Car Pool?

An idea has been stirring in my head with respect to some sort of co-operative car pool scheme at Las Terrazas I read on here and elsewhere the problems with rip-off car hire companies. I have experienced them myself.

Someone posted on here about airport parking and the ability to store and transfer cars between Alicante and San Javier airports. It got me thinking about purchasing one or more communal vehicles, a comprehensive insurance policy for multiple drivers, a maintenance plan for the car(s), maybe a website for booking the vehicle etc.

Would anyone be interested in investigating such a scheme?

I would be more than happy to investigate the feasibility. I just wanted to see if there was any interest?

Hi Duncan, I thought about this and a few of us spoke about doing it but the biggest problem is if several people want the car at the same time , plus if someone has a accident and the insurance premiums go up do you make that perdon pay or everyone , in the bought a Spanish registered car in the uk and drove it out you can save a fortune this way second hand car prices in spain are very high. I use plane parking and have the dual parking they will move it as many times as you want them to between alicante and san javier , they also have secured parking at covera but that's highly unlikely to ever happen.

There are surprisingly alot of spanish cars available in the uk just make sure it's still registered in spain or you'll pay import duty.

It's important to note that it is illegal for a UK resident to drive a foreign plated car in the UK, so if you did buy a Spanish registered car in the UK, you'd have to get it delivered to France or Spain before you can drive it.

RichA4, yes, I was thinking of the same issues regarding what happens if there are more people wanting the use of a car than there were cars available.

This could be resolved by people in the car pool picking up others from the airport or the car pool paying taxi fares to Las Terrazas. With car pool members agreeing between themselves what days they used the car. The car pool could even fund a hire car for the overlap period if car pool members couldn't resolve it between themselves.

When I'm out I rarely use the hire car and it just sits outside the apartment. It just seems crazy for me to be paying for a car that is sitting doing nothing. Maybe an informal system of shared car hire could work?

It was just an idea I have been bouncing around in my head. It obviously would need a lot of work sorting out the logistics. There could even be a system where you could purchase and trade car weeks or days rather like a timeshare system. Maybe not worth the effort, but this must be similar to the way car hire companies work, cars cost more when in-demand, less out of season. Lease from other car hire companies to cover peak demand etc.

Amardlin, thanks for the heads up on the issue with UK nationals driving foreign plated cars.

I think you might find it cheaper to stick with hire cars, especially considering the rates they offer from Murcia Airport these days. Normally costs me more to park my car at the airport in the UK than I spend on a hire car in Spain! You've just got to know the techniques and you won't get ripped off.

I should add that it does depend on time of year, and as I mostly visit in the winter, they're practically giving the cars away. Having said that, I had a Ford Focus booked for a week out of Malaga this year in late June for €121. 2 weeks before the rental, I re-checked the prices, cancelled that one and re-booked the same thing for €18 for the week, so it pays to keep your eyes on the prices.

Totally agree amardlin. I couldn't possibly justify purchasing my own car, paying for airport parking and all the associated maintenance and tax costs versus hire car. However, it is still a major cost of visiting my apartment compared to the other costs like flights.

Yes, I noticed the difference between peak and off peak prices. I was out at Easter and a four day hire cost more than 10 days end of June beginning of July.

Also noticed the prices are higher if you book in advance as opposed to nearer the travel date. I made a pretty decent saving by cancelling a booking for August/September that I had made in December compared to the cost it was in August just before I travelled.

Perhaps I will park this idea 

We do have a few owners who aleady share a car on some resorts and I think that it is a good idea but already there have been a few disagreements

Because in Spain insurance allows that anybody over 25 car drive the insurance isn't any problem and you are correct that there are a few airport parking people that for around €350 a year will manage the parking and deliiver the car to either Alicante or Murcia airport, the only additional fee being the fuel used

There is a higher cost but they can also service and MOT the car for you

The problem are to start with dates, most people, friends and family want to visit peak season, whene the hire car prices are most expensive and typically dates have clashed between owners

Next problems have been around condition, both in terms one owner left the car and scratches becaise in Spain, trist me cars get dented, who is responsible is the problem

Fuel one major disagreement, between family memebers was one person leaving the car fuel, the agreed policythe other leaving it empty

If you are planning on visiting a lot it makes sense to have a spanish registered car in Spain

We do have a few owners who aleady share a car on some resorts and I think that it is a good idea but already there have been a few disagreements

Because in Spain insurance allows that anybody over 25 car drive the insurance isn't any problem and you are correct that there are a few airport parking people that for around €350 a year will manage the parking and deliiver the car to either Alicante or Murcia airport, the only additional fee being the fuel used

There is a higher cost but they can also service and MOT the car for you

The problem are to start with dates, most people, friends and family want to visit peak season, whene the hire car prices are most expensive and typically dates have clashed between owners

Next problems have been around condition, both in terms one owner left the car and scratches becaise in Spain, trist me cars get dented, who is responsible is the problem

Fuel one major disagreement, between family memebers was one person leaving the car fuel, the agreed policythe other leaving it empty

If you are planning on visiting a lot it makes sense to have a spanish registered car in Spain

Thanks for the info inspectahome.

Perhaps I am too optimistic and expect the best of people. The thought that someone would leave the car empty of fuel when the agreement was to leave it full isn't something I had even contemplated! 

As for peak season, I never come out during peak season, preferring May/June and Sep/Oct rather than Jul/Aug.

I think the moral of your story is choose your car pool partners wisely!

Naive as I am, it would not occur to me to take advantage of partners in a scheme which could benefit all those who joined.  Surely a simple rota could be drawn up whereby, same as booking a hotel or a dental appointment come to that, members could check to see when the car was available.  Like Duncan, our hire car was used to go and buy essentials and the rest of the time we were happy enjoying our stay, while the car sat unused.

Surely,with a little community spirit it could be possible that someone already staying on Terrazas could collect or deliver from the airport, so long as it's taken in turns?

if dates clash, well then they clash.  Providing someone is available to collect and drop someone off at the airport I'm sure that no one would really want to spend a whole holiday in the car and this is when compromise comes into play.

Perhaps a set of rules and regulations should be drawn up and those wishing to join such a scheme either accept them or hire a car at the airport.

We would be interested - still think it's worth investigating the cost Duncan :)