Car buying tips
When you first arrive and you don’t speak a word of Spanish buying a car can be a pretty daunting task. Speaking Spanish or finding someone who will help you will make buying a car a lot easier but it is still possible without it.
Second hand car prices here are a lot more than in the UK and Europe, unless you are really lucky you will not be able to get a real bargain, be prepared to pay a bit more than you thought you were going to. Also factor in 100-200€ in buying costs (trespaso) to pay all the fees and taxes.
Here are a few suggestions to make your purchase a bit easier.
Buying a car
1. Beware of being ripped off – as in all countries second hand car dealers can be a bit shady, however if you are careful you should be OK. Here are a few bits of advice to follow that will help you avoid buying a duff car.
a. Don’t buy an ex-rental car. They are usually clocked and won’t last long, even if they have low mileage and look in good condition don’t go near them. Seat Ibizas, Renault Clios are the most common and are sold via garages.
b. Be careful of ex-commercial vehicles – small vans and Renault Kangoo type vehicles. If they have been used commercially they will have a TARA number painted on the side. Usually they have been flogged to death, overloaded with cement and won’t last you a year.
c. Beware of cars owned by surfers or windsurfers, check for rust, the sea air in Gran Canaria is pretty brutal
Places to buy a car
1. The Internet – segundamano.com and elbaul.es both have pretty good lists of cars and they are mostly private sellers and they can be cheaper. Shop around though, people put whatever price they want and you will often find second hand cars more expensive than new ones! Also have a look at our second car section for English speakers.
2. Garages – the biggest ones are in
a. El Carrizal (just south of the airport). You can find pretty much anything here, except really cheap cars, and most come with a year's guarantee. There are loads of garages here and all display their cars on the street.
b. Tamaraceite (the other side of the road from Siete Palmas)
3. The street
a. Al Campo in Telde, there are often cars near McDonalds
b. The roundabout at the top of Sonnenland – there are usually cars from English or German sellers.
4. The paper
a. El Baúl has the biggest selection but La Provincia, Canarias7 often have cars too.
b. RTN – the free English newspaper in the South has a classified section, where all the sellers will be English speaking.
5. Asking around – Every summer loads of teachers leave Gran Canaria and want to sell their cars, ask people in the British schools.
My recommendation is have a good look at segundamano.com and see wat you can get for your money, decide what car you want and then have a look at the cars in Segundamano and in the garages in El Carrizal. At the same time have a look in El Baul and ask around. Be patient though. There are deals to be had but they won't be so easy to find. If you have any secret tips or find any other places that sell cars please leave a comment below, all future car buyers will be very grateful.