4-month stay -- Long term car rental? Lease? Use car purchase?

[TenerifeSharon]

This thread, that I started quite a while ago (OMG, was it really 2009??) has been dormant for a long time!

Now that we've spent 3 entire winters (with one in between that we used to travel to other countries)as long-distance snowbirds (from Germany) in Florida, I'd like to contribute our solution to the original problem. This might not work for others, but it was the best possibility for us:
1. We got an American Express Platinum Card in Germany (which is our permanent address and banking connection). Although this card is expensive at about $800 per year, it has some great benefits! One of the biggest advantages (not identical with the T&Cs of AMEX cards in the U.S.) is that it includes full rental car insurance (CDW and Liability) for a total of 240 days a year anywhere in the world, each trip up to 120 days!
2. Each winter I had 6 rental car reservations, each of 28 days -- the first four reservations were done through the cheapest possibility (most of the time that meant using my Costco membership, which included the 2nd driver fee-free). Those four reservations brought us up to almost the entire 120 days. After that I followed up with two pre-paid, but fully refundable, reservations through our german AAA equivalent (ADAC). Again these were for approx. 28 days each and, although certainly more expensive than Costco and Co., included ALL insurance, taxes, fees, and second driver included.

So, with that one card, our problem was solved (not inexpensively, but cheaper than messing with buying a car, car insurance, tags, repairs, storage for the months that we're not here etc. etc.)

Additionally, this great AMEX Germany card includes the same conditions for medical coverage anywhere in the world. 240 days a year, each trip up to 120 days. (And the self-deductible is also decent, with approx. $280 or Euros 200. Car insurance has the same self-deductible)

Sorry to be so long-winded, but thought it made sense to reply to all those who had great suggestions for our situation.

[annerk]

Thanks for the update!