Long term ( 8 month ) car lease

I believe the maximum length of a car lease is about 6 months. Check Auto Europe (for Peugeot), Renault USA, or Ideamerge for Citroën. Call Auto Europe to see if there is an option to extend. Great way to have a car for long term with full insurance coverage. Depending on how many miles you put on you may have to take it to a dealer for service.

You might have to do two leases with different companies for that amount of time. The French automakers' programs are the most prevalent in Europe. AutoEurope.com is also in the field brokering leases.

I am currently traveling around Europe for a year (with about two months in France, staying in different locations for 5-15 days each), and I considered doing a long-term lease like this. Ultimately, I decided against it because I prefer to travel by public transportation. So far, I have rented a car one time for, I think, four days, to see the Dordogne Valley, and I've taken a couple of cabs and Ubers. I don't know what your situation is in Albi, whether you will be working, etc., but you should really assess the need to have a car every single day for eight months.

What’s the goal of the stay in Albi: traveling to different areas weekly or staying put? Are you within walking distance of shopping? What’s the parking situation where you’ll be living?

Albi is pretty isolated, so you may indeed want a car. You can always rent for a couple of weeks and then go on line to set up a lease. By then you’ll have a better idea of makes, models, and your needs.

Just be sure to always use the US website to rent or lease and a US creditcard in dollars and a US driver’s license. US renters pay fewer taxes and lease programs are for non-residents.

One other option that friends of ours did: they bought a car when they arrived and sold it for the same price just before leaving.

Regarding your friends who bought and then sold a car prior to leaving France. I had thought of this as well as it might be the most economical move. Am I missing something here? On my budget I would have to buy a used car for around 5K. Then I am looking at arranging for insurance (in the states that would be another $800 minimally) , roadside service On the other hand a lease comes with 24/7 assistance, no deductible insurance is included by both my credit card company and the lease company, on board GPS and the peace of mind of driving in a brand new car. Anyone on the forum use the Toulouse airport AutoEurope location?

I've used the Toulouse Airport but my rental there was from Thrifty. There is a rental center in a big parking garage. It was slightly confusing for me because my Thrifty car was picked up through Hertz and the signage was primarily Hertz. I finally found a tiny sign that said Thrifty at the Hertz office. There was a full selection of rental companies there. It's probably where Auto Europe is located too. My biggest disappointment was they charged a drop fee to drop in Bordeaux, not an outrageous fee - but still.

I've leased before for a trip from Amsterdam to Rome. As far as I know the max is 6 months and only the two French car makers Peugeot and Renault participate. When I leased, it was free to pick up and drop anywhere in France. The pick up in Amsterdam and drop in Rome had charges but they weren't nearly as outrageous as some rental drop fees for picking up in one country and dropping in another. With a lease CDW is included in the price. It's extra on a rental. I've been using CDW through my Amex card for a tiny fraction of what the rental agent would charge. I finally got in an accident, in Carcassonne this June, and with a little work on my part they paid the bulk of the claim (left me 130 euro administrative fee from the rental company).

I think the idea of buying a car then selling it at the end may be your best bet. People coming from Down Under seem to do that regularly but it's something I have no experience with.

While it sounds like some people have successfully bought a car on arrival in France and sold it when they left, it seems like that would be more of a headache than it's worth, when compared to a lease. I would think that even if you do feel you need a car the entire time, you should be able to work things out by doing 2 leases; 2 different companies may be required, but that shouldn't be a problem.

several years ago we were in france and italy for about 3 months, and the best deal was to buy a car, i think we got a renault, so check out the various websites. bon voyage, nicholas