On a recent visit to the Coasta del Sol, I was amazed at the high prices of second hand cars. I was always led to believe that cars were cheaper to buy in Spain than the UK. Can anyone give some examples of new car prices over there, say in the Ford Focus Opel Astra range?

Have a look at http://www.coches.net/ for the prices of new and used cars. Very good search engine, etc.

I think the price of new cars is cheaper than the UK, but they hold their value more as well - consequently, finding a cheap used banger is a bit difficult!!

t0rie

Tried that - but it's asking for my postcode, also it's in Spanish, so 2 problems there! Thanx anyway.

If you are interested in a one year old Berlingo later this year give me an e-mail.
One year left on the guarrantee and its been well looked after.

Dear me, sorry a Spanish garage advert is in Spanish, but
Ford Focus and Opel Astra are the same in Spanish, try 29639 for the code.

I assume you know what €`s are.

Hey - in my original enquiry I should perhaps have attached the rider: "Non sarcastic repiles only please." I thought the aim of these forums was to help each other - not try to get a cheap laugh at someone else's expense, but then I suppose that as they are accessible to all and sundry we do have to allow for the occasional troll.
B.T.W. not having a knowledge of Spanish is not an indication of general ignorance, and yes I do know what a Euro is - it's that shitty little currency we have to put up with when abroad. Give me £.s.d. any day.

Well what do you expect, this is Spain.... how many salerooms in the UK have Spanish price lists.
Not trying to get a cheap laugh, just fed up of people with your sort of attitude, expecting everything to change to suit you.
I agree not having a knowledge of Spanish is not an indication of general ignorance, but if you are going to live in a country, then at least have the courtesy to try and acknowledge that their langauge may be different, and try and learn the basics.
Do as i used to and get the English / Spanish dictionary out, or type in the postcode to that site and if you get stuck post the text here and someone in Spain will translate it for you.
Also i am hardly a troll, just a couple more posts than yourself

quality site - don't have to be linguist of the year to work it out either.



is it correct that 2nd hand cars keep their value due to the reluctance to sell by owners as it is the norm to pass them down through the family thereby keeping supply low?

That is part of it for sure, that and the fact they have finance for years and years here!

When we first moved here there were tv advertisements offering loans of er ... 200 Euros ..... and you can buy cars with zero down and over such a long time that monthly fees are very low.

I don't believe for a minute that the Spanish in general are poor, just they put their money in the mattress

Secondhand prices are a joke though... a car that you'd be miffed to pay £300 GBP for going for between 1 and 2000 euros!

so you would suggest go for new and stick it on the never never, (I do not have the cash to buy outright) rather than 2nd hand and pay over the odds?

Well interest rates are a lot lower than in the UK generally for HP. The other week I asked a dealer about a price for a Kia Picanto because the missus likes them. I could have took it away with zero down , think was up to 12 years hp (!).

He gave me a figure which I worked out, and and have since lost, for monthly, over 5 years with 1000 down and I couldn't work out how they made their money. Sure there was interest but not like you'd pay in the UK.

Seems to be the way to go as cars keep their value a lot longer here so although you are paying interest, that is offset by low depreciation, and the fact you are getting a new car with full warranty.

If buying secondhand I'd suggest buying from a dealer because many will give you a pretty good 12 month warranty.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not looking to buy yet; just trying to sound out the new car market in Spain.

I don't expect everything to change to suit me. If I ever move to Spain - or anywhere else for that matter - I shall endeavour to learn the language. After all, it's only politeness, if you know the meaning of the word. You talk about courtesy, but prejudge based on a couple of sentences.