keithBT

In view of the shortage of hire cars available and indeed the ridiculous cost this year I was considering buying a car and leaving it near the airport. Has anyone else done this already and what are the cost implications ? I would be buying a spanish reg car insured in spain but including PT usage. Costa esuri owner.

Score76

Used to have a contract with Park & Fly, pay a fixed fee per year, come and go as much as you like, each time they transfer to/from airport and wash the car upon your return. Service was ok but then they got greedy, price went up, service went down. They even tried to argue they were open during lockdown when the airport had no flights. Wouldn't recommend. Some friends use Park to Fly, hear good things about him but no personal experience.

Bomber Harris

A lot would depend on how long the car spends in Portugal each year. If it's more than 6 months in any 12 month period ISV would be due, and a fine which can be up to six times the ISV value. That would be a considerable cost on top of the fee for parking.

Artfuldodger128

Furthermore there is the consideration that your battery will probably go flat after a few weeks of non-use and therefore won't start.

keithBT

Actually you can get a nifty little solar panel that sits on the dashboard that you wire direct to the battery and it trickle charges. My friend has one for his car at home when he goes away for a couple of months. Brilliant bit of kit and was not expensive.

liveaboard

When I fly out for a couple of weeks, I leave my car on the street near the Gambelas hospital and get a taxi to the airport. It's about 10 euros each way, that works out cheaper than the paid parking.
I like to park near there because I know how to say "Hospital privado Gambelas" to the taxi driver.

If it's longer than 2 weeks, I disconnect the battery.
Some cars have considerable load when not in use; if your battery is good it should be ok for a month though.
Nothing wrong with the solar panel of course, and then your clock and alarm system stay on; but actually, you should probably not have an alarm system in an unattended car.

I have a PT reg car.

keithBT

Thanks for the info. The problem is that our car would be left unattended for anything up to 8 weeks, possibly more around december/ january time. I can see it being towed off the public highway, if not stolen. In all honesty I think I've given up on the idea. It's a can of worms really with all manner of problems relating to insurance, tax, mot's, flat tyres especially if stood in direct sunlight. We will just have to suck up the high rental prices I guess.

Artfuldodger128

keithBT - those solar panel devices, I've seen them in Amazon, but how would you connect them to the battery when the panel has to sit on the dashboard (inside of car) and there would be a lead outside connecting to the battery?

Not trying to complicate matters, those solar panels would be next to useless on an EV. 😂


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keithBT

Hi again, My friend has a mazdaCX5 thing and he found a wiring harness and pushed his charger cable through the bulkhead gromet. so it is permenant on the battery and disconnected from the little panel when not in use. Knowing him he would have put an inline fuse as well. And yes, absolutely no good for an EV. We are talking milliamps here, but good enough to keep a battery topped up.

Score76

The one I have either sits inside the windscreen and connects into 12v socket (requires the car not to disconnect this when the keys aren't in ignition), or else you swap the last bit of the cable to a pair of crocodile clips (supplied), in which case it goes on the outside of the windscreen, you lift the bonnet up, connect directly onto battery terminals, then close the bonnet.

coleio

Hi,

Not in Faro BUT I've done this many times in Lisbon, parked a GB car on the road near some blocks of flats which are walking distance to the airport also used both a dashboard solar panel into the fag lighter socket or disconnected the battery (leaving the 10mm spanner on top of the battery) I am surprised that no one else does this as it's just so convenient. Never had any problems just a few pizza flyers under the windscreen wiper and a fine layer of dust. Pre Brexit it sometimes stayed there months.

Bomber Harris

You might not have had any problems but your car was at risk of being clamped. If it had been clamped you would have been facing a release fee of €300 to €1500. That might be why more people don't do it.

coleio

Bizarre, for the many times I have parked in that area, nor other similar places to take a short public transport ride to airport, there were no cars clamped as far as I can remember. Where do you get your information on this strange clamping activity and what is the frequency of this activity happenings?

zoff

When I bought my VW Jetta in 2008, it came with a solar panel stuck on the inside of the sunroof. It was connected to the OBD port.

coleio

I believe the '08 solar powered electric Jetta was not a raving success.