Selling an English Right Hand Drive Car (MG) in Spain.
I drove down to Spain to accompany a friend going to look after family. Whilst making the journey, I thought it a great opportunity to collect stock footage that I may use in a travel documentary.
Now I'm here and I've almost completed the media work I have right now (and unless something else shows up) I've decided to take a look into options of selling my vehicle. Being registered in the UK; my comprehensive cover is limited to ninety days so I only have this amount of time to budge it. There may be a few ways around this and the option such as getting extended cover but legally in Spain a UK registration cannot be on a car in that country for more than six months anyway.
Naturally I checked the prices of second hand cars in Spain, which are substantially higher than in the UK. However, I came over here with a right hand drive car which is certainly less appealing to the locals. I have seen left hand drive cars of my own go for six times the value in the UK but have yet to find a right hand drive one. To get the car registered in Spain costs a significant amount of tax and then of course there is no guarantee to sell it in a hurry. If I want to take a slow drive back to the UK, I would do but commitments don't always allow. My travel partner here in Spain has a Spanish registered vehicle so it's not really a case of not being able to get around.
There are limited numbers of English registered vehicles here. A few investigations soon make me realise the limitations of driving a car with a UK numberplate. I have seen a few Irish cars over in Spain and this worries me because I have learnt that much of the history of a car is erased once exported to Ireland and then brought back in to the UK via another country. This does mean that all Irish vehicles are going to be dodgy, ex accident vehicles with a repair job from an unregistered repairer but it does mean that they can be. I would suggest to people considering buying an Irish registered vehicle to avoid unless you are very sure that all the paperwork matches up: an Irish number plate generally takes the format "1234 ABC" but of course there are always exceptions to the rule.
My vehicle has done 65,000 miles now; 7,000 since I've had it. Before I started the long journey down South, I decided to get a complete (but unofficial) service done and check a few things about the reliability. MG TFs don't have amazing reliability and are known for head gasket issues especially on a K series engine. I had the vehicle inspected by an independent MG professional before leaving and found that I am lucky enough to have an N series engine (uprated head gasket with more of a seal between engine body and head). Not to jinx it and I hope my luck continues but I haven't had any of the head gasket issues that I had in my previous MG and water temperatures stay optimal on both long and short journeys. Also underneath the vehicle it is a sold vehicle, with only one small piece of bubbling on the drivers door (about the size of a euro coin).
If I sold the vehicle I would say to the customer that they shouldn't actually change the head gasket unless it goes wrong as, after becoming a bit of an MG enthusiast over recent years, I believe that it's best to fix if or when rather than just through fear seen on the internet (often from other bitter non MG roadster drivers). I've driven all of the similar price range main roadsters now, the MG isn't the fastest but it certainly makes up for it in handling. I had my first ever accident of 13 years (and hundreds of thousands of miles driving experience) in an MR2. I'm not saying that they'll all be like that or am I claiming to be the best driver in the world; I'm just pointing out my personal statistic; emphasis on 'first' accident. I wrote the MR2 off with on a low speed collision.
Not to be deterred, and with returning to MG, I thought it would be a great vehicle to travel down to the Mediterranean in. In the height of Summer I appeared to have not considered one thing about having the roof down, I ended up with a speed stripe tan-line where my seatbelt was after only 5 days driving. It doesn't take 5 days to drive from the UK to Spain, in fact it only takes about 15 steady hours when you use all the toll roads. We took a scenic route and it was more about the journey than the drive.
Our journey was about 1700 miles and by the time we reached our destination, we had experienced no car trouble whatsoever. We did get the rear discs and callipers replaced on the car once in Spain but this was because the handbrake was getting weak, something that you can survive with but possibly would be an MOT/ITV issue, nonetheless practicalities, we are in the mountains of Andalusia - it would only be a matter of time before a weak handbrake could turn into a written off car.
The scenic route that we took was once we were out of Paris, we drove towards Andorra via Aurillac and the main National Parks of France. It was a very beautiful travelling experience and I will likely at some point, use much of the documentary footage I collected. Those who follow my Knightvisions FlickR or Panoramio will be able to find a few photos of my journeys in the meantime. Once out of Andorra we travelled towards Barcelona and then down the coast road to our destination which is between Murcia and Almeria.
