Michael74

There is a possibility that some friends who now own a holiday apartment in Oliva and look forward to coming two or three times a year are considering buying a small car rather than hire one just for their visits. They have mentioned leaving it at one of the ALC airport parking sites when they are not here as the annual cost would be better than car hire charges for every visit.

Having no knowledge of buy second hand cars here I would appreciate any helpful tips etc. Have heard of people taking on debts re fines etc that are still on the car so any thoughts would be appreciated.

robt23

Buy from a reputable dealer. Dealerships usually have a good supply of second hand cars. These cars were traded in for a new car and because it`s a dealer like Ford or Audi , checks on outstanding payments and similar things would have been carried out. These cars would come with there 3 or 6 month warranties.

Stay away from car ads in the local paper or those cars parked at the roadside with "ocasion", written on them. These people are all private sellers which offer no warranty and tend to be a shady bunch. It`s a case of "Buyer Beware". You could be left with a useless car and out of pocket !

Prices for these cars tend to be cheaper though. One point I would stress is always go with someone with mechanical knowledge. When you find your car the paper work can be daunting, so go to a " Gestor". This is someone who does all the leg work for you. It`s not free but they give you a certain peace of mind.

Having said this I would take the first choice and head for any local dealer with many second hand cars in stock.

Good Luck !

Saxy

I'm afraid it's not possible to do this. Before your friends part with any money, tell them to check with an insurance company first.
A stupid rule that insurance underwriters have, is that you must be resident in the country where the vehicle is insured and kept, and that the vehicle must not be out of that country for more than 90 days in any one year!
In other words, you can't live in one country and keep a vehicle in another.

Michael74

Didn't know that, but thanks for replies so far. They will definitely not be resident here but they do have NIE's and a bank account here, although the car would never be out of the country. Why is everything so complicated here? although I'm not so sure Insurance brokers would be so quick to turn down business

lic

Linea directa allow me to do this, as do many other insurance companies.
I have not heard that I should live permanently in Spain, and they are aware I reside in the U.K.

bobd22

I certainly know none residents that do exactly this and the car is left in Spain when they return to the UK. As I am hoping next year to start spending half my time in Spain half UK I was thinking of this or same but with a motorcycle.

Saxy

Fantastic,
There you are Michael74,
All your friends have to do is contact Linea Directa, explaining exactly what their intentions are, and that they will not be living in Spain (get them to do it before spending any money on a car!).
bobd22, you can do the same thing, just give them a ring to find out.
Don't forget to let us know the result, so that we'll all be a lot wiser

bobd22

Thanks yes if I do decide to do this next year I will enquire before buying a car and post what they say. Michael74 looking at their site in English they do have a customer service e mail your friends could use to ask the question before buying appears to be for current and none customers to use.

Fred James

I am afraid once again you are quite wrong on this subject.

I am insured with Linea Directa with a Spanish car and my policy allows me total freedom of movement within the entire Green Card area, fully comprehensive for an unlimited period.

Also your comment about non residents is again incorrect. I have just gone to the trouble of phoning Linea Directa and they are quite happy to insure a Spanish car owned by a non resident.

Michael74

Thanks for the info Fred, have put a call in myself to Linea Directa but as of now still waiting for a call back - so I guess the other insurance companies/brokers will offer the same.

Saxy

Fred, please read the posts!
In post 7, I say that it's fantastic, all they need to do is contact Linea Direct explaining what they want, and to check it out, before parting with any money.
It's very strange that Direct line/ Linea Directa, have the same underwriters, but won't insure you to leave a car in the U.K. if you live in Spain! Which is the exactly the same situation as Michael74's friends want to do, just different countries.

Saxy

Fred, just reading this post again and your comment about being able to move about and use the green card has nothing to do with the subject!
The subject is about leaving a car in a country where you are not a resident!

Fred James

I am perfectly aware of what the thread is about.

You chose to make two statements. One was that insurance outside the country of insurance was limited to 90 days and the other was that non residents cannot insure a car that stays in Spain.

Both statements are incorrect.

Will you please stop posting information on this forum that is demonstrably incorrect. Your previous posts on the subject have been based on the situation where you wish to keep a car in the UK as a non UK resident and even then the vast majority of posters have chosen to disagree with you. I don't wish to comment further on that subject as it is irrelevant to the situation in Spain.

The situation in Spain is different and the largest and most popular insurance company in Spain (as far as Expats go) is quite adamant about the situation.

They have told me that they will insure cars owned by non residents and that the cover outside Spain is not subject to limitations. If you think that is not the case I suggest you contact them on 902325325

If you choose to ignore that information it is up to you, please do not try and force your unsubstantiated opinions on other forum members.

Michael74

Have eventually received a call back from Linea Directa and they are quite happy to insure a car kept in Spain although the owners are not resident but just own a holiday apartment.

Also received the same information from Ibex and Liberty Seguros - who are both registered at Lloyds - so it appears there is no problem on that score although it would seem that an NIE number is a requirement. That would be a given anyway as they needed an NIE to buy the apartment in the first place.

Saxy

That's fantastic news, different from the information that I received, i.e. That the residency rule applied right across the E.U. So sorry everyone
I have also had some good news today, I've found a company (Stuart Collins & Co.), who will insure me to leave one of my cars in the U.K. So I won't be selling it YIPEE!