Goldwinger

we have sold our home and are moving to north Casa Blanca within a couple of weeks. Having heard that second hand cars are expensive, we decided to buy a LHD car here in the UK and register it in Spain. Went to a LHD car dealer last week and bought a very nice KIA. Trouble is that it is French registered. don't have the time to go through the re-registering it in UK process or want to change everything over (lights and dash speedo) only to change it back. It is parked in the garage and I cant get insurance on it as it is not UK registered. The car dealer is no help. Called several insurance companies in Spain but they cant insure a French registered car either!Any ideas if there is a company that can import the car in Spain for me and get it registered? HELP!!

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Fred James

With the current exchange rate second-hand cars are now reasonably priced in Spain! I would take it back to the dealer and cut your losses and buy in Spain.

It could be a nightmare sorting out the paperwork and will not be able to avoid the registration tax as you have not owned the car for 6 months.

Goldwinger

I was afraid of that. Don't know how well I will get on with the dealer as far as getting my money back! What if he were to offer to exchange it for a Spanish registered car. would that be as problematic as far as getting it insured with a Spanish company?

Rosemary

We bought a French registered car but had to change everything over to UK reg to gain insurance and then when we brought it to Spain we had to go through it all again but we did it that way because we wanted to own the car for more than six months before registering it here. Then it was the cheapest and best way for us but the prices here have changed a lot so not sure whether I would do the same thing now.

Rosemary

Mitzyboy

Have you looked for UK registered LHD cars?

If you buy a Spanish LHD car, you will need to be sure that there are no outstanding debts / taxes on it when you move to Spain.

I emplyed someone in CB North to re register my UK registered car to Spanish plates. Took about a week or so and cost me around €1000 including registration tax, "MOT", plates etc.

Fred mentioned the registration tax, you wont avoid that if you havent owned the car for more than 6 months

amideislas

So much for the "common market".

True, second-hand cars are much cheaper nowadays, and transfer of ownership is a relative doddle, so it makes sense to just buy one here. And it fairly easy to find out if there are back-taxes or outstanding tickets. Just bring the seller to trafico with you when you file the paperwork. It'll all come out in the wash at that point.

I've never understood the logic of buying everything in the UK. We know a few who refuse to buy things here in Spain in favour of buying from the UK, including household appliances. They sell the same stuff here. Usually at much better prices, without the hassle and expense of shipping, and in the case of cars, import and matriculation costs.

Goldwinger

thanks everyone so much for your input. We have no problem with paying the registration tax or any other fees to get the car legal in Spain. We will be living permanently in Spain so want to be 'legal' and not try to dodge paying for anything. (We wont be buying UK appliances and bringing them with us either). We will not be bringing much with us at all and intend to buy anything we need in Spain. The advise we were getting regarding good second hand cars was that they were expensive in Spain due to lack of them. Cost isn't the main problem with us it more of a time issue now so whichever solution is the quickest, we will pay for. We have been advised that there are companies that specialise in registering imported cars in Spain and will see if they can offer a solution. Anyone had any dealings with 'We Register Any Car.com' ?

lyric030250

On the subject of second hand cars, there is a massive volume of hire cars around, most companies keep them for about a year, so there should be a massive volume of recent, second hand cars, where do they all go ?

Porth

Hi know the problem. Bought new in France imported back to the UK and then speedo lights and rear fogs and the like.

Come back to Spain repeat the exercise save for speedo. Use a great guy advertised on Costa Blanca news (have no financial involvement) total cost 1000 euros.

However and this is just a remark nothing else. We are now moving back to the UK so I will be selling the Honda here in Spain if poss and if the price is too low will take it back to the UK for have the headlights and all that would be necessary is the rewiring at the back. Then paying the DVLA

I seem to believe that to be legal here it has to have their equivalent of a MOT.

One thing that caught us out was the Certificate of Conformity I would get on quickly it has to be an original and not a photocopy.

missile

A bit late for you, but my advice to others would be to buy from a reputable dealer in Spain.

In my experience cars are not much more expensive in Spain. Any (small) potential saving by buying in UK is outweighed by the cost of fuel, ferry and re-registration. You also run the risk of buying a stolen car and / or with associated tax liability and fines. IMHO it is simply not worth the hassle.

I would suggest you ignore any other advice you may have received from that source.

missile

Out of curiosity;
What is make, model, age and mileage and how much did you pay for this car?

Goldwinger

Kia Carnival (Sedona) 2007 and 95811 kilometrage. £5,650. its in very good condition, like new, no signs of wear, not even on drivers seat. Go on, now tell me that it would have been much cheaper over there.

Fredbargate

http://www.segundamano.es/kia-carniv...n=sb_regdateTo

missile

I would not be that cruel ............. and Fred beat me too it <LOL>


You can easily verify that for yourself after you get here.