Diddion

Many interesting and valid points here, so thanks to Red Eric, Carvoeiro, mfesharne.

Oddly enough, I have been wondering about an ancient Mercedes, but the trouble with an old car is that it just won't have the superb driveability and comfort of the Jaguar. I had a look yesterday at a 1948 MG TC, and incredibly pretty vehicle, but absolutely horrible to drive. I know that the old Mercs will be much better than that, but it won't touch the Jaguar. Does the issue of owning the car for a minimum of 12 months before being able to matriculate without purchase tax on becoming a Portuguese resident also apply to classic cars? On one forum a 6-month timescale was quoted, but I have not seen that given anywhere else.

The point about getting a decent engineer who would be willing to work on the car might be a problem. Last year I broke down (dramatically!) near Tomar, and the rescue people transported it to Jaguar main dealer in Lisbon. They did a decent job, but didn't even start to look at the car for over 2 weeks, and this totally messed up our holiday - we had to stay on for longer than intended. They also replaced some unnecessary bits, and charged much too much. I think I'll start looking for a good mechanic straight away, once we are in the country.

Circulation tax is based upon the year of matriculation, is it not?

mfesharne

I'm a big fan of the Mercedes SLs from the early 80s or so...... they won't have the same drivability & fun factor of the Jag but they won't be too far from it....... and they'll be easy & a whole lot cheaper to maintain than the Jag.

Tax free import criteria is basically the same for a classic as it is for a modern car but no CoC required because they predate CoCs....... so instead you supply a copy of the sales brochure with tech spec....... give me a while & i'll try to post the version of mine that I supplied.

you can also join ACP/Classicos and have the car registered as of historical interest & get road tax exemption & also very cheap (but limited mileage) insurance. My 5.9 litre Jeep costs about €36 per year.

gedscottish

Insurance wise the fact it's had an accident is not an issue. If a car is written off and passes the special inspection, inspecção B, then no issue. Fully comp wise, what year is the car?

Edit: just seen the year, 2002, if it's not yet passed the 15 years you can do "Autoestima" with Fidelidade, it's fully comp and does cars up to 15 years old. However if that car is a total loss they will only pay out 70% of value. In case of it being damaged, 100%, although used parts can be used for repair(they all do that anyway). Excellent product and great value.

Diddion

gedscottish - thanks!

Having sought further information, I will not be repairing it - I'll just take the pennies the insurance company will offer. So now I am looking for a 2006 4.2 supercharged XKR (model x100, steel body) or a 2007/8 similar vehicle, model x100 aluminium body. So presumable autoestima would be ok for either of these?

carvoeiro

i had the pleasure of owning several vintage cars over the years including a mercedes 450sl from the late 70s - it was nice at the time but in reality was a rust bucket and never really performed as well as the spec suggested
a 1980s ferrari 308 gtsi - so beautiful you forgave it everything - but the best advice i was ever given was 'live very close to a garage both for petrol and breakdowns' - and the advice was totally correct - didn't keep it for long - but so beautiful
then i had an alfa spyder again lovely but destined to rust and repair
best i had for 16 years was a ford rs500 eventually rebuilt to 500bhp - totally reliable except some design idiot put the starter motor a couple of inches off the floor and always fun to drive - and you could comfortably put family and friends in the back
when that was finally stolen - a mitsubishi evo v - great handling and perfect for the driver - passengers thought it was a living hell
best thing about all of the old bangers above -even the ferrari was you could open the bonnet and more less see what was going on - unlike the plastic encased computerised sneeze and someones sticking wires into them cars of today
now i'm old i drive old peoples cars - enjoy the others whilst you can

mfesharne

OK; Here's what I submitted instead of a CoC and it was accepted without question:



also you might be interested in these prices from 3 years ago.








Oh & although I can't find the pic right now, I seem to remember an 82 450SL priced at about €72k

gedscottish

1st I work in insurance but I'm in no way trying to sell you something, just letting you know of something that may suit!