The journey cost only about €250 (£200) of fuel which I feel shows what a practical car the MG TF is when you consider its efficiency over such a long distance. We respected the speed limits of course - some more-so than others; And every tank of fuel got us about 430 miles (700 kilometres).
We could be much more critical about the vehicle if it cost us a small fortune or let us down but, so far, it hasn't. If my insurance wasn't going to run out, I'd most definitely keep it is doing a really good job. Even if sold in the UK, it's worth the top dollar for its year and its mileage and I think that the photos of it in various locations confirm this.
If you have an English address and live in Spain, I would like you to consider buying this from me. This vehicle is worth €3,000 in the UK and providing you find someone happy with a right hand drive it could be worth €12,000 here. I've already turned down an offer from Gibraltar for €2000. It's UK taxed until February and has an MOT until April 2015. It has all of the continent driving kit and all the tires are good. Before my journey here, I got a new down-pipe for it it and the rear discs and brakes have been done here. It's also been balanced and tracked. I'm considering all offers due to my need to go back for some jobs in England. I'm not sure I really feel like the long drive (as I'll be on my own) but I know someone will have the enthusiasm to do it and I would advise this as a vehicle to do it. It's tidy in and out and the hood is great and has been well looked after (waxed). There was enough space for us to bring all the things we needed for an extended period of time. I also managed to fit my camera equipment in as well! All of the paperwork is with me and I'm not prepared to export it without making a small fortune so it would suit someone with a UK address or to travel to Andalusia (we can put you up for a couple of nights) before doing whatever they would like with it. The DVLA will be informed immediately of any sale and the V5 document will be sent off to them as normal.
Here are a few photos of the car from journey; if you have any questions or would like to have a look or see some more, just let me know. The car is still being used (although not often) and has just passed 65,000 miles.
- England
- France
- Andorra
- Spain
Now I'm here and I've almost completed the media work I have right now (and unless something else shows up) I've decided to take a look into options of selling my vehicle. Being registered in the UK; my comprehensive cover is limited to ninety days so I only have this amount of time to budge it. There may be a few ways around this and the option such as getting extended cover but legally in Spain a UK registration cannot be on a car in that country for more than six months anyway.
Naturally I checked the prices of second hand cars in Spain, which are substantially higher than in the UK. However, I came over here with a right hand drive car which is certainly less appealing to the locals. I have seen left hand drive cars of my own go for six times the value in the UK but have yet to find a right hand drive one. To get the car registered in Spain costs a significant amount of tax and then of course there is no guarantee to sell it in a hurry. If I want to take a slow drive back to the UK, I would do but commitments don't always allow. My travel partner here in Spain has a Spanish registered vehicle so it's not really a case of not being able to get around.
There are limited numbers of English registered vehicles here. A few investigations soon make me realise the limitations of driving a car with a UK numberplate. I have seen a few Irish cars over in Spain and this worries me because I have learnt that much of the history of a car is erased once exported to Ireland and then brought back in to the UK via another country. This does mean that all Irish vehicles are going to be dodgy, ex accident vehicles with a repair job from an unregistered repairer but it does mean that they can be. I would suggest to people considering buying an Irish registered vehicle to avoid unless you are very sure that all the paperwork matches up: an Irish number plate generally takes the format "1234 ABC" but of course there are always exceptions to the rule.
My vehicle has done 65,000 miles now; 7,000 since I've had it. Before I started the long journey down South, I decided to get a complete (but unofficial) service done and check a few things about the reliability. MG TFs don't have amazing reliability and are known for head gasket issues especially on a K series engine. I had the vehicle inspected by an independent MG professional before leaving and found that I am lucky enough to have an N series engine (uprated head gasket with more of a seal between engine body and head). Not to jinx it and I hope my luck continues but I haven't had any of the head gasket issues that I had in my previous MG and water temperatures stay optimal on both long and short journeys. Also underneath the vehicle it is a sold vehicle, with only one small piece of bubbling on the drivers door (about the size of a euro coin).
