Just been ripped off by Goldcar - Page 6

Hola  if you drive out of Spain  then return  you can keep a UK car here (I think for six months at a time)  

the cost to import the car  with new lights ITV  etc  is around €2,000     but to buy a car here is a huge risk

I bought a car from Specialist Vehicles in San Javier, two weeks later the engine blew up   then they would not respond to my e-mails phone calls  so I lost €3,000   ( a lot of money more so for an O.A.P on a state pension)  

I would advise finding Paul   of   CARSINSPAIN   he is very helpfull 

But take your time and think things over  

Many people I know who either rent a property or own as a holiday home, leave a car at the airport. You can get an anual deal which is cost effective. Some with a certain amount of valets and most with pickup and delivery.

Yes, if the car is in Spain for more than six months at a stretch, you'd need to register it here. (Matriculation). At six months, the car wouldn't be considered that of a tourist. But it doesn't cost 2,000 Euros as mentioned elsewhere. If there are no complications such as a tow bar, expect between 900 and 1,500 Euros. Sometimes the lights are adjustable, sometimes not. 

It might be worthwhile buying a car from one of the expat forums (forii)? Or Facebook groups, from someone who is known but returning to the UK.

I would never use Goldcar or Dickmanns. I've been caught and the amount of complaints here and elsewhere, far outweigh those who are happy with their service.

Be careful not to use Intercar - they are the same company as Goldcar. We used a car hire broker and saw nothing wrong with their recommendation of Intercar. Dismayed to find on arrival that they were the same company. Thankfully no bad experience apart from the constant worry during the hire period that we would have a similar experience to yours - it definitely cast a cloud over our trip. Sorry to hear you were ripped off like that.

You shouldn't be worrying about others' bad experiences. We have been using Goldcar for 10 years and have had nothing but good experiences, always almost-new cars, total reliability and good customer service. We have used others in the past but always came back to Goldcar. Sorry you spent your holiday worrying about stuff that happened to other people, who may not be telling the full story. Problems are usually caused by customers, as I don't know why any company would go out of their way to cause problems for customers. By the way I presume you meant InterRent not intercar? Happy driving.... 

So, you had a puncture or anything like that in the last 10 years?

I think it always wise to consider the probability of having a bad time with any business, and taking note of many experiences with Goldcar and their associated companies as detailed in forums, would be a good move. There are other bad one's of course including Dickmans.

I disagree that any problem is down to the customer. I've had problems with several car hire firms and I can assure you they weren't started by me. In my view renting a car in Spain is a lottery and for me the choice gets smaller as I delete the bad one's from my search.

Hi Digital, 

Had a few problems yes. Once a warning light, didn't realise it was only tyre pressure but they changed the car instantly. Also object falling from truck on motorway caused huge gash in drivers door. No problem, covered by insurance. I got a puncture repaired in local garage, €10, didn't involve Goldcar. Not saying there are no problems with Goldcar, or any rental co, just giving my experiences.

Abbey67, why do you need to jet wash and hover the car when it's a rented car? I have never done that, and have never had to pay the extra charges as mentioned. All I had to do was either returned the car empty if it's paid for or returned it full as per the signed agreement. And also, I usually pay for unlimited mileage because I never know where the wind might take me. By the way, I like peace of mind. I have done this in most countries without any issues. If you don't want any problems, just pre pay the excess, period.

Abbey67, if you have used Goldcar more the 100 times, why not consider buying yourself a car and leave it airport parking company and pay an annual fee.  They will pick it up from the airport when you fly out. And when you return, they will bring it to you to the airport without much ado. Problems solved and you save yourself a lot of dosh along the way. 

You need to wash the car & clean the inside out because lots of companies will make a very hefty charge if it not returned clean.