Car rental

Owning a car in Europe is QUITE expensive. I'm not sure this is a viable alternative. First, just having the paperwork to purchase a car in Europe is a challenge. In Italy it took us about 2 years to get the residenza status so we COULD purchase a car. Then there's the taxes. In Denmark the taxes are 180% of the value of the car. The joke in DK is "buy three, get one" because you have to pay almost 3 times the value of the car when purchasing - OUCH! Next is licensing. In come countries, if you own a car, you must then have that country's license when driving it. Our friend recently bought a car in DK and then had to spend $2,500 on the license requirements. And he had to give up his US license while he lives and drives his newly purchased car in Denmark. Other countries require a residence/local address to register a car in that country. Then you'd also have to have a place to park it. Depending on the city/country prices are all across the board. There are so many challenges and costs to owning a car in Europe. We don't own a car yet we do rent often... and we still feel like we come out ahead NOT owning a car. We'd love to have one, but registering, paying taxes, licensing, paying for parking, the high insurance rates, and maintenance costs all make us balk at buying a car. You might look at a short-term lease option to defray costs, rather then renting. Now if you still want to buy one and store it in Copenhagen, we'd be happy to drive and maintain it for you!

Have you ever done a lease purchase through a company like Auto France? They have better rates than rental companies if you use the car for at least 21 days. They have a U.S. office and a toll free number-see below or Go to: autofrance.net Here is a cut and paste from their website: Looking for a Car Rental in Europe? You've come to the right place. While our name is Auto France, we rent and lease cars in many countries, not just France. With 20 years of car rental and car lease experience and thousands of satisfied customers, we are confident that we can help you find the right car for your European trip. Take a few minutes to review your options and you will understand why more than half of our clients are repeat customers. If you are looking for a conventional short-term car rental in Europe or a longer-term lease, please allow us to find you a great deal. If your car rental is for 3 weeks or more, we offer the following: A brand new car every time Unlimited mileage Fully insured No VAT tax 24/7 roadside assistance And you'll be driving a prestigious Peugeot. All for about the same price as conventional car rentals.
Sounds too good to be true? Please take the time to browse our site. Our Locations Page includes pictures and brief travel notes. We also have pictures and videos of our Peugeot fleet. Compare the rates of various models. You'll discover what thousands of savvy car rental clients have discovered. Renting a car in Europe from AutoFrance will make your trip that much better. We will get you a great car at a great price and we'll be here to answer all your questions. 800.572.9655

Yes I have done that - buy a car then sell it back on return and it is a better deal usually but it still adds up. We figure in the last 4 years we've spent somewhere around 10,000 euros on car rentals - that would have paid for a car!

Have you thought about buying a small place in rural France and then storing a car there? Over the years you would be money ahead, depending on your ages. Better yet, partner with another expat and work out some sort of shared arrangement for the house and car. I like the sound of that......

I don't think 10,000 euros will buy you that much of a car to begin with. I just got the papers for the car I am leasing this fall and the price of a Peugeot 308 diesel automatic without VAT is 20,360 euros. I do not know the numbers exactly but from talking with my relatives in Austria in past years insurance is very expensive. The cost of storing it somewhere other than the middle of nowhere will likewise be very high. Because of the VAT there are very few low mileage used cars on the market in Europe, so you will be touring in a used car with no rental or leasing agency to replace it in the event of a breakdown or accident. Additionally, the worst thing you can do to a car it leave is set still six months or a year at a time, that's when seals start to fail and all the oil drains off the moving parts. The best thing you can do is keep a car moving, that's why the average NYC taxi cab goes 275,000 miles before they do anything to the powertrain. I think your propsal will get you a lot of grief from ownership and you will be very lucky to even come close to breaking even. It's sort of like saving a couple of bucks by not getting an IDP.

Maybe you should look into a house swap arrangement. I understand that participants sometimes swap cars as part of the deal. You'd likely save on both car and accommodations that way.

I love the swap idea - any sites you know of that are especially trustworthy?

Interested, but never done one. Sacto seems like a really desirable spot that someone might want to swap for provided your car is included. There's an old thread here with some company names and comments: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/archives/houseswap.htm