Car prices in Spain

Both new and used car prices are falling in the UK. Is the same happening here?

ARE THERE ANY CAR MARKETS/AUCTIONS IN SPAIN, (MURCIA AREA )?   USED CARS LOOK EXPENSIVE IN COMPARISON TO UK!

We´ve started looking around for cars.  We have found that second hand cars are very expensive here compared to the UK.  They seem to hold their value much better here.

For example, we went to a second hand car place in Manilva and were quoted 9,990 euros for a 2006 Seat Ibiza with 50,000 km on the clock.  That made us think that it would be worth paying a bit more and getting a brand new car.  I actually saw an offer for a brand new Seat Ibiza Sport for 10,850 euros.  Not sure if that included registration fees/taxes.

I´m sure I saw a Ford advert on the TV recently offering 25% off new cars as well.  So it does look like there are some deals on brand new cars.

David

2nd hand cars are now (with the ex-rate) even more expensive than before, compared to their UK equivalents. I haven't seen much evidence of any change. New prices also don't look so good compared to the UK now, which is a first! But yes, there are some deals appearing gradually. Details of the 25% discount can be found on Ford.es website. Alfa Romeo have some attractive offers, but, well, Alfas tend to depreciate quicker than Florida holiday homes or bank share prices.

Edna, yes there are auctions, in fact British Car Auctions operate here Don't know anything more about them, though. Sorry.

 I have been comparing car prices Spain v UK and the difference seems to be considerable. Problem is though I understand there would be Import duty to pay when bringing a UK purchased car into Spain plus other taxes which would put about 25% on the cost. I think it would still be cheaper to buy a car in the UK but am not sure if it would be cheap enough to make the hassle worthwhile.

Anybody any experience with this?

The trouble is, left hand drive cars in the UK tend to carry a premium, and if you're thinking of a car for long term use in Spain, you really don't want to be bringing a right hooker over.* Add to that the expense and hassle involved as you rightly point out, and the initial saving may not be significant enough.

* I know, I know, there will be others who claim that they have no problem driving a rhd car in Spain, but frankly, these people worry me. I have driven rhd cars (and larger vehicles with serious blind spots) on the continent, and lhd cars in the UK on plenty of occasions. It's not rocket science, and I'm not incapable / incompetent. BUT, if you are going to be living in Spain permanently and driving here regularly, apart from standing out like a sore thumb (never a good idea in the Wacky Races that are Spanish roads) it's just plain inpractical and incovenient, and compromises your own and other road users safety. Just my HO.

P.S. I noted that new car prices are set to rise in the UK (now that the industry is getting tax payer's money to bail them out) to take advantage of the weak Pound and boost profits - which it won't, because the profit on zero sales is still zero, whatever your retail price is.

Sorry about my last post - bit of a rant and a waffle.

Not sure where you got your info from re: approx cost to import a car being 25%? My understanding is that there is no "import" tax (EU and all that); the tax is actually a registration tax, which is based on the CO2 emissions and the value of the vehicle. Again, no idea what type of car you're after, but you may be interested to know that the tax on vehicles with less than 120 g/km is 0%.

(I still think you're better off buying lhd though!)

Edit: home cinema systems are roughly half the price in the UK than here in Spain, but none of the online retailers I've been looking at deliver outside the UK, so if you ignore my advice and buy a car to bring over, any chance of picking me up a Panasonic SC PT460 on your way?

 Hi Roberto, we would be looking at buying a LHD in the UK.. Would not consider driving a RHD in Spain. You are correct re LHD prices in the UK,.they are ridiculously high. It is the same scenario as you mentioned, if they were cheaper they would sell a lot more and it would definately be worth while shipping to Spain but at the moment it is barely worth the effort.

FYI, the rest of the CO2 tax rates are as follows:

CO2 emission of less than 120g/Km = 0% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of between 120-160 g/Km = 4.75% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of between 160-200g/Km = 9.75% of the vehicle value

CO2 emission of more than 200g/Km = 14.75% of the vehicle
value

May be worth sending a PM to TecNoApe - he bought lhd in the UK prior to moving down recently, and will be re-registering soon. He owned the car for more than 6 months before moving, so may be exempt for tax, but we await his experience with interest......

Why not try British Car Auctions in Alicante the speak english and use the same auctioneers as the UK sites here is the link   bcaaspana  dot  com

Fred

We've been over here just a year with our UK RH Drive car - the tax expires next month.

I've noticed a number of UK cars being driven over here still with UK number plates but no UK tax.

Is that legal and if so does the car still have to be registered in the UK.

If you have registered as a resident (which you should have done after 3 months here) then you are already breaking the law by not re-registering the car.

Of course, you can get away with it by denying your residency status, since it's difficult (but certainly not impossible) for anyone to prove how long the car (or you) has been here, but once the tax expires, the vehicle is not road legal ANYWHERE. If it's more than 3 years old, it will also need a UK MoT in order to renew the tax, which you cannot obtain outside the UK.

Yes, unfortunately there are many British reg cars here with no valid tax, which means they are also uninsured (any insurance will be invalidated and claims refused). The owners and drivers of these vehicles are therefore breaking the law and acting irresponsibly, and furthermore giving Brits and other immigrants a bad name. Think of how the British view Eastern European and other immigrants driving dodgy uninsured vehicles in the UK. That's how Spaniards must view these British cars. Shame.