Hire or buy car

Hola    as you are new to Spain    steer clear of private sales    you never know about   extra bills ?? from last owner

also   you do need to still be careful   with those second hand  "places"    I bought  from Specialist  Vehicles    of  San Javier

the car broke down two weeks later    they refused to "help"   I lost a lot of money   so no after sales service    plus legally

they are supposed  to   assist   ???      

try   cars in spain    paul  in   Torre-Pacheco      (stock on line )       

better still    look at lease   (called rent here)   example  Kia   the Picanto       again on line    brand new car every four years    

no ITV   service  so on      for around €160  per month  

Are you going to be just visiting a few weeks a year or staying longer?. Will you become permanent here?. Car hire is extortionate at the minute but may go back to being reasonable in a few months. Might be worth just paying for now and seeing how things go. 

If you're going to buy a car and leave it here then you need to factor in Airport parking or transfers maintenance and insurance etc. 

Most main dealers have trade ins and it's worth a look as they usually come with a 12 month guarantee. Having said that there isn't much difference in price sometimes between a decent second hand car and a new car. Second hand cars hold their value quite well here so a decent little run around for a few grand is rarer than hens teeth. 

I'd avoid private sales and go to a garage with a good reputation. 

Add up everything before you buy. As Dax and Dave Sierra have said it depends on how long you will be in Spain using the car. You have IVTM (car tax), servicing, costs of ITV plus who will do this if you are not here, insurance, garaging and so on. One good thing is that depreciation is very low here.

If you think rental costs are "extortionate" look at rental costs in the UK!