Car Rental IN EUROPE

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <0716D052C1CFD0119D280060979FBE9A4916@a1.matrix.com.pl> Aleksander Mierzwa writes:

> How would they know where did he take the car?

It's the insurance issue - which countries are covered by the "green card" 
document?  There's absolutely nothing to stop you driving from Berlin into 
Poland (most Americans don't realise Poland is only 50 miles from Berlin) but 
would you be insured in the event of an accident or the car being stolen?

I agree that you could take a car in and out and they'd never know - but ...    

> And BTW, I drive my 5K to
> work every day, park it on the street where it stands 8 hours. I do it
> for 3 years and only once some jerk tried to steal my radio ( but I
> bolted it really tough! :-) ). I think there is the same probability of
> car being stolen in Germany ( thieves DO travel! )

Absolutely agree.  In fact, the worst country for car crime in Europe is the UK.

One of the most difficult countries to take a car into on holiday is Spain.  
Most European countries take the view that a car has to be officially imported 
before it can be written off.  The Spanish authorities were until recently 
particularly strict - if your car was written off in an accident in Spain, it 
was regarded as having been imported and local taxes were payable on the new 
value of the wreck.

And let's not forget that the Pike's Peak trip we tried to organise for a 
contingent of UK cars failed mainly because we couldn't get insurance for a UK 
car in the USA.

The problem is not unique to Poland.

--
 Phil Payne
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club