spanish reg cars in portugal

[maccasa]

I have been told that it is possible to use spanish reg cars in portugal - provided you have a spanish address for the cars registration and it doesnt stay permanently in Portugal. Does anyone know is this "stay" limited to the normal 6 mths max? or can you just get away with taking across the border occasionally? The "story" I heard was of an ex pat who lived in spain and imported his uk car into there (cost €350 for re-registration). He was a time share rep and moved to portugal, but he leased his apartment in spain and moved to faro area - he kept his spanish reg car (obviously had a legitimate spanish address) and used it for 3 years with trips to sevile occasionally and also tanking up every few weeks across the border (cheaper anyway) and kept the bills.
Anyone heard of this before - sounds too easy?

[EMM]

This has also is cropped up on another forum.

The consensus is that the same rules apply as a UK or any non PT reg.
Certainly I was told that there was a clamp down a few years ago when large numbers of Portuguese bought cars in Spain because of the lower prices.

Whether the risks of getting stopped in a Spanish reg car are less is another matter.

There are a number of Spanish reg LHD cars for sale in the UK ( returning expats ) and it something we have considered if and when we make the final move.