I would always go through a garage/dealer that offered a warranty and were happy for you to have a test drive.
My ex bought a secondhand card from a ‘localish’ garage/dealer. He had a test drive and the garagiste went through all the controls, functions etc. My ex liked the car and agreed a price . A 3 month warranty was given and all was fine. Two weeks later a couple of problems came up, the garage loaned him a car whilst his was being repaired and gave a month extra’s warranty. 
I do know that private sellers can be cheaper but it may be difficult, if your language skills aren’t up to it to ask for refunds/repairs. If the seller is English and returns to the UK how would you get repairs/refund from them ?
Too any responses for me to be bothered to read them all, so apologise if it has already been said. French secondhand car dealers with lots of stock tend to avoid spending money on the cars until they have a sale, otherwise they have all their money tied up in stock. In the UK, cars are repaired before sale to maximise the selling price, in France, it seems acceptable to present a car for sale “warts an all” with the agreement that work will be done after it is sold.
Ha ha… Carl… I think there is a difference between “warts and all” and being asked to confirm purchase without being able to test-drive a vehicle.
Back in UK… I spent a long time trying to find a 2nd hand car that suited me, personally… since it was to be my everyday car, very important for long hauls etc.
The seat, pedals, visibility… steering wheel and the instruments… needed to suit me… and then, if the car passed the initial "interrogation… of course there would be the Test Drive.
For me… the Test Drive was the clincher. It was disheartening, at first, if a previously-approved one… turned out NOT to suit me on the road… but it was well worth the time and effort to keep looking and to get things right.
When I bought my current car the clutch was going but drivable. I did a test drive and they fixed the clutch when I said I would have it
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That seems reasonable to me… 
You were able to Test Drive before making the decision… that’s what makes all the difference… IMO
So the bottom line is that it is normal for French dealers to put cars on the forecourt with work still to be done - this does happen at smaller dealers in the UK, but my experience (and lets face it we are all affected by our own personal experience first) is that didn’t work for me.
Paul… it might be considered normal in some areas… . but in my part of France… it is certainly not considered normal… my neighbours looked a little amazed that anyone would be expected to buy a car… without trying it first… 
I’ve been chewing-over this subject with them this morning… at the Bar… (I’m buying plants not drinks)
So, this is perhaps another of those situations/questions, where there is not a blanket answer, which covers all of France… seems different areas might do things differently… phew… glad I live here… 
Or different Garagistes Stella - Our local garage in the Bourg always has a collection of second hand cars, in various states of repair, on the small forecourt. It is known they are for sale - No price shown. If you take a fancy to a certain vehicle folks hereabouts then enter into negotiations with the Garagiste. Our next door neighbour got a lovely little van that although dented and a little rusty and needed new tyres, windscreen wipers and the distribution done, was a great deal.
Agreed… good Garagistes abound… but they will not pressure a possible customer… they will have a reputation to maintain…they will discuss…
Of course, Cars do not have to be nickel… but the customer should be allowed some discretion and not feel pressured to make a “blind” decision…as it would appear was the case with @Dets .
OK so an update went to view the car and was offered a test drive the clutch to me was not as bad as vendor had said slight bit of drag but nothing major but vendor said he was not happy with it he also said a few little bits were needed to sort before sale rear window wouldn’t open common fault on scenics air bag connector needed changing another common fault on scenics the oil change and he said he would contact Renault to find out when the last cambelt change was done as no receipt for it he said if renault had paperwork he would supply it with paperwork of car if not he would change the belt and parts as it was not worth his while to sell a car that in that state and he would sort a new ct I pointed out the rear tyres were low he said he’d look at that I was very happy with the car and the seller including the guarantee.
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Well, that is a turn up for the books… well done… you got your Test Drive after all…
Sounds like you and the Seller are (finally) getting on like a house-on-fire… (perhaps he has seen the forum 
)
Good luck…
No, the seller doesn’t have to know about it under French law. If it’s flagged up on the CT the buyer has no legal grounds for a case, but if not it’s a decision made by the ‘expert’ as to whether the seller ought to have known or not.
Hello Angela and welcome to the Forum…
Thanks for the clarification… whereabouts in France are you ??
Not with a barge pole. Trust me.
So, the vices cachés laws must make being an eBay seller in France “entertaining”, in fact it makes me wonder why anyone would bother selling a 2nd hand anything.
I’m glad you weren’t put off.
What you say is in entirely in line with my experience. It sounds like he knows cars inside out and he is serious about providing a good service, keeping his customers happy and looking after his good reputation, which is what I said earlier.
I couldn’t seriously believe any car dealer would expect anyone to buy a pig in a poke without giving them an opportunity to test drive it, and I still don’t understand why there has been so much naysaying and suspicion around what in my experience is a common way of selling cars in the real world. OK it might not be how car dealers operate in the UK, but this isn’t the UK.
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Exactly. And how could it then have a ct yadda yadda.
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Well, if the dealer had said that, then I would have agreed it was very odd.
I can’t see where the dealer ever did say no test drive. I think the OP was worrying unnecessarily.
If the clutch had been too bad to take it for a test drive at that time, I’m sure there would have been an opportunity to test drive it after it had been fixed and before finalising the sale.
I don’t understand
-firstly I don’t know what yadda yadda means, and secondly I don’t see the connection between CTs and clutches. AFAIK the CT does not cover clutches, at least I’m pretty sure it didn’t used to and I’m not aware that it has snuck into the new more comprehensive test, but it might have so I stand to be corrected on that.
Have you really never come across yadda yadda as a version of etc? Goodness. I believe it is an Americanism, like snuck.
Re the connection between cts and clutches - I thought a ct meant a car was legally roadworthy but perhaps a clutchless car will pass a ct no problem, perhaps you don’t need a clutch to be legally roadworthy, perhaps the fact (is it even a fact?) that it can’t be driven is immaterial, who knows.
I don’t want to be all Lord Finchley about it and I pay my garage so I don’t have to think about these things, each to each.
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