If I sold the vehicle I would say to the customer that they shouldn't actually change the head gasket unless it goes wrong as, after becoming a bit of an MG enthusiast over recent years, I believe that it's best to fix if or when rather than just through fear seen on the internet (often from other bitter non MG roadster drivers). I've driven all of the similar price range main roadsters now, the MG isn't the fastest but it certainly makes up for it in handling. I had my first ever accident of 13 years (and hundreds of thousands of miles driving experience) in an MR2. I'm not saying that they'll all be like that or am I claiming to be the best driver in the world; I'm just pointing out my personal statistic; emphasis on 'first' accident. I wrote the MR2 off with on a low speed collision.
Not to be deterred, and with returning to MG, I thought it would be a great vehicle to travel down to the Mediterranean in. In the height of Summer I appeared to have not considered one thing about having the roof down, I ended up with a speed stripe tan-line where my seatbelt was after only 5 days driving. It doesn't take 5 days to drive from the UK to Spain, in fact it only takes about 15 steady hours when you use all the toll roads. We took a scenic route and it was more about the journey than the drive.
Our journey was about 1700 miles and by the time we reached our destination, we had experienced no car trouble whatsoever. We did get the rear discs and callipers replaced on the car once in Spain but this was because the handbrake was getting weak, something that you can survive with but possibly would be an MOT/ITV issue, nonetheless practicalities, we are in the mountains of Andalusia - it would only be a matter of time before a weak handbrake could turn into a written off car.
The scenic route that we took was once we were out of Paris, we drove towards Andorra via Aurillac and the main National Parks of France. It was a very beautiful travelling experience and I will likely at some point, use much of the documentary footage I collected. Those who follow my Knightvisions FlickR or Panoramio will be able to find a few photos of my journeys in the meantime. Once out of Andorra we travelled towards Barcelona and then down the coast road to our destination which is between Murcia and Almeria.
The journey cost only about €250 (£200) of fuel which I feel shows what a practical car the MG TF is when you consider its efficiency over such a long distance. We respected the speed limits of course - some more-so than others; And every tank of fuel got us about 430 miles (700 kilometres).
We could be much more critical about the vehicle if it cost us a small fortune or let us down but, so far, it hasn't. If my insurance wasn't going to run out, I'd most definitely keep it is doing a really good job. Even if sold in the UK, it's worth the top dollar for its year and its mileage and I think that the photos of it in various locations confirm this.
If you have an English address and live in Spain, I would like you to consider buying this from me. This vehicle is worth €3,000 in the UK and providing you find someone happy with a right hand drive it could be worth €12,000 here. I've already turned down an offer from Gibraltar for €2000. It's UK taxed until February and has an MOT until April 2015. It has all of the continent driving kit and all the tires are good. Before my journey here, I got a new down-pipe for it it and the rear discs and brakes have been done here. It's also been balanced and tracked. I'm considering all offers due to my need to go back for some jobs in England. I'm not sure I really feel like the long drive (as I'll be on my own) but I know someone will have the enthusiasm to do it and I would advise this as a vehicle to do it. It's tidy in and out and the hood is great and has been well looked after (waxed). There was enough space for us to bring all the things we needed for an extended period of time. I also managed to fit my camera equipment in as well! All of the paperwork is with me and I'm not prepared to export it without making a small fortune so it would suit someone with a UK address or to travel to Andalusia (we can put you up for a couple of nights) before doing whatever they would like with it. The DVLA will be informed immediately of any sale and the V5 document will be sent off to them as normal.
Here are a few photos of the car from journey; if you have any questions or would like to have a look or see some more, just let me know. The car is still being used (although not often) and has just passed 65,000 miles.
- England
 |
| How tidy the car is inside. It has a 12 CD multi-changer too. Great for a long journey. |
 |
| The evening of packing. |
 |
| A few weeks before the journey. |
- France
 |
| Some photos taken whilst we pulled over for some lunch. |
- Andorra
%2B2014-0133.JPG) |
| As you can see, the MG TF coped with driving up and around some very steep terrain. |
- Spain
 |
| 2002 1.8l MG TF that drove to Spain- no problem! |
This car is for sale. Please contact me at www.ashknight.co.uk if you are interested. This blog is a personal blog but if you were looking for travel documentaries or tourism adverts, please see the link on my business site; Knightvisions Productions.
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