Info required on buying a car in france and driving back

[pb1969]

Hello all,

 

If i wanted to buy one of these french delights that regularly pop up on lebocoin etc does anyone know how complicated a process it would be ?

 

Whats involved paperwork wise etc ?

 

Could i just arrange insurance cover fly over and drive it back ? ive spotted cheap looking cars with no CT, is driving with no CT the same as no MOT is in UK or more serious offence in france ?

 

Its not the UK side of things that concerns me, its mainly buying and collecting car in france possibly with no current CT and driving it back to UK that i would like info on

 

Any info is appreciated

[VWPowered]

in france when you buy a car you will get afew things; a carte gris (like a log book) a certificate de cession which is a triplicate document (one for you, the seller, and the prefecture), if the vehicle has a valid CT it will display a dated sticker in the windscreen and one on the carte gris (make sure these tally) insurance shouldnt be a problem its a simple procedure, if you wish to drive home then yes CT and assurance is necessary, the certificate du cession is like a official receipt, if trailering then the carte gris and certificate de cession is enough, when you have splashed the cash the owner will draw a line through the carte gris with vendu and the date, this is normal...

 

so is a bottle of cognac after hth's

[pb1969]

Thanks a lot, very helpfull info

 

Do you not think that i could chance the no CT and drive a car back without one or is it a serious offence ?

 

ive spoke to a chap in france tabout a car with no CT and he refused to sell me the car if i wanted to drive it back , he said he would sell it me if i trailered it though i suggested that i would be willing to buy it on "to be trailered terms" to cover him and then drive it at my own risk and he still refused.

 

Cheers

[wuvvum]

You get that sometimes in the UK too though, sellers of non-MoT'd cars flatly refusing to let you drive it away even if you've got it booked in for a test somewhere. Having said that, I'd be more concerned about driving in France with no CT than driving here with no MoT - last I looked the French police didn't have a PNC system on the same level as the cops here, but if you did get stopped the penalties are likely to be more severe than the £60-fixed-penalty-drive-carefully-sir-and-get-your-vehicle-MoT'd you get here. I personally would only drive a CT-less car home if it was very local to the ferry port.

[pb1969]

I must admit i had a feeling that driving in france with no CT might be a little more risky than in UK as it seems to affect the price of the car more, price being the reason i was tempted to risk it if i could convince a seller to let me buy one with no CT.

 

Ive spotted a car that drives fine but the CT has expired and if i were to trailer it back it wouldnt be as cheap/worth doing, so it would be nice to know what would be the worst case scenario if i were stopped in france just to see if it was worth the risk, if its a fine it may be worth a risk, if the car gets impounded obviously not worth the risk.

[AnthonyG]

If it's anything like other road traffic offences in France the penalties will be more severe and you will be required to pay up any fines on the spot.

 

Driving the car with no CT may invalidate any insurance you have as well.

 

Messing with other countries police forces/laws is to avoided IMO, especially if you don't speak the lingo well .

[HereHareHere]

As an irresponsible funster, I'd go for it.

 

Polish the thing up to the max, stick to minor roads (definitely no autoroutes) and take a ferry back from somewhere other than France (Zeebrugge/Ostend). If anyone asks awkward questions, shoot them in the face.

[wuvvum]

Update: Wikipedia says it's a 135€ fixed penalty, reduced to 90€ if paid within three days. So not that much worse than here after all. Technically the police can also clamp the car, but they're unlikely to do that unless you're blatantly taking the piss.

[pb1969]

Update: Wikipedia says it's a 135€ fixed penalty, reduced to 90€ if paid within three days. So not that much worse than here after all. Technically the police can also clamp the car, but they're unlikely to do that unless you're blatantly taking the piss.

 

That sounds more promising

[Alexg]

What are the rules with towing in France without an 'MOT'? Assuming you'll be driving there anyway you can tow it back to the dock and drive it on the ferry.

[pb1969]

What are the rules with towing in France without an 'MOT'? Assuming you'll be driving there anyway you can tow it back to the dock and drive it on the ferry.

 

My intention would be to fly in and drive back

[Alexg]

Frig me, you're a mentalist

[pb1969]

Frig me, you're a mentalist

 

Its all part of the challenge, makes it more interesting, providing i dont break down it should also work out a lot cheaper to get a cheap flight and just drive back to uk.

[Alexg]

Depends, it deffo makes it more interesting. But that excitement soon vanishes when your stuck on your tod in the arsehole of nowhere with a blown headgasket and a tyre that needs inflating every 15 minutes. I live in Kent and the local paper always has day trips to France offers- most resently a Car and 4 people for a tenner on the ferry.

