Renault 14 arrives at last!

[Pete-M]

Right then, as you've gone and done it, what's the score with buying a car in France when it comes to registration and all that malarky?

 

Despite having spent plenty of time in Europe, France has always been my Euro version of Birmingham - somewhere to pass through on the way to somewhere else, but as it has got more than its fair share of 604s, 505 Turbos etc the temptation to go and buy something and bring it back is high.

 

Having said that, there's the small matter of the Escort which still needs all the German paperwork sorting out before the next mission can be planned...

[theorganist]

Hi Pete,

 

According to the DVLA you basically need the Reg Documents (The Grey Card) and some kind of evidence as to when it arrived in the UK. They recommend a invoice from "the supplier" which I don't have but I have 'Declaration De Cession d'un Vehicile) which I assume is the French equivalent of the green slip.

 

I got one months insurance from Footman James for £20, this is one month to allow you to register the car, not sure if they extend or if that is just a Footman James thing?!

 

I got a importing a vehicle pack from the DVLA and I will need to fill in a VAT 415 form "New means of transport" and a application for a "First licence for a used motor vehcile and declaration for registration for". This is quite a lengthy form.

 

Apparently you can only drive it to an MOT station or to be repaired on foreign plates, which I find strange as during the Volcano fiasco recently people were apparently buying French cars and driving them back to the UK.

 

Obviously I can't register it until I have an Mot for it and that is probably going to be a few weeks/months off yet.

 

I did not have to fill in any French paperwork, so basically you can buy a car and transport it back (or maybe drive it if you are daring!!), just make sure you have as much paperwork for the car as you can but especially the registration document and some kind of evidence of when it arrived in the UK.

 

It will be pretty much the same for Germany I would imagine.

 

Hope this helps and that this is what you were looking for, will share my experience of registering it with the gestapo at the local DVLA office once I have done it.

 

Pete.

[Lord Sterling]

Wow! A Renault 14! Great stuff there man, well done.

 

I love Renault 14s. My old man used to have a Renault 14TL in the mid 80s, CAW995T was the plate, still got loads of photos of it with me as a baby. The 14 is definiately one of those cars on my wish list to own.

 

I've not a 14 in the metal proably since around the late 90s when me and my dad used to trapes scrappys in Belguim. I would love to see this car out and about as I'm not far from you anyway (Often around Halesowen/Merry Hill) so I'll keep my eye out!

[Renault18]

you can buy a car and transport it back (or maybe drive it if you are daring!!

Shit

 

That's not really what I'd been hoping to read.

 

A mate of mine spent a year in France back in 1993. When he was out there he tracked down a Renault 4 TL and then when he came back, his dad flew out and they drove it all the way back from Bordeaux to Sandbach in one go (apart from a change of points somewhere)

 

The thought of paying to get it delivered takes the shine off the whole prospect now There's lots of really nice R18 Turbos which seem to work, and even more chrome bumpered R18s - including some estates, looking for good homes (like my house)

 

Had considered the prospect, but the return journey did involve the car driving off a ferry at Portsmouth, M27, A34, M40, M6, home - Probably cost me more to pay to have it delivered up here than to buy in the first place.

 

Seen the story of the opposite journey on a French Fuego Forum. French Fuego-nut did story of his journey over here in his LHD Fuego Turbo to collect a RHD Turbo for his collection. His mate came and they drove them back across again - loads of photos, none of which included either English or French plod/customs strip-searching them for illegal intercoolers etc.

 

You can bet if we tried, one of us would end up end up behind bars

[theorganist]

Well it says on the DVLA site it must be kept of the road until it is registered, but I don't know if there is an exeption to bringing it home.

 

I was going to drive mine back and I have read of people on here who have done the same. I doubt the police would pull over a French registered car anyway unless it was looking really suspicious!

 

I would love to see this car out and about as I'm not far from you anyway (Often around Halesowen/Merry Hill) so I'll keep my eye out!

Glad to find another Autoshiter from the local area, I was beginning to think I was the only Black Countryite!

 

Well I think it is going to take me a couple of months to get it Mot'd but when it is I could always bring it round.

 

I tend to avoid Merry Hill if I can unless I am desperate for something, although with more and more shops closing in Stourbridge trips to the Mezza are becomming more and more of a reality. I tend to go in the evenings if I can!

 

Pete.

[theorganist]

Probably cost me more to pay to have it delivered up here than to buy in the first place.

To be honest in the end I had the 14 transported for £300 which I didn't think was a huge amount. I used Shiply's and got bids ranging from £1,100 to £300.

 

You could probably have it delivered part of the way and then drive it home from there.

 

Pete.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

£300 thats a mega bargain, you would struggle to get fuel, ferry tickets, peages etc all sorted for less than £300 to be fair. Where was the 14?

[theorganist]

AVRAINVILLE, 91630, just on the South West side of Paris, 20 minutes from Paris Orly Airport.

 

The company is called Autoworx and is in Blandford Forum. I think it was cheap as it was not a dedicated load but was picked up by one of their lorries on the way back across France. He dropped the car of at my house on a small recovery vehicle as he was on the way to some car auctions nearby to collect a couple of cars. They were very helpful.

Pete.

[Lord Sterling]

Glad to find another Autoshiter from the local area, I was beginning to think I was the only Black Countryite!

 

Well I think it is going to take me a couple of months to get it Mot'd but when it is I could always bring it round.

