Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Information and questions about the Law in Spain and Andalucia.
Lasky6600
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Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Lasky6600 » Thu Dec 13, 2018 1:06 pm

I want to sell a Spanish LHD 2012 Citroen C4 diesel 1.6 which I bought from a dealer in Malaga but have returned to the UK from Conil.

I called the dealer and he told me I cannot legally sell the car in the UK (as there is paperwork that needs to be done at Traffico I think)

It is a great car and is in super condition inside/outside and mechanically (lots of expensive parts were replaced under the dealer warranty. so all the expensive parts that wear out at around this age have all been replaced.)

I could re-register the car and drive it in the UK but I don't want a LHD drive car for the UK.

The info on Google is confusing/conflicting so am confused about the logistics.of the sales process.
If I sell the car to someone potentially taking it back to Spain themselves - how would I get myself deregistered at Traffico (I don't want to risk buyer not registering the car in their name).

And can anyone tell me about the 4% tax I have read about somewhere? (If I agree a sale price, does the buyer then have to cough up this extra fee? I don't get this part and don't want to overprice the car if there is more money for the buyer to pay.)

My insurance allows me to drive outside of Spain for 90 days so I thought I had 90 days in which to sort this out, but now I discover the car tax (i think) needs renewing in January. Is it possible to do this online or does it have to be done in person at Traffico (and if so, could I ask someone in Spain to do it for me?)

I don't want to be driving the car illegally.

My last alternative is to use Compramostucoche.es where I have had a fairly low quote from but I am beginning to feel desperate.

Aaargh. Any advice is most welcome as I am tearing my hair out.

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Enrique
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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Enrique » Thu Dec 13, 2018 2:39 pm

Hi Lasky6600,

Welcome to The Forum............... :D

Have a read especially on Miro's Posts............regarding selling L/H drive in UK.............

http://andalucia.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... ke#p385157


If you do a Forum Search using the"Search Author" Miro you will find detailed Posts on How they moved back to UK and disentangled their "Spanish" life.
All my best learning experiences start with a problem I need to solve.

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costakid
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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby costakid » Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:07 pm

What price are you asking for the car? PM if you prefer. Send me the details and spec as I have a friend looking for a car to take to Spain.

Lasky6600
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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Lasky6600 » Thu Dec 13, 2018 7:38 pm

Thank you I already got a quote from the LHD drive centre in Basingstoke but it was abysmal and way under it's value.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby elusive » Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:21 pm

The car tax doesnt have to be paid until around the middle of may. Whoever owns the car on jan 1st pays the tax but bills dont get sent out until march time and you have until mid may to pay. It gets paid at your local townhall

Did you have a gestor while in spain. Maybe they could help with any sales etc paperwork for you.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Lasky6600 » Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:34 pm

The dealer I purchased the car from did all the paperwork. I don't know anyone in Spain to ask/help that's why I turned to this forum as I am completely lost and stressing about everything.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Lasky6600 » Fri Dec 14, 2018 3:46 pm

Update: All sorted. One of the forum members kindly suggested the lhdcarbuyer.com who have offered to buy my car and do all the paperwork (yes including de-register), that's a relief

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Lasky6600 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 1:02 am

:thumbdown:

Having sold my car to LHD (Pentagon) who promised to do all the paperwork, I get an ITVM bill sent to me :-( 6 months after selling the car.
LHD answered the phone once and sent an email asking if I'd paid the tax (after I sold it ... umm no). I asked for proof they'd done paperwork and they're 'checking with Spain' to find out if my name is still on the car. Eh? I sold it to them on 22.12.18

Since then they won't answer my calls/emails, so am guessing it's because there's something not right.

I'm now concerned they haven't de-registered my name.

I found a gestor online who wants to charge €100+tax to check with traffico... seems very pricey.

Can anyone offer name of an English speaking gestor with reasonable costs. (I know the traffico bit should only be about €8 and realise they need to charge something for their time but €100 seems pretty steep)

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby gerryh » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:49 am

Lasky6600 wrote:: I sold it to them on 22.12.18
I very much doubt that any dealer when get a car re registered in their name.
They would wait until the car is sold to a customer and, hopefully, get it registered in the customers name.
However I doubt if they sold it before 31.12.18 so you would still be the registered owner on 01.01.2019 so would be liable for the tax.
Hopefully when, or if, the car has been sold then the registration should be in the new owners name and you will not be the owner for 2020.
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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby costakid » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:51 am

