Touring europe by car.

[jambo101]

Friend of mine wants to do a 10 000 mile tour of europe but is in the dark about how to do it in a car without spending a fortune on rental fees. any cheaper options and still end up driving a car?

 

[Trek]

Simply buy an older car, register it and buy a short term insurance policy. Depending on the car and where you buy it, that could work out very inexpensively. Then sell it or give it away when you are done.

 

[FIREd]

Or you could buy a new car. I would go with a smaller car because they have better gas mileage, which is essential in Europe given the price of gasoline there (you may even want to go for a diesel vehicle as diesel gives good better gas mileage and is cheaper than gasoline). Small cars will also give you a huge advantage when navigating narrow or busy streets, and they are a breeze to park just about anywhere. If you have ever parked a car in a large city in Europe, you know why this is particularly important.

Smaller cars can be really cheap in Europe. My mom just bought one last month, the base price was only 8,000 euros (That's the car she bought: http://www.renault.ch/fr/gamme-renault/vehicules-particuliers/nouvelle-twingo/). After adding all the options (including a/c, airbags, CD player, etc...), she ended up paying just about 10,500 euros. When you are done with your trip, just resell it and recoup most of your money. The reason why I'g go with a new car is because I would pay a bit more money to make sure I don't get into mechanical troubles during my journey which is more likely to happen with a used car than a new one.

 

[nwsteve]

Here is a helpful thread from Rick Steve's travel site
Graffiti Wall: Driving Europe Crazy
Note particularly the recommendation to look at long term lease option--especially given the length of trip. Leasing may also save you some out of pocket capital up front
Nwsteve

 

[nphx]

Thanks nwsteve - Free tax discount car rental and lease for expatriate and tourism travel in Europe looks interesting ... about $1500 usd for 2 months in a new "car"... well Renault... but at least it has 4 wheels.

 

[dex]

Thanks nwsteve - Free tax discount car rental and lease for expatriate and tourism travel in Europe looks interesting ... about $1500 usd for 2 months in a new "car"... well Renault... but at least it has 4 wheels.

I can't read the fine print - Do you have to pay mileage?

Did you see anything like that with a camper van? I would like that - a year in Europe - summer in the north and winter in the south.

 

[utrecht]

My wife and I did a 3 week driving trip in Europe about 3-4 years ago. We rented a car for ~$150 / week. I cant imagine you could buy a car and resell it for less than renting one. Not to mention the hassle of having to sit around and wait to sell it. What do you do if it takes a couple weeks to sell?

 

[nphx]

I can't read the fine print - Do you have to pay mileage?

Did you see anything like that with a camper van? I would like that - a year in Europe - summer in the north and winter in the south.

Web site says "Unlimited mileage." There seems to be 3 mini van looking cars but no camper.

 

[REWahoo]

Did you see anything like that with a camper van? I would like that - a year in Europe - summer in the north and winter in the south.

One of my old bosses did that a few years ago when he retired . He and his DW stored all their furniture, leased their house for a year, purchased a late model used camper van in Europe and drove all over the place for a year. Went as far north as Finland and as far south as North Africa (he's nuts).

They sold it after a year and returned home - not sure how much of a beating he took on the deal.

 

[dt123]

We did the Renault buy-buyback thing once a couple years ago and it was great. You have to take it for at least 17 days I think. It was cheaper than renting. Something about the tax laws in France allows you to buy a brand new car for 18 days or whatever, then Renault buys it back at the agreed price and somehow makes money selling it as a tax-free used car. Or something. I never did understand it. You just pay the agreed difference. Insurance is included.

The price is cheapest if you pick up and drop off in France. We got a Renault Espace minivan for family of 5 (3 teenagers) with luggage. It was a diesel with a stick shift. The kids ended calling the Espace the Es-crappy, but I liked it.