I’ve looked into this before and it almost never makes sense for a 3 to 4 week trip.
Buying a car as a non resident is a pain in most EU countries. Registration, insurance, plates, and taxes can take time and usually require a local address. Even if you buy in Ireland, you’re still dealing with ferry costs, long drives just to reach your starting point, and then selling the car again at the end.
Resale is the other big issue. You might think you’ll just flip it, but that can take days or weeks, and you’ll probably lose money unless you get very lucky.
For a group of five, the cheapest options are usually either renting and eating the one way drop fee, or changing plans so you loop back to the same country. Trains plus short term rentals in specific regions can also work out cheaper and way less stressful.
Buying a car is something people imagine doing, but in practice it’s usually more hassle than it’s worth for a short holiday.
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