I agree with gwm - there's no need to be totally negative, but you should be realistic.
It's true, there are loads closing down or desperately trying to sell, and the choice is enormous. Many appear to be bargains, but remember the old adage, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. If a business is going for a song, it's most likely because it's not a good business. If someone is selling a bar for 15 grand, chances are it isn't netting them that much in a year - in which case they're surely struggling to make an adequate living.
If an existing business is not doing particularly well, it doesn't necessarily mean that with a lot of hard work and determination you couldn't make it succeed, but have a long hard think about what factors will be important to your success. You don't have to have experience in catering, just some common sense.
Location location location - obvious really, but easily overlooked. It really is important. Unless you have a stunning concept that will draw the crowds, you will depend largely on passing trade, so make sure there is plenty.
My advice also would be to try to stay away from areas that are totally dependent on tourist trade, since the season can be surprisingly short. If you can successfully tap into an established ex-pat community, much better. Better still, is to capture some Spanish custom as well, but this can be very hard, especially if you don't yet speak Spanish.
In many ways a drinks only night bar may be the easiest option (no cooking, no coffees etc.) but this comes with it's problems. If you are young free and single (??) it may appeal for obvious reasons, but trust me, if you just want to have fun, you're far better off staying on the public side of the bar. If you want to make money out of other people drinking, partying and enjoying themselves, you must be very disciplined and keep focused on business. It's hard work, and often not much fun at all.
A day time cafe can mean very long hours, but may be a whole lot less stressful.
Another important thing to bear in mind, is all the regulations that govern bars and cafes etc. It's not like the good old days any more, when so long as you didn't upset anyone, you were left to do pretty much whatever you liked, and nobody bothered with such petty things as licences! Nowadays you have to be aware of rules on disabled access (esp. to toilets), sound proofing, closing times, smoking areas etc. etc. It's very easy to fall foul of the law, as small businesses are seen as a soft target for the authorities.
Employ the services of a recommended gestor before committing to anything, to avoid buying into a ticking bomb.
Again, agreeing with gwm, now may not be the ideal time (credit crunch etc.), but whenever you choose to embark on such a venture, make sure you are not under-capitalised. By that I mean, ensure you have enough money set aside to not only buy and stock you business, but see you through the first 6 months at least, in case there are any unexpected nasty surprises, and to give yourself a fair chance of building up some regular trade, rather than being dependant on making a profit from day one.
A couple of other things I've just thought of:
Unless you buy a freehold property, you will have rent to pay on the premises. For reasons which I have never been able to understand, most leasehold businesses when advertised for sale, neglect to mention what the rent will be for a new tennant. This is really important, since it's likely to be one of your biggest outgoings.
And finally, don't trust anyone, least of all agents! Do NOT hand over cash for a deposit to an agent operating out of his car with a mobile phone. Sounds obvious? Maybe, but it's sometimes the most obvious things which get overlooked.
Good luck!
This message was last edited by Roberto on 10/23/2008.