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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5765   
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That's a city problem, agreed. Trust me, whilst there'll be the odd flash car targeted, it's rare. Kids are generally well behaved here. But Brit plates are targeted. Or Brit companies. My mate owns the largest and most successful transfer company. Fully French registered and compliant, employs French staff etc etc. He has 20+ Renault Trafics and almost monthly the entire fleet will be targeted and have all the wipers ripped off or tyres flattened. The vans are covered in English livery. However, he's an Aussie, but they don't know that, they just assume English wording, must be English. By the way, if you meet a French person and say you're Aussie, Scot etc, you're given a bye. I was actually warned before taking on a house that the owner hated the English. I said I was Kiwi, was given a pass and then had to listen to one hour of utter tripe about the English and what they have done to the valley, house prices etc. I bit my tongue but wanted to say that Brits (English) would be happy to buy her farm at 2001 prices, but she and her French neighbours, via their French agents had forced the prices up. 2001 her place was probably worth 200k tops. She was asking just shy of 1m.  So who's fault is that? Monsieur Le Grenadier
I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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29th Jun 2016 7:22pm |
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| languedoc Member Since: 13 May 2016 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 283  
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My family is Scottish although I am 3rd generation that ended up living in France. My father had this problem with cars years ago and fixed it with Ecosse badges on every car. Problems stopped overnight, including a rolls with private plate.
Minority just don't like English despite the number of small villages that would have long died out without the expat community. Albeit a tiny few ignorant English don't help. I refused a client who owned a huge ranch and needed to sell after 15 years. Spoke no French and very loudly argued they would be speaking German without her country. Needless to say, 6 agents later and not sold. |
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29th Jun 2016 7:53pm |
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5765
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Yup, pricey it is. But easy. I re-registered my wife's new TT (<18mths of age, German reg) in a day and had the Carte Grise within a week, however the cost was 1700€
. Still the combined price for the car, flights, petrol to drive back from Cologne and the reg fee was still 10k€ less than the equivalent second hand price in France, (30k€ less than new), for a fully loaded car with only 3000kms on the clock  . We can likely drive it for 2-3 years and still come out in profit or at worst break even. If you can afford the capital expense at the outset, it's free driving for 3 years. What's more I can claim back 20k€ as a sole trader.
Doubt I'll ever buy in France, hugely over-priced. Monsieur Le Grenadier I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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24th Oct 2016 11:05am |
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| Froglaise Member Since: 24 Sep 2016 Location: left forum Posts: 212 |
Too true. It's why I import instead even though I've paid as much as about 4500 total cost on once occasion it still didn't come within 10k of the extra I'd have to pay to get a car already here and that's IF you could find what you're looking for.
UK or Spain seem to be the best car markets from what I can work out and pre-2008 when you could get 2.4 Swiss franc for every GB£ that was a great place to shop too. Defender from the UK only way to go for me, get a sorted 10yr+ old one and there is no import tax either. RHD no issue at all considering height. I've not even bothered running a search for one on Leboncoin etc.. Doubt the Morgan the OP was talking about is ever going to see a French plate though. |
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24th Oct 2016 11:15am |
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| Riverboy Member Since: 16 May 2016 Location: French sector, Earth Posts: 1288 
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I'd rather pay the higher price for a LHD. Struggling to reach or having to get out at every péage or carpark barrier is far too annoying in a RHD car, not to mention overtaking or being able to see at junctions.
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24th Oct 2016 11:20am |
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5765
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Certainly agree with UK and Spain. Parents live in Spain and their equivalent of the MOT is far stricter than ours, so you can get fairly good models in healthy condition. Plus you can use brokers to buy the car and ensure there's no debt, fines, crashes etc listed against it. Germany is good for new(ish) high-spec German models which (as you allude to) are hard to find in France. Basic, naff, no-frills, cloth interior French models are two-to-a-penny, but anything actually worth considering are rare and wildly over-priced. What's more, given they will likely have come from Paris, Lyon or the Cote d'Azur Lord only knows what condition they're in and what the owners' have done to them.
As far as the Def, that's exactly why I bought mine in the UK. The reality of my ever needing to see out of a left-hand seat to over take something on a twisty alpine road are non existant (until - I hope - I upgrade to a V  so the view over the top is more than enough for comfort. As 110 variant DCs are impossibly hard to find, not just in France but Europe wide where they seem to prefer the 130, it had to be the UK, which happily made it far cheaper as well. At the time I bought in the UK, the nearest equivalent model was from Italy, had led a battered life in the mountains, covered four times the KMs and was 10k more expensive (the difference between slapping on Bowler kit or not...). So more than happy. Monsieur Le Grenadier
I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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24th Oct 2016 11:24am |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816  
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Just one month ago I imported a young second hand perfectly in order low mileage Mercedes here in Switzerland. Car came from Belgium, we drove it over here with its Belgian registration plates and insurance.
