motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Just for fun, but who knows… I’m off to France (Menton) this summer. I’m tempted to buy a cheap, running, interesting car and bring it home. I’m thinking reliable enough to get home to England, cheap enough that I won’t have the arse when it’s stolen/broken/dodgy. I prefer 60s-70s stuff, manual, quirky. I speak no French. I’m not good with paperwork. I have no garage space when it gets home so might just offload it after the summer. Suggestions invited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 OK, here's my opening gambit: https://www.leboncoin.fr/recherche?category=2&locations=Menton_06500__43.77475_7.50492_6333_30000&order=asc&price=0-2000 <2000 euros, within 30km of Menton Need to go through an pick the choicest chod! motorpunk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egg Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Menton is a bloody nice place to pass the time btw... chaseracer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Bonjour! https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2153823446.htm mk2_craig and motorpunk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 Shit, that’s slim pickings! I added a pre-1981 filter and still not much. I fancy a Renault 4 van, or an early R5 in some sun-blistered shade of sludge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 2 minutes ago, egg said: Menton is a bloody nice place to pass the time btw... Ta. Been a few times over the years 👍 egg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 1 minute ago, N Dentressangle said: Bonjour! https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2153823446.htm Oui! That! But not fucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 ou peut etre https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2150370103.htm AnnoyingPentium and mk2_craig 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Old bangers are really expensive in France if they are at all useable. Even this is €1500. But it is manual. https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2138196593.htm LightBulbFun, 11001010 and egg 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2141856624.htm or the equally moribund: https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2137912932.htm chodweaver and ProgRocker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 You need to load the Leboncoin App to your smartphone. It won't load from the App Store direct to a UK registered phone (at least not mine) because it is outside France. However I used a proxy app called 'Aptoid' which when loaded in my phone then allowed me to download the Leboncoin app which just runs as normal. There may be other ways but that's how I did it. The app allows you to search by location, price, year etc. I've not imported a French car but have run a few on French plates in France. You can't take anything on the road without a valid Controle Technique (MoT). I've always used French insurers on my French address - you will need to sort insurance - on that I can't advise. I'd buy a pre-1982 car to get it MoT and Tax exempt when home. Don't drive anything illegally in France - it is a police state masquerading as a democracy and you will get stopped, fined and possibly imprisoned - but I still love the place 🇨🇵 motorpunk and goosey 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 This looks as if it might actually drive: https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2132570392.htm 11001010 and chaseracer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 5 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said: This looks as if it might actually drive: https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2132570392.htm The ad says "vendu en l'état" (sold as seen) - the euphemism used in French car ads which basically means it does not have a CT and so is not usable. For this reason non-CT cars are usually half the price or less of an equivalent with CT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Dentressangle Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Cars are dearer in France than the UK, as lesapandre says. I suspect they've had their own scrappage scheme, which has spoilt the party somewhat. Plus the CT will be much stricter than our MoT if it's anything like the German TuV. I share your dream, but suspect we're at least 20 years too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 The CT has got much stricter in recent years and pushed a lot of nice old cars off the road. And transferring ownership is more difficult without a CT - basically you are buying the car 'as seen' and without a log book. But don't be put off there are great cars to be had - it's just at the cheaper end of the market they won't be road legal. I'd budget 3000€ for anything interesting and with a CT but without cars are very cheap. How about a BX for 350€? https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2147540659.htm It won't stay this way for long as most of these cheap non-CT cars will be scrapped. France will continue to tighten its emissions controls - and move very quickly to an electric fleet so plenty of bargains to be had. N Dentressangle and egg 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 Great advice and suggestions, thanks. Looks like I’d need to up the budget.. what’s 5k get you nowadays then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egg Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 I expect Marseille would offer more options and then drive along the coast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 37 minutes ago, egg said: I expect Marseille would offer more options and then drive along the coast! Yeah, I’m driving from Calais so I guess anywhere vaguely on route. It’s a bit of a pipe dream but I fancy some French cack in my life - had a 309 SRi which was ok but flakey, and a Scenic which was utter crap, but an older Pug or Renault appeals. egg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loserone Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 1 hour ago, egg said: I expect Marseille would offer more options and then drive along the coast! I was actively looking for cars to drive home from Marseille last week and it was fucking slim pickings. motorpunk and egg 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangernomics Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 Get a Renault 4, use it then sell it to me to take back to France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 2 hours ago, lesapandre said: The CT has got much stricter in recent years and pushed a lot of nice old cars off the road. And transferring ownership is more difficult without a CT - basically you are buying the car 'as seen' and without a log book. But don't be put off there are great cars to be had - it's just at the cheaper end of the market they won't be road legal. I'd budget 3000€ for anything interesting and with a CT but without cars are very cheap. How about a BX for 350€? https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2147540659.htm It won't stay this way for long as most of these cheap non-CT cars will be scrapped. France will continue to tighten its emissions controls - and move very quickly to an electric fleet so plenty of bargains to be had. Without the CT can it not be driven on the road or exported? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 25 minutes ago, bangernomics said: Get a Renault 4, use it then sell it to me to take back to France. I'm game! Need to find one, first. How much is an Alpine A310 in France? Lie to me... I'm guessing, like 5k? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.E Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 If I may suggest something slightly newer* than 60s-70s? The early Twingos are still relatively common and cheap in France, and are quirky little things: https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2153676573.htm bangernomics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loserone Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 This Vespa? egg, Dyslexic Viking and Austat 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 23 minutes ago, D.E said: If I may suggest something slightly newer* than 60s-70s? The early Twingos are still relatively common and cheap in France, and are quirky little things: https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2153676573.htm “Bougies neuf ” snigger… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 58 minutes ago, sierraman said: Without the CT can it not be driven on the road or exported? You can drive but it depends on the level of fail - some are advisories requiring a re-test and some are straightforward fails that render the car permanently off the road. But both preclude use. Export is fine just get a receipt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightBulbFun Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 surely to get round the lack of a CT, if the aim of the game is to get an MOT exempt vehicle anyways you can just buy vehicle now immediately mail off V55/5 to DVLA and bam by the time you go to France to pick it up the vehicle is UK registered and MOT exempt and all legal by the rules of the country its registered with, so no problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2_craig Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 If you can get over the border to Italy why not give this bloke a shout, https://www.dgclassiccars.com No language barriers and he might be able to point you in the direction of some interesting worthless old toss that still functions OK. I make no observations about whether the admin side of things is worse or much worse than obtaining/importing a French vehicle however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangernomics Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 Depending as others have said in the degree of fail you have a couple of months to use it/present for retest. If it has the day of the test sticker on the screen (a big letter R I think) then it’s drive for the fail day only then trailer after that until a fresh CT. You are of course assuming that you get pulled. I don’t see a frog plod for weeks at a time and then like buses I see about 10. Waze is heavily used here but because speed camera detectors or warnings are illegal there’s a lot of police reported wherever there is a fixed camera so may not help you dodge a pull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nullzwei Posted April 28, 2022 Share Posted April 28, 2022 1981 Renault 18 in the Cantal region with CT ok until 2026. 2000 euros. Looks nice-ish. I am guessing cars are cheaper in the less affluent rural departments of France. Mot and tax free once back in the UK. https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/2137340519.htm Dirk Diggler, angle, mk2_craig and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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