Adventures in Buying a Scooter: Day 1

We’ve decided to buy a scooter. Although we can get anywhere and do anything by walking, riding our bike, or taking taxis (mostly just walking, though) there are times when it would be beneficial to get somewhere fast. For instance, when we realize we don’t actually have any chicken halfway through making chicken enchiladas for dinner. We can’t really hoof it down to La Colonia and back in a few minutes. Plus, it would allow us to get to Masaya, Managua, or elsewhere on an as-needed basis, though this would be in borderline emergency cases. For non-emergencies we’re fine taking the bus or hiring our friend Bosco who owns Eleda Transporte to drive us out of town. Buying a vehicle in Nicaragua for non-residents is a bit of a trick. Vehicles have to be registered, but you can’t register a vehicle in your name unless you are a resident. What has to be done involves a lawyer and some specialized documents that, basically, leave the registration with the previous...