We are looking at the a long term lease/purchase for both a Boxer from Peugeot through Auto Europe or a Trafic Combi from Renault. Has anyone driven either of these vehicles, and were there any problems with height for parking structures? Is there a difference also in working with either company in servicing the vehicles or other problems which may occur? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I have leased long-term from both Peugot and Renault. No trouble from either. You might ask if they offer any special deals--sometime they upgrade at no cost.
Also, you might call Rob Liddiard (800 272-3299) who books for Renault Eurodrive. I reserved through him last summer and saved $75.

Regards,

Jinx Hoover

We've had both Peugeots and Renaults and liked them both; one Peugeot, an upscale model by luck, was very comfortable but just a tad too wide for some narrow streets. Our favorite has been the Renault Laguna, although recently we have been using the Renault Scenic, a sort of mini-van that is very nice because it's higher than a sedan. We haven't had any problem with roof heights on any of these cars.

Both plans will offer full free service at any Peugeot or Renault dealer, and at least in France (as well as most of Europe), you can find one almost anywhere. So the servicing won't be an issue. Although you may want to double check what their policy is regarding a replacement car if you had a breakdown or other problem.
We've only done the Peugeot lease plan through AutoFrance (not AutoEurope) and have always been happy.

Careful on price differential for equivalent cars. Between the Peugeot 206 diesel with AC and the Clio diesel with AC there is a $400 differential for a 57 day lease. I find the Renault Paris return location more convenient than the Peugeot location. Returning a car at CDG was very easy with Renault; I don't know about Peugeot.

We've not used Renault, but we often lease from Peugeot. We've leased from Kemwel and Sodexa. Sodexa seems to be Peugeot's own leasing outfit. We've never had a problem with it. They are great to work with.

We usually get a smaller car, prefer the Peugeot 206 because it's easier to park and drive on narrow streets. We have had the 306 and 406 when we've had someone else with us.

We've scraped the side of one and had a rock crack the windshield of another and Peugeot had no problem with any of that. The first time we leased, our oil cap disappeared (or was never there in the first place). We overheated near Grasse on Bastille Day weekend and Peugeot had their service people there within 15 minutes with a replacement part and new oil. We were on our way within 30 minutes. That's pretty good service.

CDG is not our favorite place to return the car, but once we missed the turn and just parked and noted where the car was. We gave Peugeot the ticket and location and they were very nice about it. They seem to be able to cope with anything and maintain a sense of humor.

I don't think service would be a problem with either car. They both have dealerships all over the country.

Have a great trip.

I am so glad to see your post I am also looking into leasing the same type of vehicle for my family of 8..
Could you please tell me what vehicle you decided on and who you leased through?....We are picking up our car in France and taveling into Germany, Austria,Hungary and ? for one month .
This is our first trip as a family to europe with 6 kiddos ages 6y-17y..This will be an adventure.....thanks

For lease/purchase I have found Europe by Car better than Auto Europe. The latter is preferable if you want to rent.

One thing you might not have encountered if you haven't leased before - some of these programs require that you take the car in for its first checkup (at 1000 km, I think). You may need to schedule that into your trip. Last time I did it, it was easy because I knew the nearest Peugot garage and could converse in French with the manager, but it did take a couple of hours and I remember thinking it might be a bit of an adventure if you didn't speak the language.

The first time we did an AutoFrance Peugeot lease we had to take ours in for that first service also. It was in Bordeaux and we were a bit worried because neither of us spoke French. But when we arrived, we just showed him the card, and they did it all. Through sign language we showed him a problem with one of the shoulder harnesses. We were in and out in about a half hour -- wish I could get car service like that at home.

But last year there was no initial service required. They said with the new Peugeots the first service is at something like 15,000 kilometers -- not an issue for us.

In the last two years I have not had to service the cars (once a Puegeot and once a Renault) before 10,000 or 15,000 km. If you do more than 8,000 km (5000 miles) in a month, your touring plans may be too ambitious.

az3ca3 -
I decided to go with Renault. The savings was about $400, mainly due to their lower drop fee in Munich. I have never tried Renault, but thought the $400 was worth the try. Good luck!