Buying and Insuring a Car

You are in the homeland of some of the world's most famous car makers, so go for it.

You will quickly realize that Beemers, Mercs, Porsches are kind of pricey. Volkswagen, too, is no longer the company that does cheap beetles or vans.

There is a good selection of quality cars, including from companies that new had a presence on the U.S. car market, like Dacia or Seat, and some U.S. favorites from Ford or GM.

Used car prices around here spiked a couple of years back after a cash for clunckers program in the wake of the Great Financial Fuckup of 2008 removed many older cars from the roads.

Take a bit of time, and you will get a good car for whatever your budget is.

If you have not opened a bank account yet, the dealer may send you off to do this. The government wants to suck the vehicle license out of your bank account.

Insurance is a different beast. When you start talking to car insurance companies, you may regret that you threw out a decade's worth of car insurance papers.

At least some insurers claim they will contact you stateside insurer and get records which will then be applied towards "good driver credits".

If you have no papers and an unwilling US insurer, be prepared to pay up to 140 percent of the maximum rates and work your way down by one grade for every two years of accident free driving.

The European car insurance market has undergone some deregulation, so it pays to shop around.

If you have had European car insurance before and, again, kept the paperwork, you may hit the jackpot. Go back to that insurer and see what they offer.

They are required to keep existing credits on the books and offer you the same rate for up to seven years after the end of the insurance.

After seven years, it is up to them what they do. It is rare but not unheard of that an insurance company will reinstate you even after 15 years. Don't bank on it, just count your blessings.