Thought the following information may be of some interest to those considering buying a car.....
If you are thinking of buying a Spanish registered vehicle remember that there is a 4% transmission tax to pay if the vehicle is less than ten years old. To be completely safe it is always best to go directly to Trafico with the seller and change the documentation into your name while they are standing next to you. It only costs 40 euros and takes about 30 seconds. If there are any outstanding speeding fines, parking tickets or road tax then they will all have to be paid before the ownership will be transferred to your name and, as it it illegal to own a car which is registered to someone else, it really needs to be sorted out at Trafico with the buyer. If not you will be liable for all outstanding fines etc. This is the way that all Spanish second hand car sales are carried out.
In order to buy a Spanish registered car in the UK you will need the Ficha Tecnica, the Permiso de Circulacion and confirmation that the vehicle has been registered at Trafico as 'for sale' by the old owner. You will also need a photocopy of their passport certified by a Spanish notario.
The safest way to buy a Spanish registered car is to pay a deposit and then pay the outstanding balance when the Permiso de Circulacion has been transferred to your name.
With regard to UK registered vehicles in Spain or France, it should be remembered that a UK registered vehicle can only remain on UK plates for six months. Then it has to be re-registered with the national plates of the country it is in. This is simply so that the road tax can be paid. It is nothing to do with insurance. If the owner does not intend to re-register it, then it must return to the UK for a full, continuous six month period. However, it must remain fully road legal in the country of registration. This means that it must display a current UK tax disc and have a valid UK MOT. A Spanish ITV on a UK registered vehicle is not valid.
The simple rule is that if it's illegal in the UK then it's also illegal in Spain or France.
If it's on a SORN in the UK then it can't be driven on public roads in the UK, France or Spain.
If it's got no UK road tax then it can't be used on any EU road after the 182 period of grace has expired.
If it's got no UK MOT then it can't be used on any EU road.
Remember, it's not about insurance. It's about road tax and a certificate of road worthiness. We all know that if you don't pay UK road tax you can't use UK roads. Well, guess what? If you don't pay Spanish road tax you can't use Spanish roads and If you don't pay French road tax you can't use French roads. In order to pay road tax in France or Spain you have to re-register your car. The EU bi-lateral agreement on road tax only lasts for six months. It's that simple.