Tips for Buying a Second-Hand Car in Spain

Tips for Buying a Second-Hand Car in Spain.

Here are a few tips for buying a second-hand car in Spain and a few key questions that you may want to be able to ask in Spanish. If your Spanish is not great though it always pays to take along a friend or interpreter that can help you out and ensure that nothing is missed, but knowing a few key phrases in Spanish will help you out immensely.

When buying a second-hand car in Spain from a private seller be prepared to haggle and speak some Spanish.

Here are a few tips and questions for you to ask to help you along the way.

¿Cuántos kilómetros tiene el coche? What’s the vehicle’s mileage?

A vehicle’s mileage is one of the easiest ways to agree on a price and many websites provide vehicle price estimates based on the mileage and the registration date.  In general cars with over 150,000km will have seen plenty of use in the past.

¿En qué estado está el coche usado? What’s the state or condition of the used car?

At this point the seller should go into detail on the car’s condition and expect to hear keywords such as excelente or bueno (excellent or good) or un estado normal (normal condition). Hopefully at this point the seller will tell you anything that is wrong with the car too.

¿Podría probar el coche? Can I test drive the car?

A test drive is a great way to test out the car for yourself and if the seller is reluctant or denies you a test drive then it may be best to look elsewhere. A 30-minute test drive with the owner present is plenty of time to check out how the car drives and listen for any strange noises.

¿A quién le compraste este vehículo? Who did you buy this vehicle from?

It is always an excellent idea to find out how many owners the vehicle has had and whether it was bought from nuevo (new) or de segunda mano (second hand).

It is possible to check with the DGT in order to obtain a record of the vehicle’s history.

¿Podría ver el historial de mantenimiento? Could I see the car’s service history?

Knowing the service history allows you to check how the vehicle has been cared for. The owner may also have receipts for work done on the car too.

If you do not know too much about cars you may also want to take along a mechanic to help you check it out thoroughly.

Source: The Local