crossy67

Pistonheads is free http://www.pistonheads.com/ Autotrader is the obvious one but costs and I have my doubts weather or not it's worth the money when compared to pistonheads, I have used pistonheads before and got good results.  What car is it?

Just don't show it to the French.  You know what they're like, they'll eat it lol.

Sorry.[:(]  Edited to remove my bank's name.

Name and shame the bank so others can avoid them. Similar thing although not the same happened to me, our bank kept pestering us to change accounts as we had a large sum saved up.  We moved accounts once, we noticed about a month before we went to France to look for our new home that in one of the account moves they had moved the entire contents from a joint account in both Julie and my names into one in only Julies names.  Good job my wife and I are getting along, I know spouses that would have done a runner.

Oh no, not Saloparies.  maybe I should reconsider [:)]. We have the comprome devent on my desk in front of me, I am trying to make some sense of it[8-)], hopefully will be getting it translated tomorrow and there is a bit of an issue with the land to sort out then it's signing our lives away, can't wait.  Where in Shropshire are you from?  We are in Wrexham and I do a lot of work round north Shrops.

Thanks Dog & Cathy.  Aubeterre river is one of the main attractions I like, can't wait to go canoeing. Thanks for the link Cathy.  I have tried searching and found some interesting info but like you say, there is so much of it.  I have been reading for about 2 weeks all ready using all my spare time and have only just scratched the surface.  I was reading about Opas's thread of incarceration in the UK for a driving offence, it was like reading a season of 24. My Name is Jack Bauer and today is the longest day of my life, must have been horrible. We are buying in Aubeterre-Sur-Dronne south Cherente dpt 16 I think.  I would'nt be buying much in the UK apart from beds maybe, the house had a grand oak staircase and lovely oak floors (not that that's special in France I know) and it would be criminal to furnish it with melamine from Ikea.  Thanks again for your help.[:D]

That's what I am hoping for lol.  Why have we no smileys :-([;-)]  Ahha, we do[:D]

Ahhh, that's great news thanks Dog.  I was really worried, the house we have bought is classically French and it's going to have to have a certain type of furniture so it all fits but I was a bit worried it would cost thousands.  It was fully furnished when we went to look at it but we are not sure what they are leaving, it's a holiday home for a Parisian family.  We have asked the agen to pass on thet we would like to buy some of the furniture if they want rid but nothing has been mentioned.

What's a troc?  I ment Bricolages as in second hand furniture shops btw not the supermarket.

I am in the same boat, about to try furnishing a 5 bedroom house.  How's about Bricolages are they reasonable, I really would like older furniture to go with the character of the old house with it's oak floors. Using Ikea would be like giving the Queen snake a tattoo lol.  Ooh, we are moving to Sud Charente btw, any one know any local to Aubeterre and ideas on prices please?

I don't think the increase in prices is restricted to France, it seems to be Euro zone wide.  We have been to Italy and Greece as well as France and all seem not cheap when compared to the UK.  At the same time you have to remember how many UK companies go bump leaving huge unpaid debts.  It's easy to be the cheapest and make a loss when it's somebody else's money you are loosing, people who will have no chance of getting their money back once you declare bankruptcy or go into the hands of the receivers, funny how there is always just assets to pay their cut.  This is a sad fact of life here in the UK, prices are unrealistic and often only used to line a few persons pockets before the bump and lots of creditors. I do find France expensive but I would rather that than UK where you have the likes of Tesco squeezing their supplies to the point of closure.  I confess, I shop in Tesco, I hate my self for doing so but you can't get the choice any where else and with both of us working 6+ days a week trying to make a living out of the £ concious population we don't have much time to shop, clean, visit family, relax etc. One last thing worth thinking about.  The average UK house costs what? £250k.  You could buy a very comfortable house in France for £100k, that gives you £150k to sit in your bank to help pay the extra cost of living.  SO if your average weekly spend is £100 in the UK and France is even 50% more expensive then that £150k saving would see you though the next 57 years.  Ok, not accurate but does go to prove a point to some extent. Must be very hard for those living on a pension and not able to work or those who have seen their income cut by 1/3rd.  Or even those that have made the move without allowing a big enough cushion to allow for the unexpected.  Some things are unavoidable like water bills, taxes and food, I intend to live as cheaply as possible.  We have been told by many people over and over how it's not possible to live on less than £xxx, we managed to survive in the UK on about £12k with a mortgage holiday and eating as normal for a few years when I went back to Uni and Julie lost her job (separate times).  This is one way we are in the position to buy cash in France, we just don't spend money!  We both drive cheap cars, neither of us have expensive tastes or hobbies, maybe this is the key the French have fond, I notice they are not too bothered if their car is 15 years old etc, unlike in the UK where you struggle to see a car under 5 years old and dents are repaired rather than left. One other thing I forgot to mention.  Asda is the bottom of the shopping social elite here, Aldi and Lidl are full of Poles and Portugese but at least they know how to use a pan and not just oven or deep fry everything.  You have to wonder what the future of the UK is when you watch all the obese parents shopping in Asda with their chunky children all making blines for the frozen ready meals, sweets and pizzas etc.  I had an email about American Wallmanr customers showing photos of them, it was really funny but sadly true.  Even more tragic is they are beginning to look the same over here.  I'll try to post some of the pics up if I can figer out how to, worth a laugh or to act as a warning.

