I’ve decided that I need a car, or even better, a van.
Do I really need one? The train service from Fuseta is fine – two stations and trains between Vila Real De Santa Antonio on the Spanish border and Lagos in the West, running every hour or two, depending on the time of day. And cheap too.
The bus service isn’t bad either.
But neither quite gives me the flexibility I need, nor the ability to transport larger items for the house.
So I decide to take the plunge. But where to start?
I’ve been warned that buying a car in Portugal is a bit of a lottery, as well as expensive, and boy is that right!
I look for a small two-seater white van, so that I can transport stuff and offset the costs against the business (what you can and can’t offset against the business is a whole new topic completely!).
So I start looking on standvirtual.com. Facebook Marketplace also seems like a good option.
I start off looking at vehicles less than 8 years old (you can’t have fully comp insurance if the car is over 8 years old apparently – another minefield!) with less than 100k kilometres on the clock…
Bloody hell! €8k? €9k? €10k?! How much do I want to spend? Not that much!
I change the search filter to look for vans under €2500.
Bloody hell! 20 years old? A minimum of 250k kilometres on the clock?! WTF?!
Every night I’ve been sitting there for an hour or so – just looking….
Then tonight I see a van: the photos look good, 77k on the clock, €4500. There’s no mention of age, but beggars can’t be choosers.
However, one thing makes me wonder… it’s a private seller. Is that sensible? I’ve heard so many horror stories of people buying cars with debts attached (in Portugal if you buy a car, you also buy the debts associated with it!). I also have no idea about mechanics. How the hell will I know if the van is good or not?
On the plus side, the seller is British, so at least there will be no cultural issues. I decide that I’ll have to use my bullshit-ometer to determine whether it’s a good buy or not.
I send a message to the owner. Tom comes back almost immediately.
We arrange to meet at the Train station at Albufeira-Ferreiras on the Monday. It turns out that the train station is a couple of miles out of town, so Tom agrees to drive up and meet me there.
This is a good start I think! The van works! Anyway…
On the Monday, I arrive early to have a look around. I shouldn’t have bothered. There is nothing there – a few bars/restaurants and houses and that’s it. But when the time comes, Tom turns up on time, and seems like a lovely lad.
He’s driven the van up, so, as I said, that’s a good start. He’s then asked if I want to have a drive. I take him up on this.
We don’t go far, but it tells me enough to know that the engine sounds good, and that it handles OK.
I check the pedals and the steering wheel for wear and tear, I check the tread on the tyres, I look under the chassis for rust, I check inside and see that the rear of the van is tidy, and I check the documentation.
Everything is looking good.
The only thing that concerns me is the mileage. 77k on a van that’s 18 years old? Mmmmm….
So I ask the question.
Tom has been really open so far and continues to be so:
“Before I started using it a couple of years ago, it belonged to my Mum’s partner who runs a Karaoke business. He just used the van three times a week to transport his kit, so low mileage and regular use.”
I check my bullshit-ometer… and smell nothing!
I make my decision based on my total lack of mechanics, and what I believe to be the honesty of Tom.
I say that I’ll buy it.
Now comes the hard bit…
What needs to happen next? What’s the best way to pay? How will we sort ownership? I have no idea…
We agree that I will return on the Wednesday. That’s easy.
Tom asks if I will bring cash. I don’t feel comfortable with that, and I don’t want to just transfer the money (I like Tom, but don’t know him from Adam!). I ask if he’ll accept a Bankers Cheque. It will cost me €52, but it seems the sensible way forward. He says that that would be fine.
Tom says that he will drive us down to the Camara to sort things out legally. I question whether we should rather be going to the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN) to sign the papers? Apparently the IRN is where you go in the big cities – in the small towns on the Algarve, you head to the Camara. At least you do in Albufeira…
So all is set for the Wednesday.
On the Tuesday, I go to the bank and sort the cheque. I also pop into the Insurance Broker (Francesco) who sorted my house insurance. He talks me through the car insurance side of things – only third party available, but the insurance will cover breakdowns, car replacement for 5 days, windows issues etc etc. All for €244! As a bonus, the insurance is for the car, not the driver, so anybody will now be able to drive the vehicle! Standard in Portugal apparently, and very different to the UK.
On the Wednesday, I head back to Albufeira-Ferreiras. Tom picks me up as agreed and we head down to Albufeira. We hit the bank first and pay the cheque in. So Tom’s happy! Then we’re off to the Camara.
When we get there, I’m thinking that we’d be there for hours. But no! 20 minutes later, we’re out again, having shown ID (passport), Residency doc and NIF (both of us) and signed the necessary paperwork.
Brilliant!
Then I check the paperwork… ‘Davi9 Elliott’ it said… Mmmm… not as competent as I thought!
I look at Tom.
Tom looks at me.
Back in?
Yes…
And so we go back…
Two minutes later, we’re outside again! With the paperwork reflecting ‘David Elliott’ this time.
All this stuff about Portuguese red tape being a nightmare – either I’ve been really lucky, or it’s all bollocks! I’m not sure which, but in 30 minutes I’ve acquired a van.
Now to drive all the way back from Albufeira to Fuseta, left-hand drive, right-hand side of the road in a vehicle I didn’t know – scary!
Tom looks quite emotional as I drive off. I think he loves this van, which makes me feel better still.
I wind down the windows, hit the road and cruise my way back. I have freedom at last! I follow the N125 rather than the A22 to avoid the tolls. I’m sure that will change in the future, but for today, I just want to enjoy driving…
The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the radio is on.
I’m happy – as long as I haven’t bought a dog of a van!
Only time will tell!
Nb To date, she’s running like a beauty! I think I’ve survived the Portuguese car-buying lottery! Yahoooo!
“Blinking Flamingos! The musings of a middle-aged bloke living in the Eastern Algarve: one who has no idea what he’s doing…”