Europe Trip

GoldenBoot

I am thinking of buying an inexpensive diesel convertible car and doing a tour of Europe for a couple of months this summer.

What should I look for in a suitable car ~E5k?

What issues will I face with insurance?

Will I have to apply for an international drivers licence?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

Neilw

Don't know on the car side of it but some tips for your other questions.

Insurance - call your insurance company, only they can answer the question on cover. It can vary from company to company.

You won't need an international drivers license. Do bring any original documents with you, insurance cert, nct, car vlc.

Take out some brakedown cover, RAC and the AA offer different types of insurance, travel insurance would be a good idea also if you don't have any.

You will also need some safety equipment depending on what countries you visit, hi vis vest (must be kept in the car), first aid kit, spare bulbs, things like that.

Don't put yourself under too much pressure to do huge miles each day, it can get very tiring.

Make sure you get to the Nurburgring

markeymark

I don't think you'll find many diesel convertibles round the 5k mark...

The previous model Renault Megane is getting cheap now and the DCI engine is very economical. The roof is supposed to be unreliable though...
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1812431

CiniO

GoldenBoot wrote: »

I am thinking of buying an inexpensive diesel convertible car and doing a tour of Europe for a couple of months this summer.

What should I look for in a suitable car ~E5k?

What issues will I face with insurance?

Will I have to apply for an international drivers licence?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

What countries are you planning to visit? Will there be any countries outside EU?

GoldenBoot

GoldenBoot wrote: »

I am thinking of buying an inexpensive diesel convertible car and doing a tour of Europe for a couple of months this summer.

What should I look for in a suitable car ~E5k?

You'd be much better off buying a decent car that's air conditioned, I see no pros in having a convertible for a tour of Europe.

Max_Damage

Not a diesel, but inexpensive :

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/1861624

Max_Damage

Max_Damage wrote: »

but inexpensive :

.......not for what you'd be buying :pac:

Max_Damage

RoverJames wrote: »

.......not for what you'd be buying :pac:

Times are tough my friend.

keithclancy

GoldenBoot wrote: »

I am thinking of buying an inexpensive diesel convertible car and doing a tour of Europe for a couple of months this summer.

What should I look for in a suitable car ~E5k?

What issues will I face with insurance?

Will I have to apply for an international drivers licence?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

It was 38 Degrees in June here last year ... I would not fancy sitting in a non moving Conertible in that

Checkout ADAC Cover, little bit better than AA/RAC for the Continent.

You don't need an International Driving License

Get a Warning Triangle, First Aid Kit, Luminous Jacket.

Also, Spare Bulbs are a must.

Bring a bag of 20/50 cent and 1 euro coins for tolls

Get a Green Card from your insurance company before you go, its just a European standard Document that all police forces should understand. It doesnt offer any different cover. Actually I don't know why companies dont give it by default

CiniO

keithclancy wrote: »

Get a Green Card from your insurance company before you go, its just a European standard Document that all police forces should understand. It doesnt offer any different cover. Actually I don't know why companies dont give it by default

Because it's not required when travelling within EU...

jenizzle

keithclancy wrote: »

It was 38 Degrees in June here last year ... I would not fancy sitting in a non moving Conertible in that

+1 - if it's anything above 25ish degrees, a convertible will be unbearable to sit in if you're not on a motorway. Fuel is much more expensive on the continent in most places, so bear that in mind.

You should also read up on the differences of the rules of the road. And definitely definitely bring a GPS - it even helps when coming up to roundabouts and yer not sure what way you should be driving around it

Atlantic Dawn

Get a car with air con instead of a convertible
A convertible will be hell for such a long road trip and security for a soft top will be a constant paim im the hole.

keithclancy

CiniO wrote: »

Because it's not required when travelling within EU...

He said Europe, not the EU

Where the Green Card is needed

A Green Card is not required by law to cross borders within the European Union and some other countries. This is because all EU countries and certain other countries comply with the first directive on motor insurance, which says that every insurance policy issued in the EU must provide the minimum insurance cover required by law in any other EU country.

The countries that don't need a Green Card are:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

The countries that do need a Green card are:

Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Moldova, Morocco, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.

Source:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Motorinsurance/DG_067624

If you get stopped by a foreign police force it will save you ALLOT of time if you have a green card, the Irish Certifcate of Insurance looks like it was made by someone at home on an Inkjet printer.

CiniO

keithclancy wrote: »

He said Europe, not the EU

That's why I asked him before, if he is planning to go anywhere outside of EU.
If he isn't there isn't really any point in taking green card.

Source:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Motorinsurance/DG_067624

If you get stopped by a foreign police force it will save you ALLOT of time if you have a green card, the Irish Certifcate of Insurance looks like it was made by someone at home on an Inkjet printer.

How does insurance certificates look like in other countries?

Irish certificate is as good as any other, and what's an advantage it's written in English, the same as green card.
If the cop can understand greencard, he will understand irish certificate as well.

I traveled a lot through EU without greencard, had good few police controlls, and never had a single problem. They ususally don't even look at insurance cert.

GoldenBoot

Thanks for the help.

Ill be staying in the EU.

GoldenBoot

What would be your car of choice for E5k that has a good reliability record and gives good milage?

alias no.9

GoldenBoot wrote: »

What would be your car of choice for E5k that has a good reliability record and gives good milage?

This fits your brief but show some more ambition for a trip like this .

CiniO

GoldenBoot wrote: »

Thanks for the help.

Ill be staying in the EU.

Then you don't need green card.
But you might encounter some problem with you insurance anyway if you plan to stay there over 3 months.

Most insurance companies won't provide you with comprehensive cover, for more then 3 months in the EU.
Law requires them to provide you with minimum compulsory cover (usually third party only) in the EU for the whole period of the policy.
But f.e. when I asked my insurance company about it, they said that if I stay abroad for more than 3 months, they assume I'm not resident in Ireland anymore, and therefore my policy can't be valid anymore. (in t&c it's stated that I have to be resident in Ireland).
In my eyes that's one big bull****, because in your example if you are going travelling across different countries, you definitely won't become resident in any of them. Irish insurance companies will tell you, that you are not resident in Ireland, and by so you will become non-resident anywhere, and won't be able to get any insurance.
In short words - because of sick Irish insurance companies practices, you might be not allowed to go anywhere for more than 3 months, becuase otherwise you wouldn't be road legal anymore, and wouldn't be able to sort this out in any way.

I acutally doubt it, if insurance companies can really assume you are not resident in Ireland after leaving for more than 3 months, but that's more likely question to solicitor which you will need if you will have accident in the EU after exceeding 3 months.