Originally Posted by
MarLim
With regard to buying a car, you should probably buy it where you will register (and insure) it. I can't talk about all European countries, but in France you will not get insurance cover without a valid European driver licence. You might consider having a car registered and insured in the name of a relative in your partner's home country. You can then drive this car all over Europe with any driver licence as long as your status remains tourist. Health insurance is usually managed by the state and only available if you're a resident. As a tourist, you may buy a private insurance and ask for a European coverage. Apart from the price, I don't think there would be any issue with this.
and that's where it gets tricky. how long will you be considered as a tourist? Schengen rules for example have been discussed allover this forum ...
for example,if you have a EU drivers license, you don't need to change it, when you get residence in another EU country. for non-EU DL, you have to change it withing 6months after taking residency or you can get in serious trouble for driving without valid license ...
... and your medical insurance question is not a easy as you think. social insurance laws may (depending on country) ask you to register (and pay) local medical insurance, which is NOT easily transferable from one country to another....