I am a French buy-back leased car

I am a French buy-back leased car

In the 1970s France introduced a scheme for long term tourists to lease buy-back cars.

If you not a resident of an EU country and will be touring France/Europe for between 17 days (21 in the case of Peugeot and Renault) and six months, it is often advantageous to use one of the “short term” lease buy back programs. You do need to book at least a few weeks in advance before departing.

Under these deals, you purchase a new car tax-free and the manufacturer agrees to buy it back from you at an agreed price at the end of the period. You just pay up-front the agreed difference between the two prices. That way, it looks very like a normal rental program.

These lease buy back programs are uniquely French and offer a tax-free alternative to car rentals that can often have an overall lower cost and better value than a traditional car rental. The programs are typically run by the big three French auto makers Peugeot, Renault, and Citroen.

Short term leasing offers clients a brand new vehicle, full insurance, unlimited mileage, and flexible driving rules compared to traditional car rentals. You must be a NON European resident to take part in this.

You can pick up and return you car from many locations in France. (Locations depend on the make of car.) There is little restriction on where you can drive it within Europe.

The number plates are red to mark the car as being on a tax exempt program.

This is an extension of the old ‘TT’ program that operated in the 1970s. You can buy the car outright and take it back home with you. Probably avoiding tax in both France and your own country.

The Australian link is Global Cars