When you first arrive and you don’t speak a word of Spanish buying a car can be a pretty daunting task. Speaking Spanish or finding someone who will help you will make buying a car a lot easier but it is still possible without it.

Speaking Spanish or finding someone who will help you makes buying a car a lot easier but it is still possible without it.

Second-hand car prices are higher in Gran Canaria than in the UK and Europe but have dropped in recent years.

Also factor in 100-200€ in buying costs (traspaso) to pay all the fees and taxes.

Here are a few suggestions to make your purchase a bit easier.

Buying a car in Gran Canaria

Beware of being ripped off – as in all countries second-hand car dealers can be a bit shady, however if you are careful you should be OK. Here are a few bits of advice to follow that will help you avoid buying a duff car.

a. Don’t buy an old ex-rental car. They are usually clocked and won’t last long, even if they have low mileage and look in good condition don’t go near them. Seat Ibizas, Renault Clios are the most common and are sold via garages.
b. Be careful of ex-commercial vehicles – small vans and Renault Kangoo type vehicles. If they have been used commercially they will have a TARA number painted on the side. Usually they have been flogged to death, overloaded with cement and won’t last you a year.
c. Beware of cars owned by surfers or windsurfers, check for rust, the sea air in Gran Canaria is pretty brutal

Places to buy a car in Gran Canaria

1. The Internet – segundamano.com, milanuncios.com and elbaul.es have pretty good lists of cars and they are mostly private sellers and they can be cheaper. Shop around though, people put whatever price they want and you will often find second-hand cars more expensive than new ones.

2. Garages – the biggest ones are in…
a. El Carrizal (just south of the airport) and Vecindario. You can find pretty much anything here, except really cheap cars, and all cars bought from a dealer should have a year’s guarantee (check the contract). There are loads of garages here and all display their cars on the street.
b. Tamaraceite (the other side of the road from Siete Palmas)

3. The street
a. Al Campo in Telde, there are often cars near McDonalds
b. The roundabout at the top of Sonnenland – there are usually cars from English or German sellers.

4. The paper
a. El Baúl has the biggest selection but La Provincia, Canarias7 often have cars too.

5. Asking around – Every summer loads of teachers leave Gran Canaria and want to sell their cars, ask people in the British schools.

6. Small second-hand car dealers all over the island. Ask for local recommendations and double-check prices. They often do all the paperwork for you and also offer a guarantee (six months or a year).

Our recommendation is to have a good look at segundamano.com and see what you can get for your money, decide what car you want and then have a look at the cars in Segundamano and in the garages in El Carrizal and Vecindario. At the same time have a look in El Baul and ask around. Be patient though. There are deals to be had but they won’t be so easy to find.