European car sites list far more cars than Spanish ones, and that is both an advantage and a risk: among thousands of good listings there are cars with a doctored history, prices that do not include what they seem to and, now and then, listings for cars that do not exist. This is the checklist we go through before suggesting a car to a customer.

1. Who is selling

• Trader or private seller. A dealer with years in business, a physical address and reviews on the site itself offers more guarantees: an invoice, a legal warranty and complete paperwork. A private seller can be a good buy, but paying for, inspecting and collecting the car is more delicate.
• That they exist. Look up the address on a map and check that the company name matches the one on its website and the holder of the account you would be paying into. In Germany, a company’s website must carry a legal notice (“Impressum”) with its details.
• How they respond. A serious seller answers specific questions (the chassis number, a photo of a detail, the invoices) without rushing or pressuring you.

2. The price: what it includes and what it does not

• VAT. In Germany, “MwSt. ausweisbar” means the VAT is shown separately and is deductible, which only benefits a business with an intra-EU VAT number. “Differenzbesteuert” or “MwSt. nicht ausweisbar” means the margin scheme. For a private buyer, the price that counts is the one in the listing, VAT included.
• “Net” or “export” price. Some listings show a price that is not the one you will pay. Always ask for the final price in writing.
• Too cheap. If a car is well below similar ones, there is a reason. Sometimes it is a good one (a seller in a hurry); almost always, it is not.
• The listing price is not the price in Spain. Transport, the registration tax, the ITV inspection (the Spanish equivalent of the MOT), fees and plates are still to come. Compare cars on what they cost registered, not on the listing.

3. Mileage and history

Clocking, or winding back the odometer, is still the most common fraud with used cars in Europe. To spot it:

• Service book and invoices, with dates and mileages that rise in a logical way. Many brands now keep the service history digitally: ask the seller for a copy.
• Roadworthiness reports. In Germany, TÜV or DEKRA reports record the mileage at each inspection. In Belgium, the seller has to hand over the Car-Pass, with the car’s mileage history.
• Consistent wear. A worn steering wheel, gear knob, pedals and driver’s seat do not square with 40,000 km.
• Accidents. “Unfallfrei” (accident-free) is what the seller declares: ask for it to be written into the contract. Differences in shade between panels or uneven gaps are signs of repair.

4. The documents that must exist

• The complete registration certificate. In Germany it comes in two parts (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II); without part II the car cannot be registered in Spain.
• The Certificate of Conformity (COC). With a European COC, homologation in Spain is a formality. Without one, it costs time and money.
• The chassis number (VIN). Ask for it before anything else. It has to match on the car, the registration certificate and the invoices.
• The official CO2 emissions (WLTP). They determine the registration tax in Spain. Take them from the documents, not from the listing.

5. Signs of a fake listing

• A very low price and a seller who “is out of the country” or has the car “in a transport company’s warehouse”.
• Pressure: “someone else is interested”, “today only”.
• Payment in advance to an account in the name of a private individual or in a different country from the seller’s, or by methods that cannot be recovered.
• Refusing to let anyone see the car in person or to give the chassis number.
• Photos that appear in other listings (check with a reverse image search).

Any one of these signs is reason enough to walk away.

6. Seeing it in person before paying

Photos do not show a noisy gearbox or temperamental electronics. Before you pay, someone you trust has to see the car: mechanics, bodywork, electronics, mileage and whether the chassis number matches the paperwork. If you cannot go, there are inspectors in every country: it is the best money you will spend on the whole purchase.

The car search lists cars from European dealers with the price already worked out for Spain. And if you have seen a listing you like, send it to us under Import and we will check it for you.