Buying a used car in Germany and re registering in Spain

PGA wrote:I would be interested to hear how you get on with this. I am thinking of importing vehicles into Spain given the high cost of s/h cars there and want to learn my way around the bureaucracy, legal requirements, tax etc. I appreciate from the start it will be littered with hurdles but feel that once you learn the path a few times to repeat the process will be far less cumbersome. Moving to a further extreme (given it will be non-EU specification), I would like to get to a stage where I could import cars from both the USA and also the GCC region.

I tried to import my Yamaha XV1700 motorbike from the UK to Spain, but discovered to my cost that, because I had originally imported it as new from the USA, it couldn't be re-registered in Spain. I even asked Graham Shelton whether he could do it for me, but apparently the problem is because US imports have an extra letter on the registration document that can't be accommodated on the Spanish system.....!

Since then, I've seen a specialist, second-hand car dealer just off the N332 at Guardamar who sells Mustangs, Cadillacs, Corvettes, etc. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the cars have come from South America, and/or they're European spec, but worth double-checking before trying to import from the USA.

The guys at Guardamar import from Northern America.

DTR wrote:The guys at Guardamar import from Northern America.

Encouraging.

I have noticed a few American cars, particularly in the Costa Del Sol, albeit I don't know whether they are of American origin but Euro specification supplied to Europe from new and registered there since birth.

Given I will remain a UK resident <183 days for the foreseeable, I am minded to import USA>UK and register on UK plates for now and use that vehicle (being LHD) in Spain over long periods there. The irony is I shall have to have headlights converted to point to the right etc and all the modifications for it being driven on the left...despite it being mainly used on the right hand side of the road the same as where it was set up for.

As a petrolhead I would like to try and break down the bureaucracy and the entire process (including the hurdles) with a view to importing a variety or weird and wonderful LHD cars. Once I have learnt my way around the process I can perhaps even use the knowledge to assist others given I am hopeful my time in the sunny climes will be less busy than it is in the UK.

I have imported cars from Germany and the USA. It costs about 1,000 euros euros for each. I have had no problems with paperwork as long as you get ALL of the necessary bits or use an import agent. My hobby is restoring classic cars so I do have a fair knowledge of the system.
Richard in Crevillent

Good luck pga I am looking to get a c class Merc from Germany, a specific spec, will be interested to see how you get on,

My son did it.
Reckons a vw that would have cost 13,000€ here cost him 9,000€ in Germany.
With costs he saved about 2000€.