Expat Community > Italy

maradel
Joined 2017
Posts: 116

car advice

5 years ago

I'm running out of time on my long-term lease and I have to buy a car this month. For those who followed my "sono qui" discussion, I will just say that the saga continued... At some point I will update that, but here I'll just say that finalmente I have a "permanent" apartment in Atri, and just this week, I applied for my residency.

My car lease runs out around the middle of July. I don't want to buy the car I've leased, although that would be the easiest option. It's a Renault Duster. It's not a bad car, but it's too big and it's over-powered for when I become one of the neopatentati. So, my first question is do I have to have my carta d'identita in hand in order to buy a car/get insurance, or is there some other document I can get from the comune to prove my residency while I'm waiting for the bureaucracy to grind forward? I have no idea how long it takes, but the lady at the comune said that I can apply for the carta 10 days after applying for residenza. That will be around Friday, next week. Time is getting short for me to buy a car!

So, next question is what car?? I have the neopatentati 2019 list from patentati.it if I want to buy a new car. Anyone want to weigh in on the pros and cons of new vs used? Things to keep in mind are the stupid law limiting the power of the car I buy and how long do I want to be stuck with a lower power car, cost (obviously), risk of buying a used car in Italy.

Back to which car, something like a Fiat 500 or Fiat Panda might be ok, but are they safe/reliable cars? What other cars should I be considering? I was driving a 17 yr old 4x4 pickup truck in the US! I would like a 4x4, but I think the power restrictions would make it awful to drive. And I really would prefer to spend under 20K euro. A lot under that, if possible.

I would prefer to buy a used car less than 5 yrs old, with maintenance records. Does such a thing exist here? Do Italians keep maintenance records on their cars? I'm obsessive about maintaining my vehicles. I handed over a thick file of records to the new owner of my truck.

What kind of fuel? In theory, I like the idea of methane/GPL because of the cost, but is it practical? Maybe the question is what kind of driving is that fuel practical for? My original idea was to drive around Italy and Europe to see things. I don't want to stay within 50 Km of Atri the rest of my life!!

My Italian neighbor, a guy, (who speaks no english) offered to come with me to look at cars. My Italian is still primitive, so I'm very grateful for his offer. I can't imagine dealing with car salespeople when I can't speak Italian well. I also have an American friend in Atri who is fluent in Italian who can double check things for me. One of her friends is an Italian lawyer, in case I need someone to read a contract.

Next question is about insurance. How do I find/shop for car insurance here?? I don't even know what to ask, what kind of coverage is available, what's required, what's not required but recommended, how much it might cost, etc, etc.

I hate buying cars!! I tended to keep my cars until they fell apart. So this will be very stressful! Any input will be greatly appreciated!

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Expat Community > Italy

car advice

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