Extended Stay in Switzerland - Leasing Car

Hi Mike, In Switzerland people tend to pay cash for their cars and there is very little leasing of any kind, so I doubt you'll find a Swiss option. Being close to France, perhaps you might find a French or international company willing to offer you something. In addition to enter into a financial agreement with a Swiss company you usually need a resident's permit. Another option might be a Mobility Card. This would allow you a 50% discount on public transport and pick up a rental car at the train station, which you then pay for by the hour including gas. Thus you can travel to a location by train, pick up a car use it for a few hours, drop it off at another station and return to your accommodation by train. You could also pick up a van for the day you are moving from one location to another on the day you are moving and so on. Jim.

We leased a car through AutoEurope. You will pay an additional charge to pick it up and drop it off outside of France. There are many locations in France you can do this in, so you would save significant money doing that. Are you aware that you can't be there for more than 90 days without obtaining a visa? The days start counting from the day you arrive to the day you depart.

Rent a car in France and take it with you into Switzerland.

Peugeot and Renault are the only ones who do short term leases. They are taking advantage of a loop hole in the French VAT law that exempts non EU residents who are not traveling on business. There is a page at About.com that goes into the details. Take a look at the AutoFrance web site, it lists all of their pick up locations in Europe. Most locations are at airports. They post the pick up and drop off fees in their detailed rates. The last time I rented through Hertz they did not include the fees until the bomb was dropped at the rental counter. The nice thing about the lease car program is that you get a brand new car that was built for your lease, it is insured to the hilt and can be driven by anyone in your family over 18 all at no extra cost. The price they show when you make the reservation is what you will pay, there are no hidden fees. Two quick points .. 1)you have to reserve 90 days ahead of time and 2)the automatic transmission allotment may have been used up, so I would move quickly. I think there are n pick up or drop off fees at the Geneva airport.

I have looked at the French auto leases, and don't consider them an especially good buy. I suggest you just check into AutoEurope.com for car rentals.
Just one person mentioned the 90 day max you're allowed to stay in Europe. Getting a visa to stay longer is a very, very difficult process. We've been hearing about horror stories, heavy fines and deportations. You might want to pay close attention and consider lessening your time shares to 90 days or slightly less.

Twelve times seven equals 84.

I am curious in what way the French leasing program is not a good value? We have met people traveling in Europe, in Spain and in Switzerland, who were driving around in leased Peugeots and thought it was a great deal. Whether Mike would do better with a leased car, or public transport, is a different question. I am thinking these timeshares might be a Leysin and/or Crans-Montana? If you are planning on visiting other areas for hiking, will you be riding lifts? You might want to look into one of the mobility passes Jim (Bern) mentioned, either iin addition to or instead of the car.

'Getting a visa to stay longer is a very, very difficult process.' It took me fifteen minutes to fill out some forms, write a letter, and make copies of a few things. It took me thirty minutes to go to the post office and back, but I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. The visa arrived less than three weeks later. It took less than a minute to open the envelope and toss my passport in a desk drawer. Less than an hour. How much time do some people spend asking about gelato joints?

Your responses have been incredible! Thank you. I certainly have more research to do based on your valuable input. I do appreciate the caution regarding the via. That is why we initially chose 12 weeks or 84 days as pointed out. Interesting point about renting a car in France and taking it into Switzerland. We are flying into Geneva, just for two weeks :-( in May. We booked the rental car through Europcar for 289.00 on the French side of the airport. Otherwise, the cost would be slightly over $400 on the Swiss side. Thanks again for all your help.

I only brought up the 90 day issue because it was possible that Mike may have been planning to be there longer than the 12 actual weeks at various timeshares; either before, after, both. Or he may have some time period in transit between them.