To Rent or to Buy?
 

I’m now starting to think about/plan my trip back to PT in about a month and am wondering whether to once again hire a car or whether to buy one. Last year I got a very good six-moth hire rate of an almost brand new car so am thinking this would be the way to go again. However I have heard that many of the car hire companies sold off half their fleets because there was not enough tourists and so the rates were correspondingly higher. Is there such a thing as car leasing in PT? Wife and I both had lease-hire cars in the uk many years ago and this worked out well for us.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

Can't answer your specific question, about 'car leasing' but I would have thought that in the first instance you would need to hire for at least a month so that you can choose what to purchase at leisure, not under the pressure of not having wheels.

Could be useful to know what your six month deal was specifically ? And is it ( or a shorter term variation ) still available in 2022 do you know ?

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

It's not a great time - there's a global new car shortage, driven by chip shortages, this bubbles through into rental rates and into second hand prices. I work for a major car brand and we haven't even got vehicles available for our staff rental plan!

But yes, there are classic lease plans available in PT, as well as PCP type plans. But that would normally be for a period of several years. If you just want six months again then your options are more limited

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

Call the local office direct, if it is a franchise of one of the major companies, they have more scope to negotiate if the International brand is not taking a cut.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

Thanks for the replies. Obviously I don't plan to get off the plane and go in search of a purchase, but I'm wondering whether anyone else rents/leases long term over buying. I used a local rental company last year and the year before and their prices were very good - 5 euro per day in January and February. And then I only had to put fuel in it - no road tax, servicing, insurance or new tyres. One of my Swedish friends in Lagos said that his friend rents for the 10 months of the year he's in PT and reckons it works out cheaper in the long run. The car I had last year was almost new.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

It isn't going to be easy....

I think you'll have problems arranging a lease unless you are permanently resident in Portugal and have an acceptable domestic income stream. To mitigate risk for the company concerned, you could offer to pay up front, but I'm not sure that any of the companies would go for that.

Long-term rental will be impacted by the reduction in volume due to the downturn in tourism - so be prepared for a significant hike in prices.

Purchasing, unless from a private seller, normally has a significant mark-up to cover the required warranty, which you lose on selling..... so with the high price of vehicles in Portugal and the drop in availability, you will be looking at a significant cost and an uncertain return if you need to sell quickly.

Maybe you'll have to look at public transport/taxi and short-term rental when you need a vehicle......... which could work if you're town-based, but would be a challenge if you're off the beaten track or have significant transport needs.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

Sportpix - you mentioned you previously paid EUR 5 / day for Jan and Feb with this local rental company (who? It would be good and useful to know). Have you gone back to them and ask how much they're charging now?
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Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

the company I used was Auto Rent, based in Praya de Rocha but which also has an office at the airport. Excellent service, good cars and very helpful and friendly staff. I have not contacted them yet as the date of my return flight is still unknown, not least because the HK government has stopped the luftwaffer from flying into HK for an undisclosed period for brining in passengers infected with the pox. My routing back is hk-Frankfurt-Faro.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

I've seen £5-per-day ish prices recently on longer term rentals out of Lisbon, but this is for a basic Mini type, eg 330ish for 2 months.. The vehicle in the class above was c 370 UKP for 2 months, so there are cheap rentals out there.
Edit to add: Good to finally make my first post after 13 odd years.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

congratulations 🎊. Thanks for your update. I’ve actually emailed the car hire company this morning and asked for a price for a three month hire. I will share the info when I get it

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...fdca5089c.jpeg

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

Just had a reply from the rental company and the fees are:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...ddd045a22.jpeg
judging by the prices I will probably rent for two months while I look for something suitable to buy.

Re: To Rent or to Buy?
 

Just rented for a month in Lisbon for 243 (got a month gap until the new car comes!), so those prices seem pretty good (well, first two months anyway)

When I got here in 2018 I took 3-4 week rentals from a variety of firms at Lisbon airport via https://www.autoeurope.eu/ for the first 6 months or so. But I had to rely on public transport for July & August, since the prices then were crazy!

I always pick the smallest car type and I'd say about 80% of the time I get upgraded (eg this time, booked an Up, got a Yaris). Of course this only works if you are prepared to occasionally get the smallest type ;)