Hi Folks,

As the year ticks by we are having to think quite hard about the logistics of our family relocation in the January, and trying to decide about transport.

We are planning to pop back to the Costa Blanca for literally a couple of days in November, hopefully to sign a lease on a villa, and we were wondering what the odds were of being able to purchase a Spanish reg car at that point and drive back in it, ready to pack up the family and go…?

THis would obviously give us what we eventually want in January - a LHD Spanish-reg car, in Spain - but with everything I have heard and read about Spanish bureacracy is it going to be even possible to come over, without a local address, and simply buy a car in a couple of days?

Hope I am making sense,

Mx

PS if anyone knows anyone who is planning to move back to the UK around the turn of the year and has a Spanish car they need to trade for a UK one… perhaps we could PM?

First thing you need is your NIE number - Get forms from internet, get bank payment form from Police Station, fill in forms, pay fee, go to Police Station to submit forms/copy passport/copy lease (some places you can get an appointment, some you have to queue), return to Police Station about a week later to get NIE number. At best can all be done in a week, at worst 3 or 4 weeks.
Next - buy car. The paperwork for this can take about a month or even longer but, after a week or two, you can still take and drive the car as the vendor will give you a receipt from the Gestor stating that the car in being transferred. I think this is valid for a month. Not sure if you could leave the country though. The above is based on my experience - we bought from a recognised dealer who did all the paperwork for us, the fee for which was included in the price of the car. Seems like a lot of trouble but got my NIE in a week, no queuing and had already hired a car for a month when we first arrived and had our own car within 2 weeks, paperwork completed a month later. It does seem to be a peculiar system, as with a lot of things in Spain, but, I have to say it works and many things make sense. Good luck!

Think you also need your padron from the local council.

Not sure as my OH is a national the rules are slightly different.

As for buying personnaly I`d buy a second hand car, the new one we bought was badly scratched and dented within the second week.

Spanards believe its ok to bump your car when parking, it might be for them, but cracking my plastic bumper that`s designed to crumble on impact is no joke at nearly 700 Euros a pop.

I parked in an Eroski car park last year and a women parked next to me, opened her door and thump, her door stopped because it hit my car, so I say Hey what the fk you doing and a get a “what” in Spanish, then a slanging match to which she just walked off with leaving my door dented.

The Guardia I know wouldn`t care, neither would the insurance, so I`m not proud, i took revenge on her wing mirror mounts and left quickly.

I now own two second hand, fairly scratched and dented cars and I`m more relaxed.

It could just be Andalucia, but its rare to see a car here without damage of some kind.

Padron not required for buying a car.
I agree re second hand. Spaniards use hitting parked cars to tell them when they’ve gone far enough forward or backward. However, the worst examples I have seen of blatant ramming of other people’s cars has been British women (sorry ladies), in BMW or Merc vehicles that are too big for them to handle especially when wearing over size sunglasses. I saw two such instances of this two days ago in Dunnes car park at Fuengirola when in two separate incidents the SAME car was hit by different BRITISH drivers. Needless to say the drivers just shrugged and drove off. Pathetic. Mind you, I like your style Santi!

Funniest I`ve seen was parked in Malaga city, me and another Engineer were parked horizontal to the vertical cars as the parking in the city is limited.

The car in front of us was empty and no vehicles in front of it, then a women came to the rear of the car in front of us and pushed it forward, which then allowed her vehicle to drive out of the legal space.

Apparantly its normal practice to park without appling your hand brake when blocking a parking space.

I mentioned the padron because I`ve read this question on another site and they stated they need there padron, it may differ region to region.

Thanks a lot for the replies Shaggy and Santi, seems like it was a bit naive of me to think we could just pitch up for a weekend and sort out a villa and a car, and be back to pick the kids up before their last couple weeks of British schooling! 

I think I am looking forward to the Spanish style of driving and parking though, sounds far more laid back, and why call them ‘bumpers’ otherwise..?

Mx

BuenosDiasPet - 29 June 2008 02:54 PM

seems like it was a bit naive of me to think we could just pitch up for a weekend and sort out a villa and a car, and be back to pick the kids up before their last couple weeks of British schooling! 

You will soon realise that any plans you make won`t happen and if they do you`ll need to add about a month on the time you thought it would take.

P.S, that above comment was made with some humor, lots of experience and understanding that it isn`t like that all over Spain.

Unless your in Malaga region, where most Expats are aware that you can`t plan anything to go right and time isn`t measured, its accepted.