# Buying used car / What to look out for



## Eamon (Mar 5, 2009)

Well we arrived....

In process now of buying a used car. Seems to be lots out there, but have had a few replies from various websites claiming...the car (Spanish plates) is in London or Manchester, too much to pay for UK customs, so selling it back to Spanish market....scam screams out here. Anyone had similar replies, or even done the process?

As far as the process of buying a used car, what does it entail?

Thanks


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Buying a car in spain is not easy!!! We got ours from a main dealer simply becasue we felt (rightly or wrongly????) that they would be more reputable and honest and they agreed to do all the paperwork. When you buy a car here, unless you really know what you are doing you will need to have a gestoria. You also have to watch out for any debts that maybe on the car as they get transferred to the new owner. But thats all I know!

We chose our car (citroen picasso) simply because it was the type of car that most of the taxi drivers seemed to use (and it was a good size for a family of two adults and two teenagers), so therefore felt that it should be reliable and cheap to repair!!?? So far, so good!!!???? Altho it does have a few digs and bashes!!!

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

You could avoid hassle and deal directly with a reputable British company specialising in LHD and Spanish-plated vehicles.
We bought a LandRover Discovery from The LHD Place, Basingstoke. It was already on Spanish plates and they will deliver anywhere in Europe for a reasonable fee. All we had to do was transfer the ownership which was a very simple and inexpensive process via our Gestor. We checked that there were no outstanding fines on an internet site.
The LHD Place are so easy to deal with, very professional and have a wide range of vehicles. 
I notice someone else recommended them a week or so ago.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

When we looked for a LHD in UK it was going to be much more expensive than buying one here when we thought it might be cheaper in UK. We bought ours (a Berlingo, just 4 years old) from second hand dealer in Alcalá la Real. OK so you may think that a Berlingo is not very chic but it (or similar) is one of the most common vehicles around here (wonder why? could it be that it is the most suitable?) since it is a very useful workhorse carrying both 5 people (plus their luggage) or goods (we got out entire kitchen [flatpack of course] in ours! It is also small enough to get round the narrow streets and corners. It is also economical.

What to look out for is leaks from suspension (poor roads in some areas), layers of cement/dried concrete, etc. (may have been used by a builder) plus all the usual wear and tear.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Eamon said:


> Well we arrived....
> 
> In process now of buying a used car. Seems to be lots out there, but have had a few replies from various websites claiming...the car (Spanish plates) is in London or Manchester, too much to pay for UK customs, so selling it back to Spanish market....scam screams out here. Anyone had similar replies, or even done the process?
> 
> ...


Fairly easy really.
Know what type you are looking for & what you may actually find useful ?
State where you are (ish) so another member may well know a good reliable source.
Can a member recommend a Gestor to check/carry out the change.
Check under the bonnet as a car that has spent its life going up & down the little caminos (dirt roads) will have all hoses / bulkhead / suspension parts stained with the local dirt colour (very hard to remove) This equals a hard life so avoid.
A clean car that has been looked after will stick out, unlike a car that has been cleaned for sale ! (shiny tyres/dash/engine bay that looks like it has just left the factory)


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

baldilocks said:


> When we looked for a LHD in UK it was going to be much more expensive than buying one here when we thought it might be cheaper in UK. .


I think that depends on what you are looking for. Sometimes it's worth paying more for -hopefully- better quality, sometimes not.
I don't think there are hard and fast rules as to whether cars cost more or less in Spain than in the UK.
We bought from the UK because we couldn't be bothered to spend time shopping around and dealing with paperwork and we have had no problems with either vehicle.
But generally speaking you wouldn't expect to have problems with not-so-old LandRovers and new Mercs..
Neither of us knows enough about cars to deal with used car salesmen in a foreign language.


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## fourgotospain (May 4, 2009)

I'm pretty sure that a Berlingo is a utlilty class vehicle which makes it 100% tax deductible for business use in Spain. Kangoos are the same class as well as the usual ute's. If you'll be using it for business it's worth thinking about as 'regular' domestic cars are only deductible if you can prove you only use them for 1km per year non-business activity!!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I know nothing about cars other than whether the model appeals visually but I would go for a 'quality' car, the best you can afford, not just look for a 'bargain' which often isn't. And as Jo said, a main dealer should be more reliable.
We've always done that and have had years of reliable use with minimal repair costs.
We don't want to have to spend on mechanical repairs in Spain either. We've had BMW and RangeRover vehicles more than ten years old that have never required major repairs. Spending a bit more when you buy saves a lot later.


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