Buying a car

http://www.segundamano.es/http://www.loquo.com/es_es

I don't know where you're coming from, but you may want to look into the legalities (i.e. complications) of buying and operating a car in Spain ...

I had a Spanish friend put my ride in his name when I bought it ... in fact, until I "legalized" my driving situation a year or so ago, it was in his name, registered to him and insured under his name for 7+ years ....  (good thing, for his sake, that I never got into an accident with it ... not only would the insurance be "null and void" because I couldn't legally operate the vehicle (although I've held and STILL hold a valid NJ Driver's licence for the past 25 years ...) but he would have/could have "lost his shirt" for it ...

Check out the Spanish "DMV" for more info:

http://www.dgt.es/portal/es/oficina_vir … %20España.

That's what good friends are for, though ... I guess ...

Good luck!

thanks for that - those sites are exactly what I was after.

as for insurance, i have learnt the hard way here in the UK not to cut corners so i'll make sure its all legit!!

tulb wrote:

I am just about to move to Barcelona and am thinking of buying a cheap run around car just to travel round the city and make the odd trip out to other cities.

Can anyone recommend a good website (i.e.the spanish equivalent of autotrader) so I can begin pricing up the selection?

Also, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

I owned a car here for about 5 years...and then decided that public transport is so good and car hire so cheap, while car insurance and maintenance (against vandalism) and inner city parking are so expensive, that it didn't make sense. Join Bicing if you want to get around Barcelona city quickly and inexpensively.

There are reportedly 10,000 fewer parking spots than registered cars, and driving in BCN is nighmarish.  It is a geographically small city with great transport, you may wish to wait a while and decide if you really need one.  The hassle may outweigh the benifit, especially as there are car sharing org. so if you want to you could get one for a day.

thanks to nj_bcn - really good sites you recommended for buying 2nd hand cars and for doing everything legally. perfect

Personally I would use public transport to get around the city and hire a car if you ever want to go further afield. I once paid more for an evening's parking than I did for a meal for two. We need a car as we live outside the city but whenever we need to go in to the city, we park for free near the beach and take public transport to our final destination.