Retirement in Chiclana

[markj]

A few years ago I posted for advice about selling up and moving full-time to Chiclana when I retire. The general advice seemed to be keep a bolt-hole in the UK. Retirement is fast approaching and I need to make some decisions. Love both our life in UK and Spain so ideally would like to keep both houses going and spend the max. amount of time in Spain before we become liable for Spanish resident taxes ( think it's 90 days each six months).
I would be interested to hear if anybody else follows this pattern and if it's workable? If you do this, do you have a car in Spain or do you hire a car each time?
Any info. would be greatly appreciated if anybody else reads this forum anymore!!!

[davexf]

Hola Mark,

There are many people that normally travel back and forwards; Some do keep a car here, getting it ITV'd every year. Many get friends to collect them from the airport and return them to the airport afterwards.

Davexf

[markj]

Thanks Dave - not sure I would want to ask people to pick up/drop off every 6 months- also heard stories of creatures nesting in cars and chewing through wires when they are left for long periods of time!!

[ruston]

Hello Mark, we too enjoy life in Spain and the uk and go back and forth when we feel like it. You could be sitting indoors in the rain, damp and dark evenings, book a flight and within a week be sitting outside enjoying a coffee in the sun.

As for a car, I think it depends on how long you intend to spend in Spain and what time of year you are going to be there. After a couple of years of renting cars we decided to buy a small ford run around, which in turn, worked out cheaper than continually renting especially if it happened to coincide with school holidays or fiestas in Spain even by a couple of days.

Food for thought but all running costs in Spain are a fraction to the uk.

Good luck.

[leftie]

Whilst the stories of creatures nesting in cars and chewing through wires are quite true, the car doesn't need to be left for long periods of time for this to happen. It has happened to me when the car was in daily use, and also two other friends cars and they had dogs! In fact I wondered if it was the warm engine that attracted them in the cooler time of year.

[stevem2m]

I too had tree rats in my car that chewed a couple of wires and the windscreen washer pipe and my car is used daily, so I wouldnt say its only cars that are left for long periods. I now use rat poison under the bonet but has always been a risk if you live in the campo.

[markj]

Thanks for your replies - there is still life here!!