The UK is far too stressed for me.  We own our own business and feel forced into offering 24/7 service or falling behind the ever increasing competition.  France on the other hand seems dead by comparison, one of the main reasons for us buying where we have is it's one of the very few places we have been where there are people in the street during the day.  I can't believe how quiet everywhere else is, we drive through villages and there isn't a soul to be seen.

Nowt wrong with part worn so long as you inspect them prior to fitting, I have seen some with bad side wall repairs.  A friend of mine said he would never have part worn tyres as you don't know the history of them, I asked him would he throw the yres on a used car away as he doesn't know their history either.

I only know of two people that have used Colway remolded "sport" tyres.  One was an employee of mine that had a set for his rally car, they wouldn't stay inflated and upon further inspection they were all found to have eggs in.  The other was a service manager in an Audi dealer we service, he had them for a track car, he had the same problem.  This was about 3 years ago.  I am not saying all remolds or even all Colway remoulds are problematic just mentioning these two instances.  Both sets were bought from Demon Tweaks and each time they had to wait for them to be sent away for Colway to inspect before they could get a refund causing them both to miss race meets.

Just got my test results back today.  Good news, I am not ceoliac (excuse the spelling), just a fussy gut I suppose lol.

I bought a new pneu for a hired Twingo whilst in Caracsone area a couple of years ago.  I went to the local Renault dealer for it, I was happy to pay iro e65 and was very happy with the service.  I thought the price was fairly comparable with the UK. As far as remoulds go, I would feel safer driving on a cheep set of new tyres.  I have seen too many shredded carcasses on the side of motorways to feel the small (and it is small) difference in price is worth the compromise in safety.

Yeh, that would be great if you could please Devon.  Much appreciated.  The tank is on a concrete plinth in a room with the heating oil tank so I am happy about the weight.

Thanks for the info Sunday driver.  This is the sort of stuff that is really basic and common knowledge, but only if you know it already. Papa, how spooky, I was watching that episode of the Inbetweeners last night.  Have you watched it, it's hilarious if not a bit beyond close to the bone lol. I somehow can't see me collecting that car from Paris and driving it all the way back to Sud Charente lol.

Hello all. We are going to be moving over to France early next year, we are waiting for the paperwork to be sorted for the purchase of our new house then we will be putting wheels in motion.  We intend to be there beginning of either March or April. We need to buy a car on French plates for our new life but me being fussy want a particular one.  They are not rare but I think I am probably going to have to travel round quite a bit to find the right one, it has to last many years. I have spent the last week reading loads of topics on here and got some useful info, I have even tried searching without much luck finding the answers I need.  Maybe they are really simple and the sort of stuff you really should know but if you don't ask you will never know. If I go to see a car in Paris for instance and like it, we do a deal and I part with the cash.  Would I be able to drive it away straight away, obviously this will depend on the car being ready but could it technically be done?  Number plates, I have read it mentioned that plates need changing if you move the car to another region, could someone expand and clarify this please?  Lastly, insurance.  I am assuming I can phone an insurance agent to get cover, could it be arranged to be effective immediately?  As I would not have a vinette to stick on the window would I be able to drive it home? Thanks for any help and information. Ian

I can't wait for the mushroom season next year when I will be there to take advantage of it, it's one of the bigger reasons for moving to France for me lol.

Mrs Crimbles macaroons and bakewell slices are to die for and don't cause any problems at all.

yes, thinking about it just getting a second tank put in the loft would be a good solution.  I had the idea of another tank in series whilst asleep, it was one of those moments when you wake thinking "eureka" lol.

[quote user="Nearly Retired"]Maybe I'm a tad too sensitive crossy67 - but your reply leaves me disinclined to comment any further.[/quote] Whoops, sorry if I offended your sensitivities, wasn't intended.  I was meerly pointing out that e2.5k for very occasional use was a tad expensive.  The other bit about the dual bolers wasn't meant as a skit, I was asking do you understand my poor attempt at describing in words what I see in my mind without the aid of a diagram. Honestly, no offence intended. Thanks for all the posts so far just need to check if I can feed the output of the back up ballon into the main ballon and use the existing plumbing to distribute it round the house.

Have you seen the price of them?  I saw one on a ling to a company from here.  In the region of e2-2.5k, bugger me, I know they will save money and are eco friendly but I only need one for a month or two a year.  But do you understand the concept of two ranks?

I found out about a year ago that I have issues with wheat, I always struggled with my weight, not eating much and mostly veg as Julie (my wife) is vegetarian, I couldn't understand why I was over weight. I went on a very strict diet in preparation for a holiday, lost quite a lot of weight and found the constant sick feeling I have suffered with for the past 18 years and had been taking medication for went away.  Since then I have discovered I am severely allergic to wheat, even a few bread crumbs round a piece of breaded ham will make me feel sick for 2-3days, if I feel the symptoms I can take my old tablets but I don;t want to spend my life on medication.  On a more positive note I have lost 2 stones in 6 months just by cutting out wheat, feel better and never sick. There are lots of wheat free pastas, cakes and snacks that are edible but the bread is a waste of time.  Wheat free pita's are quite nice though when toasted.  I have just adjusted my diet and don't crave bread or baked type foods (although I still have to take my tablets so I can eat croissants on holiday).  I have cornflakes with soya milk, I found I have a slight issue with milk as a first meal too.  Oh the joys of getting older eh, I can't eat wheat or milk and Julie won't eat meat.  Still, we can still share a McDonalds, she has the bun, I have the burger lol.