Pilotabroad

Hey all
A variation on the never ending car questions.....

Been searching for weeks and whilst I still can't move beyond the pain of pre-owned cars in PT I have noticed that certain models are significantly cheaper in the Azores, so....
Has anyone bought from there?
Is there any registering issues?
Any mainland tax to pay?
Difficulties in shipping over?

Thanks as always

RichardHenshall

I've no knowledge or evidence to base this on but I would wonder if cars age as well as the average car in mainland Portugal. Might corrosion be more of a concern, such that it's not a fair comparison?

Pilotabroad

To be honest I thought the same myself.
Higher moisture content etc meaning greater rust issues, however this is offset by generally much lower mileage.

Though the vehicle I like is actually a fully restored classic so hopefully none of those issues and it's rarity is it's appeal, but it did highlight the difference in prices I'd noticed

RichardHenshall

A classic might just reflect a limited market and/or the other possible shipping & tax issues, plus it's a long way to go to inspect a possible purchase.

Pilotabroad

Rather that start a new thread I will go off on a tangent for our resident car and tinkering experts....

What are the laws on engine conversions, customising etc in Portugal.

I know for importing it has to be as stock as possible, I've read that teens in customised cars get a hard time here, but I've seen a few 4x4 lifts etc and being a land rover tinkerer I'm struggling to find the rules for Portugal.

In UK, usa, Australia it's very simple to convert a petrol to diesel etc by way of an example

The_weeze

For any changes to be legal the car needs to be re-matriculated and the change noted in the registration booklet. This seems to be something that many owners decline to do meaning that changes that are on the car could come to bite a new owner.
I looked at the import from Madeira but if you are not a resident it was wildly expensive.

Pilotabroad

Thanks Weeze

1).... I see lots of cars for sale on mainland stating new engine at 200km etc, so I wonder if these have been matriculated? Also when doing an import matriculation the car becomes tax liable bracket as a new car, again does 're matriculation have the same effect?

2) What exactly was wildly expensive? The shipping fees seem ok, and I've been told all paperwork is standard whether mainland or island?

liveaboard

PT registration book doesn't state the engine serial number; so if you install the same type engine, no changes are required.
Used engines are not expensive; I've changed a couple of them.
Buying a car, I care little for the engine. It's important, but the body and interior are more so.

I recently bought a 200HP Mercedes coupe, zero rust and interior almost perfect, for 3,000 euros. It's 21 years old and has 358,000 km on it though. I can get a low mileage used motor for 500 euros if I need one.

If you change the engine type, you'll need a stack of paper and procedure. Type approval from the manufacturer, stating all the changes needed to make the modification and still conform. Not impossible, but in most cases very impractical.
You can get away with modifying an engine if the changes don't show; like remapping and so on. It's not legal, just not detectable by any inspection you're likely to encounter.
Either of my cars could easily be undetectably remapped to give me 25% more power.
If I was 1/2 the age I am, I'd probably do it.
Since I'm an old guy now, I'll leave them as the engineers who built them designed.

Pilotabroad

Thanks for all that, very useful.

To give context... it's my land rover that ive mentioned previously, I've been offered a full PT registered one here that's very very tatty and no engine. I'm tempted to buy it and use my one as a donor therefore having a legal LHD cheap tax vehicle that I love BUT... part of what makes my one so good is that it has had the Mazda/Perkins engine fitted.
So I'm trying to judge how difficult it will be to also donor that engine into a PT land rover