Buying a Car in Kazakhstan

Well, I went up to Almaty last weekend and Beth and I were able to find a car and buy it in less than 48 hours. I thought I'd write some tips for those of you that might be interested in purchasing a car here in Kazkahstan.

1. Drive all day in the hot sun (with no air conditioning) to Almaty. This reinforces the idea that the new car should have air conditioning. Stop for a meal for a bit of energy before going on to the car bazaar to get a feel for possible choices.
Elapsed Time: 8 hours
2. Find a car that you like in the aisles and aisles of cars each sold by a different owner. Take down the owner's phone number and other pertinent info in case you decide it might be the car for you.
3. When a random seller assaults you and suggests you look at a Mazda MPV (instead of the Mitsubishi Delica), go ahead and see what an MPV looks like.
4. Get really excited that it might actually be possible for you to find an SUV looking vehicle that is left-side drive (unlike the right-side drive that we thought we might have to get) that is actually within the price range you were looking at. Don't show any of your excitement or the price will double.
Elapsed Time: 9 hours
5. Go to the hotel, freshen up, eat a quick dinner, and then go into town to look at a couple other cars that were in the paper.
6. After a movie and some sleep, get up to drive 1 1/2 hours to the car bazaar on the other side of town. Look at the MPV you decided you love, but pretend like you don't like it at all so that you can barter on the price a bit.
Elapsed Time: 26 hours
7. CHECK BRAKES and AIR CONDITIONING ... if the brake doesn't engage immediately and the air conditioning doesn't work, check out the beautiful MPV across the way that you didn't notice the night before.
8. After a thorough initial check, including driving the car back and forth in a 50 foot line, ask the owner if it is possible to take the car to see a mechanic. After you explain that no, you can't wait until Sunday night when the bazaar clears out, get in the car for the ride out of the bazaar.
Elapsed Time: 27 hours
9. Here is where the fun (and the miracle) begins. The driver calls a friend that moves a couple cars that allow you to get to a lane that has less parked cars than the one you are on. Then, drive slowly towards parked cars. When you reach a parked car you have two options, honk or get out and look for the owner to see if he will pull it to the side a bit. After the car is moved try to squeeze your SUV through this space with only a couple inches on each side. Drive under a tailgating tent (complete with men lifting it up). Finally, make your way out of the parking lot and onto the road.
10. Drive the car and listen for sounds. Drive it for a while on the bumpy shoulder to see how it handles bumps. Slam on the brakes to see how well they work and if the passengers are all wearing their seat belts. Push every button you possibly can and crank the air conditioning.
11. Take the car to a mechanic. Find out the small repairs that will need to happen in the near future. Convince the owner to give a discount (some for just purchasing the car and some for the fact that you will need to make a few repairs to the 11 year old car that you want to buy.)
12. Pay the man $100 as a down payment and agree to meet him at the bazaar the next day to complete the paperwork. The $100 ensures that he will not put the car back in the parking lot to try to sell.
Elapsed Time: 28 1/2 hours (only 1 1/2 hours after seeing the car)
13. Race to a car supply store looking for roof racks.
14. Pick up Beth at the airport coming in from her vacation.
Elapsed Time: 32 hours
15. Go back to the hotel, tell Beth about the car, print a document that can be signed by Beth (the director of our office in Taraz), stamp the document in order to make it official and get a good night's sleep.
16. Go back to car bazaar. Show Beth the car. Get her approval. Forget the documents in the car. Go to the notary that is on the grounds and sign all necessary documents, including purchasing insurance.
17. Drive away in new car.
Elapsed Time: 40 hours

We are extremely thankful for the new car. I took it up into the mountains to check it out on the same day we purchased it and it did a great job. It was pretty amazing how every detail fell into place for us to be able to purchase the car in a very short period of time - and less than 24 hours before the Knauss family arrived and took back possession of their car that we had been driving for the last year.