We are considering buying a car for a 10 week tour of Europe in August/September. How hard is it to buy, and then sell again, a car in Paris?? We are Aussies, and were wondering if there were any good websites to look at, or advice on how to go about this. Are we just asking for trouble, or is it do-able? Thanks heaps!!!
|||
Its not something that is often done compared to Aus but its not impossible. For quick sales ebay.fr is worth a look.
Insurance and paperwork are very important in France/Europe its something you really need to look into before you go.
Good luck anyway.
|||
I can%26#39;t really tell how it is in France since I was never that unlucky to have to register a car here!! I just know that there is a lot of paperwork and running to the préfécture de Police which is mostly an adventure.
If you go for buying a car I%26#39;d do it in Germany, for two reasons. 1. The prices are much lower I have bought all my cars there and the difference with France in HUGHE!
A good website in Germany is www.mobile.de.
2. In Germany the thing you have to do is going to what they call the %26quot;Strassenverkehrsamt%26quot; to register the car under your name, the only thing you need is a valid insurance, what they call a %26quot;doppelkarte%26quot; which testifies that your car will have an insurance the moment you leave the place.
|||
I doubt that you can buy a car and legally register it in most places in Europe if you are not a resident in that country. (You can buy a car and use it for a time n Europe if you are exporting it, Mercedes Benz in Sindelfngen, Germany does this among other manufacturers.) A more practical way to get low rates for long time periods (your 10 weeks certainly qualifies), is to lease an auto for that period of time. The French car manufacturers offer such a scheme that is certainly much cheaper than a standard car rental and also solves the registration problem. Look into it (the European travel group rec.travel.Europe in the past has had several discussons of this). I don%26#39;t have the details as I have no need for such a lease.
|||
Maybe instead of buying it is better to lease, here is the page for Peugeot%26#39;s official lease program: http://www.peugeot-openeurope.com
Im going to do this in Aug/Sept for 23 days and you get brand new car for a very good price.
|||
I%26#39;ll second the lease option. In addition to the Peugeot service there is also Renault Eurodrive:
http://www.eurodrive.renault.com/
I%26#39;ve done the Renault program once and was very satisified. Factory fresh vehicule, unlimited milage and insurance included.
|||
So you are aware about the lease to buy back program.
It is your car as you drive it off the lot.
If you get flat tires or aage the tires you do have to pay to replace them.
If your car breaks down you have to go to the dealer closest to your break down ( they are not open on weekends).
That dealer has ( look at contract) between 3 to 5 days to repair auto. They give you a replacement to drive but you have to return the replacement and get the original car.
|||
If the car can not be fixed then you have to fly/train/ bus on your dime back to Paris or the city which you picked the car up and get the replacement car.
During the ten weeks you must take the car back to the dealer for so many miles maintance check backs. This maybe will cut into your trip time.
Three days before you leave you must fax paper work to the correct place so that all the buy back information is on hand to drop off your car for the buy-back program.
Buy to lease are much cheaper than long term lease rentals because the 33% luxury tax is not included in the cost.
Autoeurop is another company you can look into.
Autoeurop sells the long term lease rentals. For your informatiom unless you buy %26quot;complete insurance%26quot; you will still have a huge deductible. depending on the model of car economy is $1000. for damage and $1200. for thieft. You and your passangers are not covered for bodily injury. You must buy travel insurance that covers medical care.
|||
Thanks for all the advice - it%26#39;s a lot to think about. Guess we have to consider the pros and cons of leasing and buying. With regards to the comment about buying a car in Germany - how hard is it to negotiate all the paperwork etc if we don%26#39;t speak the language?
|||
I got this from the Renault site:
A Brand New Car
All Renault Eurodrive vehicles are under warranty.
Each model that we offer provides you the maximum of comfort, reliability and security.
Whether you%26#39;re looking for a family car, a sports car, or just a practical vehicle, you will always find what you need for your travels in Europe.
Comprehensive insurance included
With Renault Eurodrive contract, at no additional cost, you will benefit from comprehensive insurance with no deductible, which provides full coverage in cases where you are immobilized during your trip to insure that you can continue your travels. This service is insured by Renault Assistance within the limits of the territories under coverage.
You can also make a personal belongings insurance part of the coverage.
Roadside Assistance
In 29 European countries, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, you have at your service a personal road assistance program, backed by 17,000 Renault points of sale and repair centers
So from this it seems you are insured and have 24x7 assistance. As Im going to lease a car in September, I will look into what happens if the car breaks down or there is an accident that makes the car unfit to continue using it.
|||
rsp :
Make sure you a copy of the fine print and read thru it before you %26quot;Lease to Buy%26quot;. Yes, you do have 24 X7 towing coverage but the dealers who repair are closed on Sat and Sun so you have to wait until Monday toget the car fixed. Also ask what cities the repair/dealers are located in.
Also read the fine print about tire coverage and window coverage.
Also ask them if the car needs to be replaced as repair is taking too long or goes past their agree upon days if they will pay for you to get back to Paris to pick up a car. And what method of transportation they will pay for and get it in writting.
I have decided for our ten weeks to just use a%26quot; Long Term Rental%26quot; with %26quot;complete insurance coverage%26quot; to lower the deductible amounts. It is about $400. more due to the luxury tax but I do not want the hassle of doing maintance and faxing things and waiting or traveling for replacement car if anything happens.
I would think that a new car would be no problem, car accident that renders a car undrivable would be a problem.
Just read a copy of both Lease to Buy and the Long Term Lease agreements before you order either. Just know what you are signing.
No comments:
Post a Comment