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Buying used Car
Leasing (technically, buying the car and selling it back) gets around many tax and insurance costs and is a good deal for people needing a car for three weeks or more. Europe by Car now leases cars in France for as few as 17 days for €400; Renault Eurodrive offers similar deals. Lease prices include all taxes, zero-deductible CDW, and theft insurance.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Italy are also popular places to lease cars. Most travellers base themselves in UK for at least a few months before hitting the continent, and often buy a car there. In UK it is easy to buy, register and insure a car, mainly because of less bureaucracy and the ease of getting all the paperwork sorted out in a place where everyone speaks English. Because of the number of travellers looking to buy a car, the UK is also the easiest place to sell your car when you have finished with it.
There are a number of publications such as Auto Trader, Exchange and Mart and Loot which advertise second hand vehicles. In London there is even an informal traveller's van and car market on Market Street, near Caledonian Road tube station.
Although the UK is by far the most popular place to buy a secondhand car, vehicles made for British conditions are not always the most convenient for exploring the continent. Because England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Cyprus and Malta are the only European countries where people drive on the left, you will be stuck with a right-hand-drive vehicle which is less than ideal once you have to drive on the right side of the road. If you plan on spending more than 70% of your time in continental Europe, you might find find it easier to buy your car in Europe.
If you have friends on the continent, things will be much easier (and cheaper to insure) if you get the car in registered in their name. Some countries, such as the Netherlands, no longer allow non-residents to buy and register cars there. If you are looking to buy a car on the continent, try the classified papers such as J'Annonce (France) and ViaVia (the Netherlands).
For a shorter term, renting may be the better option. Some travellers may prefer to see Europe by bus or train and then choose to explore a particular region in depth with a rented car.
Camping with a leased van or motor home is cheaper than staying in hotels, and can be a wonderful way to vacation with kids. Fairly cheap to run, these vehicles-averaging 24 to 30 mpg-use diesel, about half the cost of gasoline.
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