We already have:
NIEs, 5 week holiday let, correspondence address (post box), hire car, bank account, proof of sufficient income.

S1s will be applied for in the next couple of weeks.

We need:
Long term rental, purchase a car, register as extranjeros, sign on padron, register for health care.

We think we need to do things in this order
1. Find a long term rental - when we have this we can do the following using the new address.
2. Buy a car
3. Register as extranjeros
4. Sign on the padron
5. Sign on at the local health centre

Is this the correct order in which to do things and at every stage will we be in possession of the necessary paperwork if we follow our outlined timetable?

As an aside can anyone recommend a gestor in the Oruhela Costa/Ciudad Quesada/Rojales area to assist us with buying a car and possibly setting up contracts with the utility companies please?

It's been a few years now, but I'm pretty sure we signed on the padron before we registered as extranjeros, and took a copy of our empadronamiento certificate with us to the comisaria when we applied for residencia (as it was then).

I've never bought a car here, but I seem to remember reading in other threads that people had needed to produce proof of residence before being able to do so.

Yes. You can purchase, but you will need to sign on the padron, obtain "certificado de empadronamiento" and arrange insurance before you can register in your name at Traffico. Do not buy private. A good dealer will register the vehicle in your name.

Your estate agent should help you set up contracts for utilities. I believe, I recommended one in Rojales and another in Ciudad Quesada in response to your previous post?

Take it easy, do not be in a hurry. It is easy to get stressed out.

Thank you yes you did and I've been watching their websites. In a response to someone else you also mentioned an agent you wouldn't recommend, in a village near to CQ and Rojales. Are you willing to explain why as someone we met in the area seemed to think the sun shone out of that firm? I must admit we weren't too impressed with the person in the office when we made some informal enquiries.

Thank you Lynn, that does sound logical, even by Spanish standards

Sorry, but I am not prepared to discuss details on an open forum. There are many agents in the area but only a few that I would trust.

Some info:
Once you've found the long term rental that you want, then ask in that area for someone to help you set the rest up as the water company for Orihuela Costa is not the same on as for Ciudad Quesada and you go to a different electric office to sign up.
When you get your long term let, make sure that you get a rental contract in Spanish as Orihuela Town Hall for example will want to see one when you make your residence application.
When you get your residence change your non resident bank account to resident.
Post again once you've settled on where you will be long term and I'm sure you will get a recommendation for someone in that area.

The rental contract has to be in Spanish for it to be legal any way!

Regarding services (gas, water, electric), why not simply ask for previous bills and then call them to change all the details (bank account, name etc.)

The people who bought my house in April STILL haven't been able to change the electricity bill into their names ....something to do with Endesa needing a boletin....they have, however, changed the bank account over!

Not always as easy as just phoning, unfortunately

Yeah, you're correct. If the property if over a certain age, then it will need a boletin to prove that the electrics conform to latest regulations.

This can be a real pain and very costly.

However, if you ignore this and leave the contract in a previous owners name, this can cause many problems later (as I know to my cost).

Best to get this done if it is to be your permanent home.

But if you are renting, as the OP intends to, isn't it normal for the contract to stay in the owner's name and only the bills to be addressed to the tenant?

in 9 years I have never had the bills in our name - in fact this is the first place I've been in where it goes drectly from my bank account

previously, we've paid the landlord when we saw the bills - sometimes the landlord didn't then pay the bills

You seem to know roughly what's required, but don't get too stressed out over it, you've got plenty of time. Nobody in authority is going to chase you for anything, you'll find that they're not really interested in you being there at all.

Buying a car isn't a problem, but the silly high prices are and it's best to shop around as much as you can. I would recommend living close to everything you need, and with the areas you're considering that shouldn't be a problem.

(I'm pleased you changed your mind about living in some crumbling desert urbanisation in Murcia).

Problem with changing electric to your name and the boletin requirement is that if the meter box is the old type i.e. got the plastic viewing area you will hve to get that updated to the plain steel grey one. That is where the big expense is they have to knock out a bigger hole etc and also alter the fuse box. I know I had to have it done to change electric to my name. That is why you will notice all the Spanish houses still have the old box and the houses bought over the last 4 years have the new big grey box that you have to open to read the meter. Cost me all in about 650 euro's.

Not too sure if the procedure has changed, but a few years ago you would have to register your S1 forms with the INSS Office in Orihuela. They keep a copy and stamp up/sign the other and return it to you. You then take this signed/stamped copy to register at your local health centre.