Carol. I very much enjoyed reading this. We are 6 weeks in to our "living in Portugal" adventure and our top priority is buying a car. The Captur is our choice and if you would be willing to share information on your seller. He sounds like what we are looking for based on your positive experience. I am a believer in things aligning to help us and believe this to be one of those occasions. I can be found on FB as Andy Cruickshank if that is the preferred contact method. Obrigado.
My wife and I are avid motorcyclists to the point where I have a 2017 model car with just over 18,000 miles on it. So I am hoping that when we make the move we can get around by motorcycle or "maxi-scooter" such as that 750cc Honda, but I guess time will tell. Great read about the process!
Thanks so much for sharing this experience. My family plans to relo in an area that will require a car, so this story takes some of the mystery out of the process. Happy trails!
Wow! Good for you and Paul! Your new chariot looks beautiful and sounds perfect for your needs! And your explanations and descriptions are wonderful and so helpful. I hope you have the car for a really long time and that your driving adventures take you to beautiful places of discovery and adventure that delight you two beyond measure! Best wishes for wonderful road trips!!! Well done!
You folded faster than we did, as it took us 6 years of pledging 'never'. We lived in the center of Cascais so that certainly helped prolong the pledge but, ya, those off-the-beaten-path places and just jumping in a car rather than using occasional rentals has been worth it. Sounds like you went to Santogol? We did, loved it, send all our friends there who also love the experience, and do all the annual maintenance with them. Excellent. So, dear Carol and Paul, road trip to Budda Eden? Alcobaca?
Curious about the taxes and registration fees you mentioned - what are they expected to be, annually, going forward? We're considering buying a car several months (or more) after settling in, but annual fees in that range may make us reconsider.
Thank you for your post Carol. We also bought a car in the first week of our Portugal arrival for all the reasons you mentioned in your post. We purchased our 2021 Renault Arkana at Benecar in Benedita. As we are in Alcobaca, the drive to Benedita was less than an hour. We secured a rental car upon our arrival in Portugal (needed to get to/from our temporary living arrangements) so the car purchase was done within a week of our arrival. Rental cars are expensive here...as they are in the US. Our car buying experience was similar to yours with multiple options that met our criteria (price, automatic, room for four and luggage). We are very pleased with the Arkana! One thing I would add to your write up is that providing proof of our US driving record did result in a slight reduction in the cost of our insurance. Have your apostilled driving records with you when purchasing the car (if buying car insurance from the dealer) or send a pdf to the insurance broker used (which we used through a contact made by our lawyer). Happy Trails!
Carol. I very much enjoyed reading this. We are 6 weeks in to our "living in Portugal" adventure and our top priority is buying a car. The Captur is our choice and if you would be willing to share information on your seller. He sounds like what we are looking for based on your positive experience. I am a believer in things aligning to help us and believe this to be one of those occasions. I can be found on FB as Andy Cruickshank if that is the preferred contact method. Obrigado.
My wife and I are avid motorcyclists to the point where I have a 2017 model car with just over 18,000 miles on it. So I am hoping that when we make the move we can get around by motorcycle or "maxi-scooter" such as that 750cc Honda, but I guess time will tell. Great read about the process!
Carol: Exactly the kind of 'what it's like' info I need. Thanks much!
Thanks so much for sharing this experience. My family plans to relo in an area that will require a car, so this story takes some of the mystery out of the process. Happy trails!
Wow! Good for you and Paul! Your new chariot looks beautiful and sounds perfect for your needs! And your explanations and descriptions are wonderful and so helpful. I hope you have the car for a really long time and that your driving adventures take you to beautiful places of discovery and adventure that delight you two beyond measure! Best wishes for wonderful road trips!!! Well done!
You folded faster than we did, as it took us 6 years of pledging 'never'. We lived in the center of Cascais so that certainly helped prolong the pledge but, ya, those off-the-beaten-path places and just jumping in a car rather than using occasional rentals has been worth it. Sounds like you went to Santogol? We did, loved it, send all our friends there who also love the experience, and do all the annual maintenance with them. Excellent. So, dear Carol and Paul, road trip to Budda Eden? Alcobaca?
Curious about the taxes and registration fees you mentioned - what are they expected to be, annually, going forward? We're considering buying a car several months (or more) after settling in, but annual fees in that range may make us reconsider.
Thank you for your post Carol. We also bought a car in the first week of our Portugal arrival for all the reasons you mentioned in your post. We purchased our 2021 Renault Arkana at Benecar in Benedita. As we are in Alcobaca, the drive to Benedita was less than an hour. We secured a rental car upon our arrival in Portugal (needed to get to/from our temporary living arrangements) so the car purchase was done within a week of our arrival. Rental cars are expensive here...as they are in the US. Our car buying experience was similar to yours with multiple options that met our criteria (price, automatic, room for four and luggage). We are very pleased with the Arkana! One thing I would add to your write up is that providing proof of our US driving record did result in a slight reduction in the cost of our insurance. Have your apostilled driving records with you when purchasing the car (if buying car insurance from the dealer) or send a pdf to the insurance broker used (which we used through a contact made by our lawyer). Happy Trails!