Originally Posted by
YVR Cockroach
Location:
We like someplace by the sea, or at least water
....
I have always liked western France, probably Morbihan and south to the mouth of the Garonne (or is it Gironde) or maybe the Pays Basque (Landes is too boring). If Spain goes bang, I would imagine there may be places in northern Spain that may go cheap
There are already a lot of cheap housing in Spain after the real estate crash there. You should narrow down a few locations and travel to each one to see what feels right. Consider everything else you were going to consider, but it should also come down to the feel of the place.
As far as language that's something you'll have to decide what you're comfortable with and how much you can learn. In Spain not that many people speak English, but also remember that Castilian (what the rest of the world knows as "Spanish) is also not a lingua franca in the country. Each of the regions is different.
Car:
Yes, we do need one. For people who may be somewhat nomadic until they find a place they want to live, where is a good place to buy cars? I understand Belgium is a good place to buy cars cheap as it is the most competitive, or was at least initially? How would registration and insurance work for those who will be nomadic at first?
It really depends on what country you will settle down in. Theoretically you can import cars from one country to another, but in some cases if you buy a new or used car in one country, and import it into another country, you may be subject to high "registration fees." I know for a fact that cars in Italy are quite cheap compared to other countries (same cars, just smaller taxes). Insurance will also depend on where you register the car. You should consider a mini-lease if you want wheels during the first one or two months. You'll get a new car for a couple of months and once you settle down somewhere, you can buy something for yourself.
There are addresses we could use but there is the legality issue. And how would one get a drivers' licence if one is nomadic?
Assuming you have a BC driving license, you should be able to trade it for an equivalent in the EU. Again this varies greatly by country and you should investigate how this would work best.
As for brands, we are looking for an affordable and reliable brand that where service is widely available. Would any of the major brands (i.e., VW, Opel, Peugeot-Citroen, Renault, Fiat, Ford) be o.k.?
Reliability-wise, some cars are better than others. You could also add brands like Honda and Toyota to your list of cars being considered. While they're not as popular as in the US, there are enough of them out there.
If you want to import a car from North America, in some countries it's next to impossible, in others it will require some 000s of €s to properly import and register a car. I would advise against doing this, as you'll have to change all the lights and possibly other parts to get it registered.
Health Insurance:
We probably can keep our local (and fairly affordable) medical insurance coverage which does not cover well outside the jurisdiction. Coverage for int'l travel is extra and limits one to how long one can be out. We could buy into the insurance scheme of her parents' country (though it is quite a bit more expensive). How portable is European health insurance if one doesn't actually reside in the country where it it purchased?
Depends on the country and the system of the country. Generally if you have health insurance in one country, it's valid in the rest of the EU.