 

I tend to avoid Merry Hill if I can unless I am desperate for something, although with more and more shops closing in Stourbridge trips to the Mezza are becomming more and more of a reality. I tend to go in the evenings if I can!

I'm actually based in Birmingham, but am often around Halesowen and sometimes Stourbridge (Ring road). Only recently do I go to Merry Hell as a mate works there. I'm often about in an a mk1 Rover Sterling.

[Renault18]

£300 thats a mega bargain, you would struggle to get fuel, ferry tickets, peages etc all sorted for less than £300 to be fair.

 

BLOODY HELL - IT IS

 

Maybe I'm not quite as worried afterall. I paid £270 to get a Renault 18 transported up to Hollyhead from Crewe and then straight back, but that's another matter.

 

When the time comes, I'll ask for their details!

[Mr Lobster]

I personally wouldn't be too worried about driving something back from France, so long as you insure it then I would reckon its worth the risk. That said, £300 is a bargain!

[theorganist]

Well at last I have a Mot'd, taxed and registered Renault 14. 2885TV91 is now XUY414V. The 14 may parents owned in the mid eighties was YUX (both are Worcester registrations)!

 

 

It needed welding to both sills, the brakes unbinding and the windscreen washer bottle/motor installed (the original had been removed and the wires and pipes tied together!!. In fact the garage knocked £180 off the original estimate as they said there was less welding needed than first thought.

 

It is a very comfortable car to drive and surprisingly quiet for a 1.2 with a four speed gearbox. Is is as quiet at 60 than my parents Pug 206.

 

There are a couple of issues to sort out.

 

There is a perisitant rattling from the front nearside over every bump (nothing was spotted at the MOT) and I can't find anything loose.

 

The clutch is shagged though, I think. When you pull away it is as though you are in too high a gear, hill starts are impossible almost, the only way is to manipulate the clutch which results in a horrible burning smell. Strangely when you change up from second to third it feels like you are actually changing down a gear. It doesn't seem to be slipping though.

 

Have started tidying the paintwork a little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I am fairly happy the engine is really sweet and it seems to drive well (apart from the pulling away issues).

[Lankytim]

What an adventure! Id love to do something similar. Maybe drive over there "on holiday" with the wife and kits but sneak an A frame into the boot. Find a car, hook it up and drag it back.

[AXrescuer]

What a great little car and brilliant back story! I myself fleetingly owned a gold 14 GTL back in 1987. It got swapped it for a Skoda 120 LSE.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey Nice work, I am proper admiring your approach to this shite buying lark. Nothing seems to put you off, you just crack on and overcome whatever hurdle comes up.

 

If the clutch is jiggered its quite a job unfortunately on these suitcase engines, you have to get the engine and gearbox out and take all the idler gears etc to bits. Having said that I bet you can buy a NOS clutch kit off ebay for a tenner or so, so that will offset the cost a bit!

[Mr Lobster]

Glad to see it's sorted. As Bo11ox says your approach to this is GR8, really impressed! You are inspiring me to get my ass into gear and buy something saucy from France. And I'm going to France in a week or so as it happens....

[Tayne]

.

[Mr Lobster]

Probably, but as I'm going in the Toledo that won't happen

 

Anyway, I do like the ide of dragging something old and odd back at some point - Ami, R6, R12, any old SEAT, or something a bit unusual.

[theorganist]

Well I will definately do it again, when my bank account/credit card has recovered a bit.

 

I bet you can buy a NOS clutch kit off ebay for a tenner or so

I have found a couple of cheap ones on e-bay, in fact it is surprising how many Renault 14 parts there are around!

 

Anyway I hope I may have inspired a few people, maybe you could learn from some of my mistakes!!

 

Again thanks for the encouraging comments, without them I may have given up.

[25v6turbo]

Well done,the 14 has found a keen owner and great to see how much effort you have put it to save it and bring it to the U.K,good on you,i will find out if the Renault garage i deliver to has a clutch if you want??

[theorganist]

i will find out if the Renault garage i deliver to has a clutch if you want??

That would be great, thanks a lot.

[25v6turbo]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-GENUINE-BODY- ... arParts_SM

Nice perid add on??

[theorganist]

Nice one, will be getting those!

[ashmicro]

You, Sir, are a true Autoshite Legend. Sceptre, can't you give him an RR-style medal?

[mouseflakes]

As has already been said - well done sir, true grit.

 

TBH when I saw the photos of the grotty sills I thought 'oo-err!'. Top marks for sticking with it and saving the car.

 

two oars + four oars = six oars

three oars + one oar = four oars

[nigel bickle]

Well done-pleased its sorted.

 

Should damn welll get on with mine..

[theorganist]

You, Sir, are a true Autoshite Legend. Sceptre, can't you give him an RR-style medal?

Lol thanks, I think I am still quite a novice compared to a lot of you guys, I have only been a shiter (by choice not neccessity) for a year!!

 

well done sir, true grit

TBH when I saw the photos of the grotty sills I thought 'oo-err!'

So did I and I did consider giving up and trying to sell it, maybe to someone who had the ability weld and fabricate sills. Then I thought, well I've always wanted on and now I have, so what is the point of selling it now I have gone this far, might as well get on with it. A few years ago I would have given up.

 

Should damn welll get on with mine

Yes would love to see yours on the road Nigel.

[scoobypete]

Well done-pleased its sorted.

 

Should damn welll get on with mine..

yes nigel you should...Audrey wont be amused now will she lol

[nigel bickle]

Shouldnt be too long now.