In the next couple of months we will be back in France. I have decided not to import my current car so intend to buy one from a local French dealer, who was recommended by a French neighbour.
Someone told me that the garages generally use something like l’Argus to determine the price of a car they are selling. In the UK that would be a starting point for discussion on price. Does that happen with dealers in France or as regards price, is what you see what you get. I also get the impression that it’s not possible to take a large bag of cash to pay for it 
Any other precautionary tales to look out for.
it’s not advisable to be wandering anywhere with a large bag of cash… .
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My advice Giscard is to make a shortlist of cars you would like, make and model, and the age, milage and condition you’d be prepared to accept. Search the online car sales sites (which give you filters to whittle down your search) to get an average price and then check out the main dealers near you and see if they have anything you fancy at that price point. Watch out for extras, they could have been expensive when the car was ordered but worth little or nothing in a secondhand car, So a very well specced car wouldn’t cost much if anymore than a basic model.
I don’t think paying cash is much of an advantage because the salesperson might actually get a little bonus for selling you finance as well.
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Second hand cars in France are comparatively expensive and you might consider using a service like Reezocar, whose website enables you to search across W Europe (particularly good if like we did, want a German car with higher spec than you’d usually see in France).
They’ll arrange a 32 point mechanical inspection and will also try to negotiate a lower price (we got €500 knocked off for a scratch on a rear door). They’ll also handle the import and registration and for a reasonable fee will deliver it to your door - alternatively you can collect it and drive it home.
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Thanks I will look into it. The deal breaker may be that we are not going to have more than two weeks to get everything sorted.
Hi I bought from a garage (main dealer) in June after 12 weeks of search because I wanted a specific second hand car also an auto version, which finally I gave up on and just focused on auto cars. A few things I learnt from my experience…They will negotiate on price for sure. The price shown on the car is without the additional charges of tax and registration and admin fees for those actions, the admin fees can also be negotiated. The most common discounts I was offered often equalled these additional costs. Automatics cost more and are less available than in UK. Cars can take a couple of weeks after sale to be ready so check that (given your time restrictions). Mine was covered by a spoticar year guarantee which has been useful for finally getting the long promised second key ( the ‘broken key machine’ suddenly works again after I asked spoticar for help with the issue). I also got free breakdown etc but some of those goodies I must cancel before I find myself being charged for year 2! Cars in the Paris region are cheaper than here in the south. You can buy online with guarantees and often free delivery but if not to your liking you pay for the car to be returned ( time and kilometre limits apply). Don’t sign anything until you are super certain. I was asked to give a cheque to hold a car and told it was returnable if I did not want it once it arrived and then struggled to get that back ( but did, phew). Two garages told me they were buying cars from spain to sell because of shortages. Buy a model which is easily available and price competition is easier. There are several useful selling websites used by professionals and individuals. Start looking now so you know the market. Hope that helps and all goes well.
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Thank you macmayhem. There is some really useful information there. I am already looking and have started discussion with a couple of garages.
You can always rent a car from the likes of LeClerc or Carrefour - their rates are extremely cheap - while you search for a car to buy - we rented from LeClerc for about 6 months before we finally had the car delivered by Peugeot.
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Will Leclerc rent to foreigners who are just visiting or only those with French driving licences? Thanks.
You don’t have to have a french driving licence - they do ask for proof of French address, such as an electric or utility bill.
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