Buying NEW or NEARLY NEW car

earlybay wrote:Dacia are good value, new and used vehicles. You will need to be on the Padron to buy a car.

We bought a car without been on Padron, has it changed..

Morning Rosemary
Thank you again for your information. As we speak very little Spanish, it’s nice to know someone who speaks English at the Garage.
I didn’t know you had to apply for a traffic permit either.
Thanks again for being so helpful.
Tracy

You don't have to be on the Padron to buy a car in Spain - another urban myth which we also fell for. When we bought my wife's car, the dealer frowned when she offered the newly acquired Padron, handing it straight back to her.

In fact, in three years of being permanently resident in Spain, the only time we've ever had to provide a Padron certificate is when we registered for free Spanish lessons, run by our Town Hall. I think we'll need to update it in advance of the Spanish elections, but that's a whole other story......

Mac3blade wrote:We contracted to park at the airport undercover with Kirsten Engel who collects and meets us outside Costa Coffee, she is so efficient. We are sent a picture of the car parked between 2 cars a short while afterwards.

In due course I want to switch from hiring cars to buying my own and will need the airport annual parking to come and go. I appreciate these companies all (at least claim to) have insurance etc but I always feel slightly edgy about leaving many thousands of euros worth (with a key!) with a company whose financial health is totally unknown to me.

I have known of people who have had cars for sale with garages on a Sale or Return basis to find the garage has gone bankrupt and the vehicle seized by liquidators even though it wasn't an asset of the garage! In this situation I could be thousands of miles away and be unaware of any issue potentially for months on end.

Is there any way to tell how long these companies have been operating or anything that can quash some of my concerns surrounding this?!

In 2013 we bought a 2 year old Kia Rio with only 24,000 km for about 8,000 Euros from Kia in Torrevieja. It now has about 44,000 km. That’s only about 27,000 miles. We get it serviced by Kia as it is just running out of its 7 year warranty.
We have stored our car at Plane Parking, Alicante Airport for about 6 years at 300 Euros per annum. An extra 70 Euros if you go for the Alicante and Murcia airport option. No problems in that time. They clean the car and wait at the airport so no delay. They wait for us at departures when we bring it back.
My only caveat is that a rubber door seal that is slightly exposed to the sun due to a design fault meant it degraded and had to be replaced at a cost of 100 Euros. The cars sit in the open and do not move, so it depends where it is parked when the sun is out.
Now the important bit costs!:
Plane Parking 300 Euros
Car Tax 55 Euros approx
Annual service 100-200 Euros.
Be ready to pay for new brake pads and the like from time to time.
ITV (MOT) every 2 years when car is 4-10 years old and then Annually.
I get Plane Parking to take care of it each alternate February for about 110 Euros.
So several hundred Euros a year. You can get very cheap car hire out of season, but in the holiday season we were quoted about 700 Euros for a month.
The big advantage is the convenience of just walking out of the airport with hand luggage and getting straight into your car.
From what others have said, a Dacia is probably ideal insofar it is competitively priced and roomy.

perhaps it is different if you are a Resident in Spain, we are not and I assume Tracey isn’t either.
The garage could not give us our car without the correct documentation...that is all I can tell you and this was February 2018.
Another point of interest....if you are a resident, they are very keen to sell you finance so that you can pay for your car over a period agreed between you and the sales people. Not so if you are a non resident...possibly if you have you main bank account held in Spain. We do have an account but not an account where our monies are paid into monthly.

When we bought our Dacia at Renault, Elche last year they would not complete the sale without proof of Padron.
Its not a myth, more where you go it seems.

Mac3blade wrote:You must apply ASAP for a traffic permit. Contact your solicitor and ask them to make the application at the nearest police station to your address. We had no idea about this and could not collect our car until we had it. Costs less than €10 but a whole process is required. The document will show all of your personal details and will be logged onto the computer along with your car

Hi there.

What is the 'traffic permit'? I've Googled 'traffic permit Spain' but can't find anything relevant.

In relation to the Padron...I ordered a vehicle from Talleres Alberto (Guardamar) in December. The sales lady was quite clear that as we are non-resident, we would not need to be on the padron. We just needed to show recent water and electricity bills.

When your car is parked outside in the intense sunshine, the tyres, windscreen wipers, brake pads or anything perishable will deteriorate badly. Not to mention the paint work. The reason a car wash service is provided is because all the cars are absolutely covered in dust / sand. I saw on television where a man’s car was parked in a field, rats had nested underneath and eaten all the wiring..ugh.
Food for thought.

If it’s only for holidays why not rent, it’s only around 30-40 euro for 10 days, this wouldn’t even get you a taxi from airport to Quesada! One way. No worries about what’s going on with your car when your not here.