Winchy

Hi all...

I am moving to Marbella in 8 weeks...and I have sooo many questions/things to do before I go. I was hoping people on here would be able to give me some help/advice.

I have a job as a teacher over there and managed to get a year lease on an apartment.

However, I now need to get a car organised. I am looking for a cheap, small car just to get me about nothing too extravagant and have NO idea where to start looking for used cars...there are sooooo many websites and have no idea who is reliable, if the garages do all the transfers of the documents etc. Does anyone know of reputable garages that sell affordable cars which do all the documentation required?

Also...I need to get home contents only insurance, health insurance and car insurance sorted out...are there companies that will just take care of all of this for me?? Is this an expensive option? Does anyone know of reasonable insurance companies that give good cover without too much small print?

Finally, how easy is it to set up a bank account over in Spain? What documentation is required to do this?

Hopefully someone can help with some of this as I am beginning to get bamboozled.

Thanks

bxpuser24710519

re cars I don't thnk cheap and secondhand and go together in Spain. Linea Directa do car insurance and house I think. No idea about health insurance, I cannot remember what I needed for my bank account. Have you looked in the 'free beer' thread for info, there is lots in there.

pwwm

need NIE to buy a car as well, hope you have that sorted.

Winchy

Am I right in thinking that I can't actually get one of them until I move out though?

jojojojojo

Which school will you be teaching in??

Jo xxx

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

lynnxa

if you're working & therefore paying tax & NI here you won't need health insurance

lynnxa

your NIE?

yes you're right -when you get here go to the nearest foreigner's office & register as resident - they'll give you a NIE at the same time

you might need proof of healthcare, so you might have to get something from your employer stating that you you have a work contract & will be paying NI here

Fredbargate

I use Ibex the small print is in English

http://www.ibexinsure.com/

missile

Who is your employer? They should be helping you. Very easy for them to arrange an NIE, not so easy for you to DIY.
Seems you don't know much about cars? Just like in the UK it is easy to buy an overpriced lemon and you would be safer choosing a low mileage car from a franchised dealer. Any decent car dealer will organise the paperwork for you.

ShinyAndy

Another vote for Ibex, we have contents and car insurance with them

To open a bank account I would recommend Solbank, there are a few branches in Marbella and they all speak English and will be able to sort you an account very quickly

I would rent a car for a month while you sort out the plethora of other things that need sorting. Then start looking around, budget on around 3K minimum for a banger though! Getting the paperwork sorted is relatively simple, just costs money

snikpoh

Just be careful with IBEX (and I use them for house and cars).

Because they are not a Spanish company, they don't have to abide by all of the Spanish rules which is (perhaps) how they can keep premiums down.

One rule that they really ignore is medical cover.


With IBEX I think the cover is 3500 euros for dependants (if they die) and 1750 euros for the policy holder (if they loose a limb or loose sight) - and that's it, it's an either/or as well.

For injuries, they only pay 400 euros pre person to pay the medical bills.


With Spanish policies, the sums are legislated at tens of thousands for anyone!



Just a 'heads-up' for those that want to know these things.

missile

If it seems to cheap to be good, then it usually is.

Winchy

In my contract says its my responsibility to get my NIE sorted. But that seems relatively simple after research. That's a good idea about renting a car for a month. The other option is I put down the money I have saved as deposit and get a new car and put rest on finance but unsure how easy that would be?? Are new cars miles more expensive than back home?

Thanks for all the responses

Rosemary

Second hand cars seem to be quite expensive here, probably because they are less likely to become rust buckets. New cars I think are of similar price to those in the UK. Bet other people will say differently though.

Rosemary