Pentagon are a mickey mouse outfit.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby Miro » Tue Jun 25, 2019 6:23 pm

Just curious, costakid; on what are you basing that statement? On the other thread linked to earlier here, you mentioned The Loach Brothers, but I couldn't find any definitive connection to Pentagon. Are you sure they're the same people?
I'm mildly concerned by Lasky's experience, as I sold my car to Pentagon & left them to do any necessary paperwork; for all I know, Kenneth Noye could be knocking around Marbs right now in my old motor, notching up parking & speeding fines in my name. But TBH, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I think Gerry's explanation of why there might be a tax bill in your name makes sense. If you manage to get to the bottom of it, do let us know though.
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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby costakid » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:21 pm

Miro wrote:Just curious, costakid; on what are you basing that statement? On the other thread linked to earlier here, you mentioned The Loach Brothers, but I couldn't find any definitive connection to Pentagon. Are you sure they're the same people?
Not sure they are the same people. The Loach brothers are barred for life from being company directors. I have heard reports of disappointed Pentagon customers and i don’t mean the odd one.

Gerry H is probably correct on this one.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby wollie » Wed Jun 26, 2019 8:24 am

https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/tramites-y-m ... -vehiculo/

You can check yourself online but you may need VIN number.
It seems unusual that you leftn it 18 months to fallow up on, can i ask if anything happened to trigger this.
I think i would write a nice letter to Traffico and explain situation.
At least if something happens you will have record that you tried to do something to put things right.
I assume that you have a dated receipt for payment from these people.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby costakid » Wed Jun 26, 2019 8:31 am

[quote="wollie"]https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/tramites-y-m ... -vehiculo/
I think i would write a nice letter to Traffico and explain situation.
At least if something happens you will have record that you tried to do something to put things right.


I think you are wasting your time. In my opinion if you haven’t concluded your business correctly the authorities will go for the easiest target which is you. This goes for Trafico Spain, DVLA and local authorities in the UK as well as Spain.

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby wollie » Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:33 am

I agree that doing this after 18 months not a good idea.
I am thinking more if the car involved in serious incident there be questions...

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby gerryh » Wed Jun 26, 2019 9:58 am

He sold the car on 22.12.18, so where does the 18 months come from?
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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby wollie » Wed Jun 26, 2019 10:35 pm

The clock on the de-lorean is fluxed, my mistake....

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby scotty » Sat Jun 29, 2019 9:52 pm

Lasky, are you back living in the UK permanently ?

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby 1bassleft » Sun Jun 30, 2019 4:19 am

Hello Lasky, I feel bad, suggesting you enquire at Pentagon/LHD (they're not the Loach Bros and do seem to have a better grip than many on selling cars in the UK reg'd in other countries).

As Gerry said, the owner on 01/01 is the person sent the ITVM bill (wish I'd known that when I bought mine in December 2017) but those bills don't get sent out until late May or even June in places. Somebody like Spanish_lad knows the dealer's side of things better than I do (IIRC, he knows of Pentagon's local scout in his neck of Spain), but I'd have thought that they should apply for a baja so that they are not liable (nor you) for the ITVM while it is offered for sale in the UK.

My guess is that, seeing as you handed over on 22/12, someone had too many cavas at the Christmas party, tried to gather up all the photocopies of their bum, and forgot to do the baja before New Year. This generated an ITVM for dispatch in May/June to you. Having realized their error, Pentagon might be giving you the avoidance treatment, hoping that you will pay this Spanish bill that has landed on you. Try an email/call to Pentagon (try the higher end of the food chain - some lower rep maybe burying the mistake even though its a handful of tenners), tell them that it's entirely up to them to organize a baja (seeing as you've banked the payment, right?) and the ballsup is in their court. Maybe, for goodwill, you would allow them to pay the ITVM in your name if that helps them out and they guarantee that it's the last you hear of the car. And keep your records.

Pentagon are always splashing that their cars are sold with proper paperwork etc, not like those other amateurs etc, so yours will stand out like the proverbial. Keep an eye out for ebay+Gumtree, in case of an attempted flogoff under another name (I think of the worst eventualities, even if unlikely, just in case).

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Re: Logistics of selling a LHD car with Spanish plates - advice please

Postby costakid » Sun Jun 30, 2019 9:20 am

There are some cowboys out there but not all are bad. We bought 2 cars in the past from www.onwheelsltd.com and had brilliant service both time. They are a small family business and seem to care more about there reputation unlike some of the bigger players.


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