ShinyAndy

I've found a car I want to buy but am unsure about a couple of things at the moment..

When I check buscamultas.com I see there are about 2.500€ worth of fines from the previous year, in names different to the person selling it. Now I appreciate that other people can drive your car but there are 5 fines and the same two people in that list - should that be an issue? Should I be trusting buscamultas even?

Everyone suggests using a gestor instead of going up to the trafico/jefatura but how does this work if there are outstanding fines? I assume the gestor isn't going to check that the local tax and any fines have been paid whilst you are stood there paying the transfer/his fee? I guess this gets found out after you've already handed over the cash for the car and transfer tax, if this was the case I assume then the car wouldn't be transferred into your name and so you wouldn't own the car you've just paid for? Would going to trafico with the seller result in a 100% clean purchase?

I'm probably being overly paranoid but I hate buying secondhand cars and this one seems a bit too cheap so I'm looking for reasons why! The seller has agreed to go to trafico which suggests he has nothing to hide but I'm worried about these fines

TheBuzz

Just looked on there (never seen the site before), if it only involves the car in question (reg number) then why do you have to put in your own DNI, NIE .. ???

ShinyAndy

I assume because it shows you fines against you are well? If I put in my NIE and the registration of the car I want, it shows a parking fine I got a year ago as well

TheBuzz

Was out and about at the time and hadnt got my NIE to hand .....

Countryboy1

Do you mean that you don't know it without reference to a piece of paper?
Suggest you learn it.

lynnxa

I don't know mine & I've had it nearly 9 years - if I've ever been asked for it they usually actually want to see the bit of paper.............

I've had my NI number from the UK nearly 40 years & don't know that either

Countryboy1

My comment was based upon the impression 'The Buzz' gave (to me anyway) that he was in front of a computer screen at the time he couldn't recall his number and not out & about where he would be asked for a document.
As for the comparison with the UK NI number, it doesn't stand up. They're totally different in concept & usage. In the UK, one rarely has to quote or declare a NI number for transactions, business or legal purposes.
As a personal example, I don't know my UK NI number by memory, but as I have to enter my NIE number as part of my identification details for on-line banking, I soon got to know it.
It`s also registered with my gestor, water, telephone, electricity & insurance companies etc etc, which would not be the case with an NI number in the UK.
My advice to anyone is simple - learn it!

lynnxa

I wouldn't be able to recall mine anywhere - I'd have to look it up - although TheBuzz did actually say he was out & about when he needed it

I know mine begins with X - that's about all I know about it!! I do carry a photocopy of my green paper with me though, just in case

I don't need it for anything much though - yes, all these various entities might well have it - but that's it - they have it now so I don't need to keep telling them!!

I recently did need both my & my late husband's NI numbers though - amazingly I found my NI card in my purse - but can find no record of his anywhere - he could recite it so as far as he was concerned had no need to write it down!!

malagaman

The Gestor will check for any fines or embargos on the vehicle before anything else so if you go with the seller you wouldn't hand any money over until your happy with what your buying. You can get a check on any vehicle (similar to HPI in UK) at the Gestoria for a cost of about 20-25 euros so best to get this done before any deals are done.

missile

Your advice may be simple but your logic is flawed. I don't need NIE to access my bank account or pay my utility bills.

Thx to OP for the link to buscamultas.com

mikelincs

If there are outstanding fines on the vehicle, then if you buy it, you become responsible as the fines stay with the vehicle. Personally I would go with using a gestor, who would check everything, or buying from a reputable dealer, there have been many stories on this forum of people buying from an individual and having real problems, and as you feel it's a bit too chep, there would appear to be grounds for worries.

ShinyAndy

That's what I'm not sure about, the last car I bought with a gestor didn't involve him doing anything at the time other than checking all my paperwork was correct and filling in some forms. As far as I know the gestor then just does the bit that you would have to do which means submitting all the paperwork to traffico at which point they would find out about the fines.

Thankfully I remembered I have a mate that sells cars so I gave him a ring and he's doing this for me I believe it's called informe or somesuch and will list any outstanding finance, owners, fines, taxes etc, etc. He also verified my previous concerns that the gestor doesn't really do much more than I thought and you could indeed still end up with a car with a load of embargos on it even if you went to trafico

malagaman

Depends on the gestor I suppose, all checks done on my last 2 transfers before money changed hands.