ideally looking to purchase....A car that can comfortably accommodate 5, 4 door, reliable, OR, put it this way, If YOU were looking, with a budget of say 5,000 Euro...what would YOU buy, and why?

Thanks all


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

I think car choice is such a personal thing. Looking at it dispassionately, the Spanish drive a lot of Peugots and Citroens which I think are the majority, then Fiat and Seat. One sees dealerships for the above four marques in most towns. Diesle is cheaper than petrol in Spain so that might be a consideration for you if you are buying an older car, newer petrol engines these days can have much lower consumption rates than diesel.
This is a very good web site to give you an idea of prices for used autos:

AutoScout24: Coches de ocasión, vehículos usados, coche segunda mano


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## Eamon (Mar 5, 2009)

country boy said:


> I think car choice is such a personal thing. Looking at it dispassionately, the Spanish drive a lot of Peugots and Citroens which I think are the majority, then Fiat and Seat. One sees dealerships for the above four marques in most towns. Diesle is cheaper than petrol in Spain so that might be a consideration for you if you are buying an older car, newer petrol engines these days can have much lower consumption rates than diesel.
> This is a very good web site to give you an idea of prices for used autos:
> 
> AutoScout24: Coches de ocasión, vehículos usados, coche segunda mano


Cheers! Yes you are right, it is sooo personal, but cant see me driving ANY of those marques.....apologies to those that do 

Fuel consumption is definitely one of the major factors, but so too is comfort and...a bit of style. 

I have always had SUVs, but lived in countries where you can afford to fill up relatively cheaply. 

BMW 3 series? .....any thoughts of those models there....ease and access to garages to fix, if goes wrong etc etc


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## Guest (May 23, 2010)

Careful with Peugeot 407s from 2004+/-

We got absolutely hosed this year when we bought one second hand and a few months later due to a failure in the turbo the engine blew. 13000eur (Turbo, Engine, Catalytic Converter) later and we have a car that works. For what we've paid, we could have a lovely BMW!


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

You'll be hard pressed to find a similar gas engined car getting better mileage then the same car with a diesel engine.

The BMW 320D is a common company car in Europe. I can't imagine you'll get one in your price range unless it's very old .

You don't say if it's five adults or a bunch of kids. I assume kids with two adults.

Personally I'd lean towards one of the wagons. You price range will push you towards certain brands . Seat and Skoda are basicaly VWs but cheaper.

Citreon will be cheaper then Peugot normally. 

Any used car is a risk. Basically all the cars are small engined turbos. A little abuse by the previous owner and -(

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/new_car_reviews/article6813568.ece

That's an English language review of the latest 320D . The older ones get worse mileage but like I said I doubt you'll find anything newish in the 5K range.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

We chose a citroen picasso diesel cos that what the majority of taxi drivers drove. That suggested to us that they must be a fairly reliable and cheap to maintain car! And so far so good. Its been a great car, altho its a bit battered and worn, its very comfortable, easy to drive and very fuel efficient!

Jo xxx


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## Eamon (Mar 5, 2009)

NickZ said:


> You'll be hard pressed to find a similar gas engined car getting better mileage then the same car with a diesel engine.
> 
> The BMW 320D is a common company car in Europe. I can't imagine you'll get one in your price range unless it's very old .
> 
> ...


Good call Nick. Been looking at some sites, and there seems to be a very good selection around AND not too far off my budget in most cases. I guess with a full service history, should be OK?

They say to allow approx 19,000 Km, per year as "normal" usage...anything above is considered "high mileage"......but at least I am narrowing it down:boxing:


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## jb44 (May 21, 2010)

I do not know if second hand prices for cars match those in the UK,I have seen left hand drive cars in the UK going for a song.Would it be possible to buy one there and take it to Spain ,register it there? I know it is about 600 Euros to register it.


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## Eamon (Mar 5, 2009)

jb44 said:


> I do not know if second hand prices for cars match those in the UK,I have seen left hand drive cars in the UK going for a song.Would it be possible to buy one there and take it to Spain ,register it there? I know it is about 600 Euros to register it.


IF ONLY!...but I live in Mexico right now. I have a lovely SUV here, that I would love to get over there..LH drive too?

Hmm...now you got me thinking, but I dont think its a option....cost wise OR legal wise. Dont think I can export a "Mexican" plated car...but will check


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## natalieml (May 9, 2010)

Ideally this is what we will do but remember to save on the import tax you need to own the car in the UK for 6 months to avoid paying import taxes.

Most of the LHD cars here are in really bad condition and have very very high mileage. We went to 2 LHD centres on Friday and for £10,000 (pounds not Euros) you couldn't get anything decent. Not by UK standards. I'm hopefully looking at a car on Wednesday that had low mileage but lets see what happens. Not getting my hopes up as we have been so disappointed so far.




jb44 said:


> I do not know if second hand prices for cars match those in the UK,I have seen left hand drive cars in the UK going for a song.Would it be possible to buy one there and take it to Spain ,register it there? I know it is about 600 Euros to register it.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Remember with Spanish car dealers , when it says 'buen estado', it means it has less than 50 dents.


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## tigerpoeton (May 5, 2010)

Just to try and help, I would personally stay away from french made cars as they are usually built pretty badly and the engines are p*ss poor for reliability (Please note this is not the case in 100% of french cars just most) if you can try and go with something German or Japanese, If its reliabilty your after the most I would go with Honda, Mitsibishi, Toyota if its comfort go with BMW, Mercedes or VW both countries usually make exeptional cars that will last you many years, I hope this helps (I am a trained mechanic so not just going on rumour!)

Best of luck whatever you choose just make sure whatever you choose you service it reguarly, I would even say more than in the uk because of the heat and dust in hotter countries, Also many people dont realise but if your car has a turbo you really want to be servicing it every 5000 miles instead of the usuall 10,000 at the very least and oil change at this interval,


Hope this has been of help to you


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