Autoestima is a fairly recent product from Fidelidade for cars aged 4-15 years, it works like any other fully comp insurance apart from fact in total loss it only pays out 70%, used parts can be used and car is repaired where they choose(which is not bad thing) all of which is reflective on price.
High value cars sometimes need to be viewed and valuated 1st with any fully comp insurance with Fidelidade and I'm just remembering of one major thing here, if the car has been imported within the last 4 years they may not take it on.(high number of imported cars are being stolen with first few months of them being here, although it's mostly Bmw's, Mini's & Renault Megannes.)

p.s If you're after another XKR, get a Portuguese national one pre-30-06-2007 and pay the low anual tax!

Diddion

Gedscottish - now that is an interesting thought. Where would I look for such a beast, and wouldn't it cost a lot more in Portugal than in the UK? LHD would also be handy.

carvoeiro

the only other consideration i'd give to owning the sort of cars in question here is that a lot of the roads simply aren't up to scratch - especially if you live in the campo - my final couple of km is down a dirt track and i'm forever changing bits of the steering and suspension - i would drive around the area i planned to live in and take that into consideration

carvoeiro

XKR's a bit thin on the ground here - but try this search

https://www.olx.pt/carros-motos-e-ba...scription%5D=1

mfesharne

Certainly a valid point....... Esp with an XKR which is so low to the ground........ The 'in town' speed bumps would also be a cause for concern with a very low slung car as well.

Diddion

....as I discovered last September. Considered going so fast that I merely flew from the top of one speed bump to the next, but decided that the only thing to do is actually slow down.

mfesharne

Something higher & slower might be more practical over here........ which is one of the reasons I think the classic SLs are such a good option...... you've still got drive appeal but you also have better ground clearance & easier spares availability & cheaper maintenance as well.

My old Jeep is great in many ways but a bit big to drive on some of the smaller roads.

Personally, I'd have thought something like a Ferrari, Corvette Stingray or the XKR would be a constant worry here.

gedscottish

I honestly think the roads in the UK are worse, at least pothole wise! Some cracking roads here too for a blast. Is the XKR really such a low car?

Obviously you'll pay a lot more than you would for one in the UK, but you won't find a LHD one in UK, a RHD will be covered with rust underneath and not worth importing(cost wise & never resell). You'll struggle to find an XKR, but if your patient I'm sure you will and remember, forget their asking price, these things won't sell for some of the high prices they ask. Just keep searching these sites:
Carros & Autocaravanas � venda em Portugal

https://www.standvirtual.com/carros/...%5Bcountry%5D=

https://www.olx.pt/carros-motos-e-ba...scription%5D=1

p.s perhaps an XJR would be a much cheaper option, still beautiful and will surely start gathering value soon too. personally I would be looking at an E46 Bmw M3 or Z4M(future classics for sure too), but each to our own!

Diddion

Hello everyone.

Well, I have ignored everyone's sound advice! I decided not to have the car repaired, due to the (unknown, but high) cost, and there is little doubt that the money would not be recouped, ever, because of its write-off status. I have, though now replaced it with a later version of the same car: a 2005 4.2 litre supercharged convertible. This has done 74,000 miles, compared to the previous car's 140,000 - I had used that car as my daily driver for business.

I am comfortable with the Portuguese roads, though will be taking cobbles and speed humps carefully! I am a bit less comfortable with some of the driving I have encountered, and won't, ever, be tempted to take a macho response to some of the very risky manoeuvres which some people seem to love. Actually, my main fear is that some of these models encounter a load of glitches, such as electrical problems, and it may be problematic to find a competent engineer able to deal with them (other than the main dealers). Any suggestions, anywhere in Portugal for this? ( I might well post that as a separate question, later.

Our plans to become Portuguese residents early in the next UK tax year remain on track. Be glad to get away from the UK weather and the mess of UK politics!