We are seriously considering retiring to Spain.
I have a V-reg Focus tdi Zetec (rhd of course), with 34k, high spec (side bags, ABS, aircon, metallic etc). I paid £12k, from Belgium & have lavished much TLC (& £'s) on it. I love it, apart from its excessive thirst (for an oil-burner).
I'd appreciate expert advice on whether it would be sensible to try to sell it, & buy a lhd Seat there?
My usual practice these days has been to buy new(or nearly) then keep it until it starts to cost serious Euros (!), then get rid. I won't be able to afford frequent changes.
Any help appreciated.
Roger
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Have you checked the prices of cars in Spain? We bought a house there 3 years ago, so I know a little bit about the car market. For instance, you can get a new Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 115cv with a/c for under £12000.
Look at this web page -
www.km77.com/marcas/ford/focus_01/tdci3p-p/texto.a...p
for confirmation.
In fact www.km77.com is a great website for researching buying a car in Spain. Its got details, prices and specs on just about every car.
Be sure to check out their 'Ofertas del Mes' feature under the 'Precios y Datos' heading - it lists all current promotions and discounts for every manufacturer.
I reckon that website, and a currency converter website will have you spending hours looking at what you can afford, and I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised.
Sell your car privately in the UK, then you're in pole position to do a good deal.
Good luck and a happy retirement.
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Whilst I cannot speak for Spain I have experience/knowledge of France.
I find that driving a rhd car in the small tight villages to be advantageous. It allows you you to get tight right and you can avoid (or at least see) the gulleys and protruding immovable objects that abound.
Since the French tend to drive suicidally faster than most UK drivers in many N (=UK 'A') road situations, overtaking vision is not an issue. Long journeys on Autoroutes do not require lhd.
You should be able to reregister the car in Spain (but check this out, since in France only the importer/original owner is allowed a rhd car), so there is very limited 2nd hand market.
French CT (=UK MoT) will require light and maybe speedo conversions. Altho one friends Audi was acceptable with black tape masking the lights! I would not rely on this. Remember you may need different rear light clusters to be compliant.
You have had the biggest slice of depreciation, do the arithmetic, but if you keep it to run into the ground, my bet is that you will be better off keeping it.
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I confirm that car prices are much lower in Spain
(so don't expect much for your Focus if you sell it there).
Difference between Spain and France is attitude - the French will buy French first, then consider foreign.
Spanish buy japanese, VW, anything, as long as it's good value.
There appears to NO love affair with the car in Spain.
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Where are you going?
My place is at Javea (halfway between Valencia and Alicante),
so I know the A7 quite well.
Tip - on A7, if you are only driving at 80-90 stay in lane1 (RH).
The Germans will come past you like you are parked!!
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Thanks , all.
I have a slight problem with that website - at present, my knowledge of Spanish is limited to "Two beers, please - my friend from the British Embassy will pay!" :-)
Roger
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Roger try the following web site:
babelfish.altavista.com/
use the section at the bottom to point to your web site that needs translating, select Spanish to English and voila (or so the French say) !
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Thanks, UKC32. www.km77.com is now listed on the website directory coming soon to this website. Fully agree that rogerb should sell his Belgian Focus here and buy a new one in Spain.
HJ
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Only problem with that, HJ, is the small one of financing, on a meagre pension, the shortfall between a new Focus/Seat/etc & a nearly (by then) 3yo 'Belgian' Focus :-(
If I do sell & buy, I'll have to trade-down - any recommendations, bearing in mind the likely value of the Focus - shiny, but f. high mileage(16k/yr)? Presumably Seat wd be first choice?
Also, any comments on Spanish running costs - insurance, servicing, spares, road tax, etc, would be welcomed.
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