It's that time. The car to the Clouds is going to drive off to new pastures. And if I found BUYING an auto in Argentina something of a nightmare (the insurance still has to be in the name of the dealer as foreigners can't own things here so if a claim was made the payout would go to them. Am I foolishly trusting?) then selling a car here is nigh on impossible.
I had lunch the other day with the partner of a foreign diplomat here who told me they were advised before coming not to buy a car as it was so difficult to sell, they could well find themselves having to leave it on the street and throw away the keys.
In some countries i.e. mine, you sell your car to a buyer, both sign the transfer attached to the car's registration and send it to DVLA. Much too simple and logical for Argentina. Here is the list of papers to be looked for with a massive waste of daily existence:
-Verificacion policial - Apparently proves that there are no stolen elements residing in your car
-CETA (to procure this from AFIP - the Federal Administration Dept or Ministry of Total Control - another paper called a Clave Fiscal must first be sought)
-Certificate 08 - The transfer of property must be signed in front of a law clerk.
-Libre Deuda patentes - a paper to prove you've paid yearly plate fees
-Libre infracciones - a paper to prove you've paid your fines (not including the police shakedowns endured over the years)
-Certificado Dominio - a paper that seems to prove nothing whatsoever and takes 10 working days to procure but apparently if you have any single liability for anything anywhere, you can't sell your car.
As if the list isn't heinous enough, the Argentine character is one that loves to give out incorrect information meaning extra journey to government offices all over town will be made. And it would appear that Argentina is not actually one country but a set of provinces that operate as individual and autonomous totalitarian regimes. If the car is registered in one province, the idea of having moved to another locale and selling a car is something akin to mass murder - you must be up to something. In Buenos Aires there are "Casas" pertaining to each state but that doesn't mean they carry out any useful activity.
Currently the concept of driving two thousand miles round trip for some useless paper makes me want to dump the thing on the street. Must be why there are so many trashed out abandoned cars here.
Comments