Yaxle123

I drove to Portugal from the UK but it has since broken down and requires expensive repairs that probably aren’t worth it relative to the value of the car.

As a non-Portuguese (UK) resident, is there any way I could buy a car in Portugal for the purpose of driving it back through Spain and France to eventually return to the UK? I’m guessing it would be quite complicated in terms of registering ownership when I’m not a resident, not to mention taxes and insurance but does anyone know if such a thing could be possible and what the process would be?

Pulaski

If you haven't owned it for six months (or is it 12 months?) when you return to the UK then you're setting yourself up for a tax and duty bill if you return it permanently to the UK and register it there. If you buy an LHD car it will also experience a sharp drop in value on taking it to the UK, and also likely attract higher insurance premiums.

All things considered (purchase cost, petrol and tolls, taxes and duty in the UK), if you're returning to the UK permanently, with your car as the means of transporting your "stuff" you will likely be better off packing your things and paying to have them transported to the UK, and buying yourself a plane ticket home.

Yaxle123

I had a feeling that might be the case. Unfortunately, amongst the ‘stuff’ is my little 4kg Maltese puppy (the reason I drove rather than plane in the first place), who obviously can’t be shipped. Is there any way of doing this, even if bending the rules into some grey areas (using a friend’s address as my own/insuring through a uk or international insurer if there is such a thing/any other creative ideas?

Other options are to scrap the car here and try to get as much money as possible for scrap, and then buy a car from the UK and try to have it delivered to Portugal? Would that work better? Any other suggestions much appreciated!

liveaboard

You can take the dog on the plane (some, but not all airlines). If the dog is small, under 10kg including the box, you can even take him/her as carry on luggage into the cabin.
That would be your cheapest option for sure.

If you're hell bent on the car option, try to get a UK plated vehicle, when they sell here they sell cheap. But you'll need one with valid MOT.
Facebook buy sell groups have them sometimes.

Listen Very Carefully

Th e problem with the suggestion above is car insurance tax and MOT. You cannot get Portugese insurance as you are not resident so you would need to try and arrange UK insurance probably through your current broker but make sure that the seller is the actual owner and is on the V5 The other problem is can ascertain the true history of the car ie does it have a pile of speeding fines in PT or UK? or is one that will break down again? The last thing you want to do is trigger an ANPR camera the minute you drive off at Dover
Personally I would get a cheap flight back to the UK buy a decent motor in the UK preferably from a dealer

BillBullock

There are pet transport companies who regularly repatriate dogs and cats to the UK. My son used Mark and Jan at Purrfect Pet Transport and he was very pleased with the service they provided. Phone number is 0044 7881870729. Website is purrfectpettransport.com.

santaanita

plenty of non residents buycars you only need a nif fiscal number then you can buy insure and mot

liveaboard

If you go to olx.pt, carros, and enter UK as a search term, you get a few.

This one looks particularly promising; https://www.olx.pt/d/anuncio/nissan-...a-IDHFqHa.html

coleio

Just searched and hire car from Lisbon for month was 228GBP, don't know about the bit of driving it outside Portugal but it's unlimited mileage and insured etc.

Pulaski

Yeah, but international driving questions aside, no matter what, there is _zero_ chance you can rent that one-way ending in the UK.

coleio

Hi,

Just out of interest what type of car is it and what is the basic problem and , approximately, where is it?

Listen Very Carefully

But you will not be able to get a UK MOT,will not be able to get a UK VEL nor will you be able nor will you be able to register it in your nane if the seller is not the person registered on the V5
If you have no MOT or VEL then the vehicle could be seized once back in the UK Every road around the channel ports or now bristling with ANPR cameras and DVLA checks

coleio

It's easy to register an UK vehicle with your own UK details from a valid V5 irrespective of who the seller is.
There is an easy way to drive a UK reg vehicle legally in the UK even if the the MOT and Tax are expired.
I've done both a couple of times earlier this year.

Pulaski

This post is pointless if you aren't going to explain how to register a vehicle and what you did to legally drive a British vehicle in the UK with expired MOT and tax.

AFAIK it is only legal to drive a car without an MOT when taking it to a previously booked appointment for an MOT inspection. I don't recall if there is a distance restriction, but I sincerely doubt that you could legally drive a vehicle without an MOT from Dover to an appointment in, say, Manchester.

coleio

My advice is to you is try saying "Pretty Please" rather then being negatively aggressive if you want something to advance your (lack of) knowledge without having to pay for it.