My boyfriend and I are planning a long trip throughout europe, 6 to 12 months if all works out as planned. We have been thinking about buying a car or vanagon once we get there so as to cut costs for traveling place to place as well as to provide a place to sleep at parks and beaches and save lodging costs and also so that we can easily explore and take detours when we can. Does anyone have any advice or tips on buying a used car in Europe? We are in the process of getting international drivers license already, but are not sure what the requirements are to buy a used car. Thank you so much for any advice!
Posted by
CA, USA
333 posts
I've tried to do this in Ireland.
Long story short...It's not easy and extremely expensive even for a beater car. It did stop me complaining about California insurance rates and usage taxes though :)
The short term lease programs are the way to go
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
And though you didn't ask about this, make sure you find out about the Schengen area rules. In short, you cannot stay in Schengen area countries (most of western Europe) for more than 90 days out of the 180 days that begin when you first enter the zone (not per country). Leaving briefly doesn't reset the clock, so you will need to plan carefully to avoid breaking the law by overstaying (once you reach 90 days you would need to leave the zone for 90 days for the time to start over).
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Rebekah,
I don't have any information on buying a used car, however a few comments to add to the replies you've received so far.
As the others have mentioned, you'll need to be very clear on the terms of the Schengen Visa and which countries are affected by this. Penalties can be severe for violations, including deportation for as long as 10 years!
The "international drivers license" you mentioned is more precisely termed an International Driver's Permit which must be used in conjunction with your home D.L.
Some other points you'll have to do some research on:
Insurance - the insurance firms in the country you purchase the car in may have restrictions on which countries the car can be driven to (ie: some countries in eastern Europe).
Vehicle License - I believe residents of the Euro countries can choose a vehicle license which allows them to operate only in their home country, or a license which allows operation across the Euro zone. I don't know if obtaining a vehicle license would have any residency restrictions or require a "local address"?
Some countries require a mandatory "highway permit" for all vehicles (Switzerland and some others). You'd need to purchase these as well or risk fines.
One question I'm not sure about relates to traffic tickets, such as speeding tickets or ZTL tickets in Italy. There would need to be an address connected to your vehicle registration where violation notices could be sent.
Good luck with your planning!
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
3 posts
Wow, thanks everyone for the replies. I am a bit confused, please bare with me, so the Schengen thing is for pretty much all of Europe and that would restrict us to being in Europe for more than 90 days without a visa? I was in Europe last year for 4 months a didnt have any problems going from country to country. I was working on a small farm in the south of France the majority of the time so maybe I was just under the radar. I have looked into the leasing a car and that does seem pretty cool, we were just thinking of buying a car so we could get a van that we could sleep in and stay at camp sites to save money as we are trying to travel as long as possible. I am very un-knowledgeable about visas, are they pretty easy to obtain in Europe? Again, thank you all for your advice and help on this, it really helps in our planning so much!
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
3 posts
Ok, new post again! So I've been researching online and I've read some posts that say you can apply your american insurance to the car your buy in Europe...any experience in this? We would definitely want to sell the car before we came home. I have WWOOF'ed in Europe and that is what we are planning on doing again, it would be so much easier and helpful to be able to drive from farm to farm and sleep in the car when we are tired. You all think the leasing plan is the way to go? Thanks again for the advice!! You all are saving me!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
You probably won't find an American car insurance company that will cover you while in Europe. And yes, the Schengen rule limits you to no more than 90 days in any 180 days without a visa. You would need to check with a consulate (or two) about visa requirements in the countries you are interested in. It would be unlikely that you would qualify for a work visa.
Posted by
Berlin, Germany
337 posts
I believe residents of the Euro countries can choose a vehicle license which allows them to operate only in their home country, or a license which allows operation across the Euro zone. I don't know if obtaining a vehicle license would have any residency restrictions or require a "local address"?
You can of course operate a vehicle all over Europe, but according to EU regulations you'll have to register your car at your main residence (there is a quite generous deadline though).
The reason is of course money: in much of the EU vehicle taxes are local taxes, and the local community in which the vehicle is presumably most used should benefit from your taxes.
The EU don't want you to go "license plate shopping" -- register at a favorable (e.g. low tax) location, but living and driving in another. Which means that most, if not all, European authorities require a local address to register a car.