> but the obly reason for me to own a car is the long distance trips. Most of the Europeans are in the similar situation.
Unless you drive very often you can rent something like a brand new VW Polo for 30 euros a day (40 with extra insurance), realistically in Europe you should have about 5 weeks of vacation per year so you'd have a car for your long distance need for <1500 euros per year, no maintenance, no long term parking issues, &c.