I have used Kemwel lease/buyback previously. All was great.

I recently checked with them for a planned Brittany trip. picking and returning to Rennes. Kemwel and Auto Europe are supposedly the same caompany now. I did pull it up via Kemwel. Automatic lease/buyback was less expensive for same period of time as Auto Europe rental (withd CDW, of couse). Advantages with lease buyback are several...100% covred, in every way, new car..great personal service. That is the way I will go...

I just looked into leasing and rental prices yesterday. A lease for 33 days comes to $1200+ (Renault or Peugeot), while a basic rental comes to $904. If asking for a 33 day straight rental, it is only $830 with Kemwel, but the maximum time for a rental using the Visa card for the CDW is 31 days. A two day rental from Kemwel costs $124 and a 31 day rental $780, hence $904 for the cheapest rental I found. I think that leasing turns out to cost the same or less than a rental if done for a period of 50+ days.

It is true that I am looking at the smallest rental which may be smaller than the smallest lease, but we do not need a bigger car.

I think you always have some exposure, whether taking the CDW or using your VISA for it.

Call your Visa regarding what to do after their 31 day limit on insurance. My Visa said that two contracts could be written, the second one for the additional days, and it would not involve changing the car.

jrjcolllins,

I know that Visa would accept two contracts, which is why I investigated that option, or renting for a week and then 26 days, etc. But will keeping the same car reduce the two days' rental rate? I guess that I will have to call Kemwel.

gracejoan,

I had no exposure. Visa paid for the damages I incurred on my car (a smashed side-mirror housing and a deeply scratched side). To my knowledge, all rentals already have liability coverage for what you might do to another car.

When you rent a car through AutoEurope or Kemwel, there are always extra charges paid locally that are not reflected in the original contract price. I'm not sure if you've considered that in your numbers...

Kathy

I have not paid extra charges except for a VAT and airport charge in Glasgow, which is why I normally do not pick up a car at an airport. I know for sure that I did not pay anything extra in Nice last year.

I paid no extra for a car last year either. I picked it up at the Nantes train station, & dropped it off at the Rennes train station. Another that I picked up at the Nice airport had the airport charge.

When we rent for more than 31 days, we do the car exchange also. Twice we've retained the same car & twice we got a different car. I always use two different cards. When I read the fine print about the 31 days CDW max, it says "intended" usage. So if I rent it for 40 days & crash on day 1 - I am not covered because my rental contract was for 40 days. I'm worried that if I do 2 twenty day rentals with the same card, the issuer might involk this "intended" thing.

Stu Dudley

Stu,

I called Visa about the issue of rentals that extended beyond the 31 days, and the person on the phone assured me that as long as there were two contracts (one for two days and one for 31), Visa would honor the coverage. But you might want to check yourself.

One correction: My original post compared rentals to leases. For the lease, I assumed a diesel, which is more expensive than a gasoline car.

Michael - just got back from dinner in The City (Garibaldi) - so I'm a little tipsy.

Did you really call Visa, or the issuer of your Visa credit card? As you probably know, my wife worked for Visa for a long time. Although she was not in "that" area of the business, she doesn't think Visa really manages the insurance stuff - it's the issuer of the card.

I'll call our card issuer on Monday & see if I get the same advice from them. Thanks for the info. If I get the same story from my issuer, I think that will simplify things a tad.

Thanks

Stu Dudley

>> I assumed a diesel, which is more expensive than a gasoline car.>>

Really - I had not even thought of that. Diesel cars get better mileage and diesel is less expensive than normal gas. Perhaps the rental companies are charging more for diesels so they profit from the lower operating cost.

Didn't even occur to me - thanks for the heads-up.

Stu Dudley

The higher cost is in leasing, not in rental. When renting, I have never been able to specify or be guaranteed a diesel, but have often been given one.

I will be doing a lease byback(Kemwel) in Brittany..pick up and return Rennes. The cost is $1372 for an A/C, automatic Peugeot 207..a rental for same period for an A/C, automatic Golf VW is $1511, plus it says road and registration fees and possible road and airport txes when picked up.This is for the all inclusive price. The lease buyback includes everything 100%..specialized treatment and service etc. I thought it was very good the last time I did it, and I will be doing it again..this is for a month.

Maybe automatics are that much more expensive when rented so that the price differential disappears. I never looked into it since I prefer standard shift.

I just found out that if you have an American Express card and sign up for their premium car rental protection at $24.95 per rental, the insurance protection is good for up to 42 days internationally. It includes full coverage with no deductible. First, you enroll in their premium car rental protection.
Then when you pay for your car rental, you use your American Express card. To sign up, go to www.americanerxpress.com/pcrprew. It sounds too good to be true, but I just phoned them to verify.

I just clicked on the address in my post above and it pulled up the wrong page. But if you type in that address yourself, it will give you the correct page.

