Help us buy a van in Spain!

March 23, 2007 9:19 AM

Have you bought a vehicle in Spain before? Some friends and I are looking to buy a van in Spain with which to travel around Europe, and we need your help!

The trip starts in just over two months, around the 25th May. The intention is to buy a van in Spain, drive across Europe for three weeks, and leave the van with friends in Belgium. We will then retrieve the van later in the summer and sell it. The cost of the van and the insurance will be split between 5 people. We decided against rental as we have no way of getting it back to Spain straight away, plus, I believe you must be over 21 to drive a rented van in Europe.

Now here's the problem: we need to purchase a van in Spain for the start, but my friend whose house we are starting from (in Murcia) has no way to get back before then to arrange it. We need to know whether you can buy a vehicle remotely from another country and do the paperwork, or if someone needs to be there. Also, many of the vans we have looked at are in another province, which might throw up other paperwork issues. It is possible that we can arrange for someone we know in Spain to purchase on our behalf, and take a look at what we are buying. Still, this might raise other problems.

We have two drivers: one is 25 and licenced to drive in Europe, one is 20 and may or may not be licenced to drive a van of a certain size. Then there's the issue of insurance - is it possible to insure for only two months? Can that be done remotely too?

I'll be available to respond with further information for a few hours and again tomorrow, but any help you can give would be very much appreciated.

Thank you hive mind!

posted by Acey to Travel & Transportation around Spain (2 answers total)

I don't know if they'd have something that is the size you're looking for, but both Peugeot and Renault have a "buy back" program, which acts like a short-term lease. They have better rates than a rental, and often less restrictions. My understanding is that you usually have to pick up and drop off at a dealership, but it doesn't have to be the same one if you're willing to pay an extra fee. I don't believe these have age restrictions and you can reserve it in the united states like a rental car.
posted by cameldrv at 11:05 AM on March 23, 2007 [1 favorite]

I looked up the auto buy back program above - a three week rental of a brand new manual diesel 8-seat Peugeot 807, from Barcelona (the closest I could get to Murcia) to Brussels, starting May 25, is US $2,031, plus a couple hundred in fees to deliver and retrieve the car from France. The program is only open to non-EU citizens, or EU citizens not residing in the EU.

Here's the link.
posted by mdonley at 1:45 PM on March 23, 2007