bil8999

We spend approx £2000 per year on hire cars, would it be better to buy a say 2 year old car and leave it at the airport, we have been told there is a company at Alicante that charges 300 euros per year that will look after your car and they will deliver it to the airport on your arrival up to 12 visits per year.
Thanks in advance

lic

£2K a year on a rental car. It is probably still cheaper than buying your own. You would have to insure it, maintain it, pay tax on it and pay to park it.
With the rental you are almost cetainly given a good reliable vehicle with no maintainence issues.

Mitzyboy

Depends on the timescale I guess

€150 ish to service it pa
€100 road tax (guestimate) pa
€300 pa parking
€500 estimate pa to insure
€100 ITV & associated costs pa
plus the cost of the car

mrsjdr

Also wear & Tear, plus, are they a reliable company?? Have heard for these so called "storage" people using the vehicles either themselves or hiring them out while they are supposedly being looked after

bil8999

Say over the next 5 years, also the longer stays we have the more it pays to have your own car . Must be worth thinking about ?

Mitzyboy

Well, you'r going to pay €1150 a yearish maintenance/tax etc to own your car, and then you have to buy one / finance one as well, so thats €6000 odd euros over 5 years excluding car purchase / depreciation. As opposed to €10k hiring.

fionamw

My last service was over 250€.... it is a big 4x4 & I do high mileage but 150 a YEAR?

So on Mitz's calculations you'd be 4k up & still have a car? If I got that right I think I know which I'd choose

Mitzyboy

A full service hereabouts is €150 - €180, and I was assuming their mileage wouldnt be that great so probably only need a major service every year. Of course, I can only generalise

fionamw

True, as do all of us

carter71

Older cars won't need an expensive service, and you can buy all the parts at your local supermercado if you're that way inclined. It only gets expensive the more kms you do - I spent over €1000 on my daily driver last year, but only €79 servicing my weekend car.

fionamw

Oh for the joys of having two cars

carter71

...so when Miguel tells me that the parts won't arrive for another two weeks, at least I can still get the kids to school

fionamw

At least that´s logic. We´re looking at buying a 2nd car cos (despite being there at the test drive & declining his turn at the wheel) my jag-driving OH won't drive our tank of a 4x4 cos it's 'too big' so I've been the sole driver for 3 years.

carter71

A sore point in our house. Hubby (when he's here) "drives" a showroom condition X350, showroom condition because he refuses to drive it anywhere! He takes one of my cars whenever we go anywhere, unless he knows he's able to park on a friend's drive!

Have suggested he trade it in for a Seat Ibiza!!

fionamw

I've suggested a Citroen Berlingo, Renault(?) Kangoo, Fiat whatever, Peugeot whatever -..... all small white van man fodder but good on campo tracks, but I don't think he'll quite go with that! Given that he's half the time in the UK on Gloucestershire's finest tarmac with his admittedly wonderful Jag, I don't stand an earthly of converting