A motorcycle in Berkeley ( Safe? / Practical)? (Oakland, Napa: insurance, how much, transfer)

[Bianca Mora]

Hi folks,

This is my second thread here. I am originally from Italy, I lived in Montana for some time, and Washington D.C. too.

I will be here for a year attending Berkeley Law school doing an exchange program between my university back in Montana and here in Berkeley.

I have rented a car for three days and enjoyed it ( went shopping, went to Napa Valley, SF, discovered the area).

It takes 20 minutes to go from the place I live to Berkeley Law School. I really need a car or a motorcycle. Not only to go to classes. But also to go shopping, North Berkeley where my friends live, and sometimes to my favorite Peet's coffee shop in Oakland ( Just two miles from my place).

Do you think I will find a used car with a budget $ 3000- $4000? A good one, not a junk?!

What about the motorcycle? Do you think it is going to be easy for me to find a parking? Where do they park motorcycles in Berkeley?

Will it be stolen!? I am thinking of going to Berkeley Bowl and leave it outside. What do you think? I really need help.

Your opinion means a lot, please guide.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, Berkeley/Oakland have a pretty good transit system. And you can take BART from downtown Berkeley to N Berkeley. There's also a bus that connects the two, running along Shattuck Ave. There are buses and BART that go to Oakland, too; some go down College Ave, another goes down Telegraph, yet another goes down Shattuck to the Oakland side.

I wouldn't leave an unlocked motorcycle outside Berkeley Bowl.

You can get a good, reliable old Toyota for $2000-$3000. Those that have approximately 130,000=150,000 miles on them sell in that range. (Still plenty of life in them, problem-free, usually.) You should have it examined by a mechanic before buying. Don't allow anyone to pressure you into buying before you have the car checked out; they may lower the price to try to get you to buy at that moment. Don't fall for it.

Good luck! Oh, and you'll need insurance for the car, don't forget.

[Bianca Mora]

Thanks, Ruth.

What do you mean by unlocked motorcycle? How can I lock it?

Where can I buy those old Toyotas? Sounds tempting, very good price. All I need is a good working car, really need one.

Any ideas where? Today I checked Google with used cars in Berkeley and found many, but with high prices.

How much will the insurance cost?

By the way, I have a Washington D.C. DL. Will it work here? Or shall I transfer it?

[BurnInTheMil]

Craigslist is the best bet to find a decent priced used car.

As far as locking the motorcycle, I'm assuming she means lock the steering in place, tire, etc...that way if one were to try to steal your bike, it wouldn't be an easy task. A cheap alarm to throw on there wouldn't hurt either

[Ruth4Truth]

To secure a motorcycle: Motorcycle Theft Prevention | DMV.org

Look at used car dealerships for old Toyotas, and check the want ads in the Sunday newspaper for private sellers. Look for cars with higher mileage on them, as I indicated earlier; those will be the cheap ones. The more expensive ones you're seeing probably have lower mileage. Of course, you can do an internet search for such cars in your area, too; a search will show you dealership cars as well as for-sale-by-owner cars. You'll pay a little more to buy from a dealership, but the dealership should provide you with a "Carfax" (car facts) record of ownership, to show that the car hasn't been in any serious accidents, a flood, or other such major problems that would be warning signs of a bad car. Don't get tempted by other brands; Toyotas are the most reliable and last almost twice as long as other brands. Honda is also a good one.

Since you'll only be living in CA 1 year, you're not required to get a CA license, but it wouldn't be a bad idea. You could take care of this at the Motor Vehicles office, when you go to register the car.

Be sure the seller can give you a "smog" certificate for the car, showing that it has passed CA state emissions testing. Don't buy a car that hasn't been smog-tested, and that doesn't have that paperwork. Others here can advise you on that in more detail. CA has stricter emissions requirements than other states, so cars from out-of-state being sold in CA may not meet the requirements. Old CA cars need to get tested from time to time too, I think; I'm not sure how that works.

[Ultrarunner]

Many fall into buying a car with delinquent title fees and/or no current smog certificate... both can be very costly to the point exceeding the vehicle's value.

Buying from a private party, one must be especially careful... many make a living selling cars they do not own... or flipping cars without a Dealer License.

Completing the transaction at the DMV office can ensure all is in order... for vehicles California provides a website to check Smog History... or at least it has when I checked.

As to the Motorcycle... my brother exclusively used a motorcycle all four years at UC Berkeley... he found it the most economical in terms of cost and parking and very easy to maneuver...

California generally mild weather meant he simply dressed appropriately for the conditions which never included snow or ice during his 4 years.

Theft is a real problem in the Bay Area... any extra steps to secure may prove worthwhile.

As to safe... this is a question only you can decide.

[bmw335xi]

Posted in wrong thread