David Mason

Hi everyone,

I am moving to the Costa Blanca in October 2016 and more or less as soon as I get there I will need a wheelchair accessible vehicle. It will have to be second hand because I only have 12500 euros available to spend.

Will I be able to buy such a vehicle in Spain or should I buy one in the UK and drive it down to Spain hoping to re-register it Spain?

Bear in mind that a UK sourced vehicle would be right hand drive and it will be about the size of a Transit van, would I be able to register it in Spain anyway?

These vehicles have windows along the side and a passenger seat in the rear, does it count as a van or as a car in Spain? They are adapted with a lowered floor and a ramp at the rear.

Has anyone had experience of this situation and could anyone give me details of anyone who supplies these vehicles in Spain.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards

David

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE David.

As your post is quite detailed I have moved it over to our Spain Forum. Our members who live in Spain are in a better position to help you.

Please give me a shout if you have any site related problems.

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

missile

Perhaps a Citroen Belingro would meet your requirements? New Citroën Berlingo Multispace | Images & Video Clips | Citroën UK - Citroën United Kingdom


You could buy a nearly new one and have a ramp fitted for 12500€


It may be difficult to re-register a modified UK vehicle to Spanish plates.

Fred James

Particularly if it started life as a commercial van. RHD vans are almost impossible to register, so if the modifications are based on one it could be a major problem. Apparently it is related to access and rear visibility.

cymruambyth

This link might give you an idea of the cost of such a second hand vehicle in Spain:

https://www.milanuncios.com/coches-d...nusvalidos.htm

David Mason

Thanks for your input. The Citroen Berlingo is not big enough for our needs, we need something the size of a Citroen Jumpy/Dispatch.
I thought I would have trouble transferring a UK vehicle to Spanish plates.

I think I will have to bring my UK vehicle to Spain to tide me over and find a dealer to supply me with a van in Spain. When I've got a Spanish Van on the road I will have to drive the UK van back to the UK.

David Mason

I thought I would have trouble bringing a RHD van to Spain. The one we have at present is leased from Motability and they will let us bring that one for up to six months so I think I will come to Spain in that one and as soon as I arrive start sourcing a Spanish Van. I know there is a company in Mercia who sell these vehicle second hand, so I think they will be my first visit. Do you know any other dealers who might help?

As soon as I have a Spanish van on the road I will have to drive the Motability van back to the UK to hand it back.

David Mason

Thanks very much for that. Iv'e had a look through the site and it looks as if I will be able to find something suitable.

I have more or less decided to drive to Spain in our Motability vehicle and then when I have a Spanish vehicle on the road, to drive the leased van back to the UK to hand it back.

I have actually seen this website before.

Although I have contacted some Spanish suppliers by email I don't think I can do much more until I arrive in Spain and wave my wad of euros in front of them. (Only joking!)

Thanks for your help.

It would be nice to hear from someone who has actually done something similar to find out the pitfalls if any.

red4ever

hi David
did you sort out a vehicle?

we are coming out to torrevieja for December and January for a precursor to emigration and we too will need a wheelchair accessible vehicle
regards
john

Dxf

Hola

I have changed a disabled person car fitted with hand controls on to Spanish plates; the ITV test was no problem, they were extremely helpful. It might be worth asking if you can buy your motobility car, but you need to check the car is acceptable in Spain before completing the deal.

Davexf

David Mason

Hi John,

Thanks for your interest. We have not obtained a vehicle yet because we are still in the UK but I have been in touch with a company called Adapta Mobil in Mercia. If you Google "Adapta Mobil" you will get their website and you can send them a message. They seem to have second hand WAVs for sale. If you are only going to be in Spain for a couple of months initially it might be worth renting a van. (Google - Wheelchair accessible vans for hire in Spain).
It seems that the Spanish authorities will not allow a person to register a right hand drive VAN in Spain although the will permit right hand drive cars, so it does not seem worth buying a van in the UK and taking it to Spain.

mikelincs

You really need to check whether your motability will continue to be paid in Spain, as far as I know it's one of the non transferable benefits, at least it was when we moved to Spain, and you also need to be aware that if you return to the UK to live then you will have to be re-assesed, this may result in losing some of the benefit, it certainly did for my wife who lost the whole of her motability benefit.

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

David Mason

We know our son will lose his Disability benefit if we move to spain but there we are, that will be the price of living in the sunshine. Thanks for the info anyway.