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Hi, what a cool website Darren.
My boyfriend and I are coming over to Europe (from New Zealand) from Oct 16 to Dec 2 and we want to live in a van for that time, travelling mostly in Portugal but have a friend in Hossegor (SW France on the coast) so thought it might be good to get a van there and travel down. Would people recommend we hire or buy? Hiring seems like money down the drain, since if we buy we can sell it on. However, I am clueless as to how hard it may be to sell a van, especially at that time of year. What do people recommend we do? We are on a small budget. Where and how would you recommend we hire or buy? Are any of those 3countries better or worse for it, for example it might be smart to buy in Portugal then go up the coast and sell in France.
Thanks for reading this!
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Hi
For that amount of time I
Hi
For that amount of time I would recommend buying a van. It will cost a lot less than hiring. Also when hiring, many companies are restrictive about entering lots of different countries. And if you get even a slight scratch on a rental van, it will cost you a lot to get fixed.
You can buy cheaply in the UK, as there are lots of used vehicles around. France, Spain and Portugal are much more expensive to buy in, and you have the language problem when buying. If you buy in Portugal you will find it hard to sell in France, as French people wont buy it, as they would have to re-register the van in France. You will need insurance, and organising than outside of the UK will be hard, but much easier when in the UK.
If you buy a UK vehicle it will be right-hand-drive, like NZ, which will make it easier to start with, but of course is the wrong side for driving in continental Europe, but that is not really a problem.
I would suggest buying in London. Try the http://www.gumtree.com/ website where you will find loads of campervans for sale. Take your time and buy a good one.
Tour as much as you like, then sell it in London when you are finished.
You will have to pay for the ferry crossing from UK to France, but you can get from about £60 with http://www.norfolkline.com/ferry/.
In the UK you can generally buy and sell a camper at anytime of year, as people are always going to Europe camping.
Have a great trip!