purchasing a car

[bradybrooke]

hi all,we are coming out and renting for 6 months initially, but in that time we will be looking to purchase a house in carvoeiro or surrounding area,we more or less know the procedure for this operation,but we also need to purchase a car in the first couple of weeks but are not sure if this is a straight forward procedure.we are thinking of going straight to a main dealer who will hopefully also offer insurance options,would this be a good idea? any input would be welcome.thank you.

[shanagarry]

If you dig into the archives of this blog you will find all manner of advice and guidance on the purchase of a car - be it Portuguese or bringing one from your own country.

Buying a car in Portugal is very expensive - usually 30% or more than in the UK - taxes are excessive. Bringing a car from the UK and importing it after 183 days is an option but a very complex one. Insurance cover is expensive as the system here requires the car to be covered and that adds a lot to the premium. As an example - I have a Land Rover Discovery that I have comprehensive cover for in the UK through the AA at £284 pa - that same cover here ranges from €950 to €1,674 (across 4 providers). I have maximum No Claims but they only take a proportion of that into account.

It's something of a minefield but have fun going around the dealers - but make sure you read the documents or have them translated if you can't read Portuguese.

[bradybrooke]

thanks shanagarry,not looking forward to the hassle but i suppose it has to be done!!.thanks once again for your reply.

[pickwick]

Hi

We have a 20 month old Jeep Wrangler 2.8 CRD hard top we bought from new from the Jeep dealer MSCar in Faro. It is classed as a commercial vehicle and as such you do not have to pay the IMT (purchase tax) of around 8000 Euros! The annual road tax is only 43 Euros!! With central locking as an extra I paid only 28000 Euros and the insurance is only around 600 Euros per annum.

I am changing it now for another one and have been offered 19000 Euros as a trade in (dealer will offer for sale around 23500 Euros) but will sell it privately if you are interested! It is a two seater but comes with the 3 rear seats and seat belts but you have to pay the IMT if you want to fit them however this does not apply in Spain or the rest of Europe. The advantage of this is that if you were to pay the IMT you could fit the seats and have a 20 month old Wrangler for 27000 Euros that costs 37000 Euros new!!

We had a Toyota Hilux before the Jeep and think it is a good idea to have a 4x4 here as some of the roads are not the best and in case of accident I would rather be in a sturdy 4 x 4 than a family car! I am sure you have seen the stats on accidents in Portugal!!.

To give you an idea of the cost of cars here there is an Opel Vectra Estate 1.9 CDTi Elegance for sale at MSCar for 32980 Euros. It is a June 2007 registered vehicle, petrol and has done 32000km.

If you are interested PM me.

PS We also have a completely renovated house near the International School that might suit you!!!

Pickwick