Total import duties paid to Swiss customs at the border was CHF 20.00. (yes, read twenty Swiss Francs). 
Technical inspection appointment was for one week later, car passed without a problem, our Motters then removed the Belgian registration plates right there and then, and gave me the Swiss plates (GE) and the carte grise. Tech inspection, plates and carte grise cost was another CHF 300.00 all combined, so total cost of the import operation amounted to CHF 320.00. I had prepared this case since the summer. The Geneva customs have even been extremely helpful at pointing me in the right direction how to do it.
Eric You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw Last edited by ericvv on 24th Oct 2016 11:33am. Edited 1 time in total |
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24th Oct 2016 11:24am |
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5765
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Have you seen one of these. Been around a fair while now. Um, 25 years?
And if the French Five-0 can park on pavements rather than a carpark requiring you to reach for a ticket, why can't you?
I'd estimate I've saved 15k€ on my Def versus a French equivalent, and I'm being conservative. Given I park in Carparks with ticket barriers 3-4 times a year, it's a worthwhile saving vs hassle.... Monsieur Le Grenadier
I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey Last edited by Grenadier on 24th Oct 2016 11:32am. Edited 1 time in total |
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24th Oct 2016 11:28am |
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| Riverboy Member Since: 16 May 2016 Location: French sector, Earth Posts: 1288
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When I bought mine last May, I looked at Autotrader etc to see what a similar car was going for in the UK. Prices were about the same it seemed. Mine was imported from Italy, but it came from an Italian JLR dealership and was a demonstrator so in as new condition.
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24th Oct 2016 11:29am |
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| Riverboy Member Since: 16 May 2016 Location: French sector, Earth Posts: 1288
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LOL yes I have one in each car, but so far they havent helped me see around big lorries and tractors and none of the car parks around here use them  Last edited by Riverboy on 24th Oct 2016 11:32am. Edited 1 time in total |
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24th Oct 2016 11:31am |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816
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Monsieur Le Grenadier, have you really imported your Defenders in France, meaning switching to French registration plates, in your case Haute Savoie (74), French carte grise, French insurance, or are you just driving them into France and keep them registered and insured in the UK, so driving with UK registration plates? I think all the pictures I have seen of your Defenders on here had UK registration plates.
Eric You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw Last edited by ericvv on 24th Oct 2016 11:36am. Edited 1 time in total |
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24th Oct 2016 11:31am |
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| Riverboy Member Since: 16 May 2016 Location: French sector, Earth Posts: 1288
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Wot he said  |
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24th Oct 2016 11:32am |
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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5765
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Def still waiting to be registered. It is insured by AXA as they have a pre-import policy. I'm just waiting to see if a deal comes off that will fund an engine upgrade (which would have to happen before I import) and I should know by Dec. If the deal comes off, in goes a 3.2l diesel or V8 and then I import, if no deal then I'll do it at the end of the year. It's been CT'd, will be having its CofC done next Monday, so is ready to go. But I'd always import, way too many dodgy British cars here in Cham, so don't want to be associated with them
PS, my first Def was LHD and French Reg'd. It's just DCs that are really, really hard to find. I could have easily sourced a 110SW for similar to UK money (as Riverboy has) from Spain or Italy, but DCs are very, very rare and those that come up are nearly always battered. Monsieur Le Grenadier I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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24th Oct 2016 11:36am |
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| ericvv Member Since: 02 Jun 2011 Location: Near the Jet d'Eau Posts: 5816
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Did not know that the French are so easy about all that. Really surprised about that.
Here in Switzerland when importing a car, you get exactly 30 days time to pass the Swiss tech inspection, and to hand in the foreign registration plates and get the Swiss plates, carte grise and Swiss insurance. If you do not get it all completed within those 30 days, the foreign registration numbers will be invalidated, police will be informed, and you can not drive the imported car on public roads anymore. Also, if you would change the engine for a entirely different engine like you seem to want to do, you can never pass the technical inspection here, it won't be accepted unless it is totally the same as when it left the factory. You would be stuck with an imported car which will never get insurance or a registration. I am amazed that burocratic France allows all that. Eric You never actually own a Defender. You merely look after it for the next generation. http://youtu.be/yVRlSsJwD0o https://youtu.be/vmPr3oTHndg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GtzTT9Pdl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABqKPz28e6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLZ49Jce_n0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvAsz_ilQYU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tMHiX9lSw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dxwjPuHIV7I https://vimeo.com/201482507 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSixqL0iyHw |
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24th Oct 2016 11:47am |
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