ray tuppa

hi....i'm driving to the costa's this winter for an extended hol, maybe i'll stay,we'll see..anyhoo can anyone advise on what vehicle makes to avoid with regards costly repairs, servicing, difficult to get hold of parts etc etc???

i'm driving Honda's here in the UK because of the reliability factor, are jap motors popular in spain? My car will be sold as i'll be needing a mid sized van & Toyota, Mitsubishi , come to mind (reliability again)..or maybe a good ol ford transit will do?

for 6 months min, would anyone suggest buying a left hand drive vehicle here in the UK? I've seen quite a few for sale, alot of which are spain registered..

sorry for so many questions, i'm serious about the move 'n' always like to get a head start..

thanks in advance for taking the time...Ray.

Bri and Katee

You say a van, then you could be in trouble quickly! Right hand drive over here can be used to bring stuff over and return. The police and licensing do not allow long term use of them quite rightly stating the total lack of visibilty through the passenger side (you can't look over your shoulder and out the side) You would not have a clear view of traffic at junctions etc.

If you go for left hand drive vehicle of any kind I would say avoid a previous spanish registered one, go for french or german. If the spanish one was driven to the UK without being de-registered (highly likely) on returning to spain you will be liable for all outstanding taxes etc while its been out of the country!

Retired in Euskadi

Before coming here, 4 yrs ago, we looked at LHD cars in the UK. Problem is lack of choice, so we didn't bother.
Bought here; 2nd hand market probably more expensive, but then you have the increased resale price, so it's relative.
We're retired & needed a vehicle for 3. Finished up with a Renault Modus diesel which had 22,000km only. Paid €11,000 at a Renault dealership in Vitoria. Beauty of it is that it sits higher than a saloon, so you feel safer! Also has cruise control, a big bonus. Get it serviced at local, trustworthy garage rather than Renault since dealers will always charge more.
We also had in mind a Nissan Note.
Yes, Japanese cars are fairly popular here.
Personally I'd always buy from a reputed dealer as at least there's a guarantee.
Best of luck.

cricketman

I have a Honda here. Bought a new Civic 3 years ago,no problems whatsoever, now have a new CRV arriving in 2 weeks

I am pretty tight with money so what made the difference is that insurance and maintance will be at least half for a CRV than for the equivalent BMW or Audi. Although if you get all the options then the actual price wont be much cheaper

The second hand market in Spain is still expensive for nearly new cars. For example, we did well and got 10k euros for our 3 year old Civic at trade-in, but you can buy a brand new basic Civic for 14k euros if you take out finance

So for best value for money, buy new (or stock cars if you can, although there are almost no Honda stock cars in Spain as they order from the UK factories as and when needed) or buy an old car, say 10 years old, but from one of the luxury brands

Chiclanagir

Not round here you won´t. Loads of Brit vans being driven around with out of date tax which are ignored by the Police.

ray tuppa

to be on the safe side i'd always check out any vehicle's previous history, some of the lhd dealers here in the UK seem to know what they're doing with regards outstanding fine's, finance & registration checks etc etc but i was totally unaware with regards any Taxes so i'll look into that thanks..

if i don't go the lhd route then maybe a van/people carrier with side windows would be a wise choice..

thanks for the heads up....ray.

Casa Santo Estevo

But how can they check the history of a car registered in Spain?

ray tuppa

lets not be Defeatists aye??? the garage i'v been in contact with has a sister company on the costa del sol, it seems they're supplying cars for both too & from spain.. i'd expect they do their checks, i won't buy anything without this proof..I'll have the RAC involved too..

Casa Santo Estevo

The RAC cannot check any paperwork.
You sound as if you will not get the wool pulled over your eyes so good luck.

pwwm

Thats ok then Be careful, an aquaintence of ours did this and it took 2 years to sort the paperwork,

Re a van with Windows, still considered van here, C15 Kangoos all these are considered commercial and have to have 6 monthly ITV´s(MOT) if the logbook say comercial then that will be the case, (that is when they are 10 years old)

crookesey

The way folk treat their own and everyone else's cars in Spain I'd be tempted to go for something like an ex hire Berlingo/Kangoo or Caddy diesel.