Buying from France?

[25v6turbo]

Got a work friend who want to buy something old but road legal(in France)and import in back into the U.K

He has his eye on a couple of things on E-bay France but is it just a case of bidding,winning and collecting it,or is it difficult etc when get on the train back etc,he and i know nothing about it,what must he do,insurance etc.

[hairnet]

bickle and m blx are the men you need

[panhard65]

I always trailer everything back from france you can get a really good deal on eurotunnel (£120 return with the trailer) To drive it back you need to get insurance in france. Yes you can insure it on the chassis number over here but that only works whilst it is going for an mot and in the uk already. The other thing to remember the french idea of good condition and roadworthy is very different to ours. One that springs to mind was the 504 peugeot coupe I went all the way down to Lyon to buy. He said it was very good condition. I get there and it was rotten and the steering rack was bent and disconnected. I still bought it though. I would always use a decent trailer that way you stand a chance of not getting pulled by the gendarmes. As for buying on ebay france the french don't really use ebay much so make sure you email them first to make sure they are happy to sell to you. Best place is leboncoin I buy all of mine through there now as there are many more cars to choose from

[Mr Lobster]

Buy it, make sure he gets French Carte Gris (V5) and CT, trailer is easiest but otherwise insure it over here (using chassis number probably) before he goes then drive home. MOT and then off to DVLA when he gets back to make it UK legal.

 

Thats about the size of it.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

this has been asked loads, check a few old threads about it

[skattrd]

this has been asked loads, check a few old threads about it

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10500&hilit=importing+france

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15059&hilit=importing+france

[nigel bickle]

With Bol herel, but happy to cover specifics.

 

(I do it the cheapskate way, and despite several ''stops'' have never been knicked.)

[pshome]

If the car has a valid "carte gris" (regsitration certificate) CT (Mot) and the number plates are still on the car, then all you need is to get insurance in your name in France to drive it home. The insurance of the previous owner becomes invalid with a sale. The carte gris remains valid for 30 days after a sale.

 

You can get coverage online here: http://www.autotemporaire.com/ . I am not related with this company, all i can tell you is that they issued to me a green insurance card within hours after sending them a copy of the carte gris and my drivers license (and pay of course). This is how i drove my second Tagora from France to Germany a few weeks ago, i don't think its any different to the UK or any other EU country.

 

Apart from the formalities, be sure you get ample pictures before you buy a car in France. If the seller is unwilling to make and send pictures, better stay away. Always ask specific questions! "Is the engine ok?" is not enough, better ask if it leaks, starts cold and hot, revs up to specs and doesn't smell silly etc... This often gives surprising answers . Check the answers for consistency, the bad sellers are usually stupid and forget about their previous lies when quizzed about some detail .

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck

 

Peter