It is time for me to book our rental car for our trip to France in June, we will have it for fifteen days. We have always before just called Hertz or Avis in the states and ordered the car, when we retrieved it at the train station we purchased the full coverage. Is there a more practical way of doing this rental. I am going to check out the american express site, thanks the information.

Just wanted to mention, too, that it doesn't cover cars in Italy, Israel, New Zealand, Ireland, or Australia.

My first post was about 18 days in Nantes France- but this post has changed to other needs from others and did not really respond to mine unfortunately except 2 responses! I will check with Kemwell....
soooooooooooo here it is again:
my questions: which would be best for 18 days Leasing or Renting? what company you find best deals and also good Insurance coverage! Leasing it's unlimited mileage and maximum Insurance coverage as well as car garantie.
This year we won't travel much it's mostly to visit relatives & friends locally around 1 hour drive from Nantes airport where we plan to pick up the car.

I would still do the Kemwel lease/buyback, as previously stated. It covers everything that I want, in every way.

Do what you feel is best for you....

If cost is an issue, just try go through the process of leasing and renting on the same site until you are asked for the credit card number. You will then get accurate pricing for both options.

BTW, the lease/buy back option covers everything but your time. The agency will not replace your car in case of a breakdown--it happened to me.

I was curious about your reply of not replacing a car if a breakdown..

I just called Kemwel and was told that Puegeot is most anxious to get you off and running again. They provide a number for service, perhaps it is towed to nearest garage and you go from there...If a major problem, you will receive another vehicle..it does depend somewhat on whether it is a problem caused by you..seems there are variables...

It's now been a couple of years, but we've done the "tax free" lease plan for 17 days or more with Auto France a number of times. That gives you the brand new Peugeot, total insurance, and no surprises you first mentioned. I think their plan is great.
you can find them online or call 1-800-572-9655.

Neo Patrick...I checked online and that is the same plan that Kemwel has..called open Europe...

My pevious experience was excellent..all as you said. I will be doing it again for a Brittany one month trip, picking it up in Rennes.

You can always turn the car in early..if you rent for the necessary 17 daysw and your trip is actually shorter. Compare the rates with a rental, and what you get. If I were to rent it would be an automatic and all the coverage offerred..my comparison checking has always found the lease/buyback to be cheaper..and ...with more!!

As to replacing a car, I would check with Peugeot and Renault directly. Perhaps the system has been changed somewhat, but originally, one had "purchased" the car with all the proper papers, the difference between a resident buyer and the foreign buyer being that the latter purchased a tax-free car. All this involves paperwork, including obtaining a registration. My repair finally occurred in Barcelona, for a problem that was discovered in France but the part was unavailable except when pre-ordered, which we did from San Sebastian. I doubt that the car could have been quickly replaced had that been necessary. Of course, the chances of having a major problem with a brand-new car are much less than with a used car, but I suspect that it would be easier to replace the rental if necessary.

BTW, I would use the purchase/buy back system if it were cost effective. For the car that I want or am willing to take from a rental agency, I pay much less than what I would pay on a purchase/buy back plan (I can furnish the current differential on demand). The break even point for me is about 6 to 7 weeks. As has been pointed out, that break even point might be lower if an automatic is required.

these post are outdated, and I am back in 2013 at making a decision for 57 days with a car in France this time, not much driving in my plans , just commuting to visit relatives and friends in Nantes area. 3 options I am looking at:
1. leasing a car
2. renting a car
3. buying a second hand car and getting insurance for it there
Any of you recommend what would be my best option?
I will add that I usually go for long term yearly in France as my Parents are aging, so this expenses is unfortunately a yearly repeat!
Thank you

Start a new thread.

envoyage,

it depends on your comfort zone in terms of insurance. If you are willing to have your credit card carry the CDW--mine does, with no deductible--then a rental is the cheapest. However, you will have to switch cars at mid-point because the credit card will probably not cover your car for more than one month. Last year I inquired, because someone suggested that the credit card might not accept the subterfuge of renting cars back-to-back, but I was assured that this was not a problem. If on the other hand you are not comfortable with that solution and wish to rent a car with full coverage and no deductible, a lease might be the way to go. Only you can determine the cost by going on line and compare what Autoeurope and Kemwel would charge for 29 days rental time two, and what Peugeot or Renault would charge for a similar lease.

http://www.renaultusa.com/

Finally, I am willing to rent the smallest car available which size is usually not available as a lease.

You can't buy a car and insure it if you're a visitor anymore. You need to prove residency. So scrap that plan. ;^(

ParisAmsterdam, are you referring to outright buying a used car or are you referring to one of those "lease plans" which really amounts to a visitor buying a car and selling it back -- all pre-arranged and including insurance. Or are you saying that kind of plan is now not available?