Can I buy a car in Turkey? What's the traffic like? How about public transport?

Buying cars in Turkey is expesive unless, as a foreigner, you buy a car from another foreigner. This is cheaper, especially if you bargain-hunt at embassies (for example a friend recently bought a Cherokee jeep from the American embassy for $4000). However, the bureaucracy is a nightmare -- unless you speak fluent Turkish and have the patience of a saint, you should get an agent to sort it out for you. You also need to deposit a bond in a bank, which you will get back when you sell the car or leave the country permanently. Unless you feel naked without a car, though, you'd be best off using taxis (which are cheap) or public transport, since the traffic is truly terrifying, especially in Istanbul (Turkey has more accidents per kilometre of road than any country in the world). Public transport in cities is cheap, but crowded and uncomfortable. For travelling around Turkey, there are plenty of good bus companies.  more