 

I do admire you bravery though

[nigel bickle]

Unless its right down the bottom -tow car & A frame via Dunkirk. Dirt cheap ticket (book 3am-turn up whenever) & I 've never yet paid for the towed car at the Dunkirk kiosk -just done theformalities & driven straight through.

 

You get there in comfort -you've all the tools needed to get it home, Frenchy thinks your mad so you can barter stronger, and the Feds seem to ignore you (to-date),even when every panel is a different colour.

 

Loads of fun

[pb1969]

I haven`t bought anything yet just looking into the logistics and hassle involved, all these replies are just what i was after and give me food for thought, thanks

 

Still have the urge to fly in and attempt to drive back though

[wuvvum]

You could buy this.

 

 

Then you wouldn't have to worry about the CT issue, and it's only a couple of hours from Le Havre.

 

As an aside, it's also the cheapest car with a full CT that I've seen for sale in a very long time.

[garethj]

Or this

 

There's no way you'd make it to the port so you might as well call the AA from the sellers house

[garethj]

Or this, you'd be carried shoulder-high by Autoshiters all the way home

[Mr Lobster]

The two most relevant questions here are;

 

1. Where abouts in France?

 

2. What is it?

[theorganist]

Hi,

 

I had the intention of driving the 14 back myself unfortunately I could not due to a small problem!

 

The guy I was purchasing the car from had arranged for me to be on his insurance for a couple of days but we had trouble arranging some breakdown cover, I forget why. The AA and I dare say the RAC e.t.c. won't supply Euro cover on a foreign registered car, so that is something to think about unless you are brave or are useful with a set of spanners (something that isn't really my forte).

 

Although I is a fun idea going over and driving the car back it may not always be cheaper. I eventually got the 14 bought to the UK via a Shiply bid of £300, that was from just south of Paris. To be honest driving the 14 back in the state it was would have been fairly unpleasant, as I could only get gears 3 and 4 when I had it, the exhaust was knocking and the brakes were binding badly. Obviously it is a good idea to find out exactly what you are buying, I was slightly remiss in that area.

 

It is a good idea to try and build rapport with the vendor, I am still in touch with the guy I bought the 14 from and send him updates about it and photographs. I have even been invited back and hope to take the 14 across next year. They are very proud of their cars and although I think he was amazed that someone from the UK wanted to purchase it he was quite flattered, luckily he spoke good English as my French is virtually non-existant!!

 

There are a couple of occassions when I did regret it, especially after the MOT! I have really enjoyed the last six months with the 14, it turns heads, is fun to drive and all my friends love it. Four of us and plenty of luggage went to Snowdon in it a few weeks ago, I had two "big" guys in the back, they all drive modern cars, they couldn't believe how comfortable, roomy and quiet it was.

 

Anyway I would encourage anyone to "go for it" I hope to do it again in a couple of years. Maybe we could arrange a Autoshite trip over to bring a few cars back.

 

Anyway good luck if you do decide to do it.

 

Pete.

[theorganist]

You could buy this.

 

Image

 

Then you wouldn't have to worry about the CT issue, and it's only a couple of hours from Le Havre.

 

As an aside, it's also the cheapest car with a full CT that I've seen for sale in a very long time.

 

Those LNA's are really appealing.

 

By the way what is the French for Ratlook?!!!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I wouldnt worry too much about the CT myself. You never see any french coppers for a start! If you did get a pull, and the car looked OK - lights, tyres etc all in order, and you convinced them you were headed for the ferry, my money would be on them extorting 90€ out of you then letting you get on with it. Also, bear in mind that a CT has to be less than 6 months old for it to be valid during a sale. So if the CT was done 7 months ago the car is sold as 'sans CT' but does not necessarily mean its unroadworthy or has failed its CT, so in this circumstance they would almost certainly see a paperwork problem not a hideous-deathtrap-on-the-public-road problem.

 

If you think the car is capable of making back to blighty without being an obvious menace to other road users I would say get on it, I certainly would, in fact I reckon i will when i have sold my landcrab and have a few 'shite beans' to spend.

[Lankytim]

Can you not get done for not having a CT when you get to the U.K? I have visions of breaking down on the M20 and having the rozzers going though the car and paperwork with a fine toothcomb.

 

What if you have a bump in the U.K? SANS CT maybe invalidates the insurance?

 

Sorry to sound negative, this is something I have wanted to do for a while but I don't want to be anally raped somehow if something goes wrong!