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Anyone out there in to classic cars? If so: Are companies interested in carrying out work on them - such as spraying? Are there shows as in the UK? Any comments etc on the 'scene' most welcome. Paul

Would one way be, with the original agent, to seem interested in the property but not too interested, comment on the difference in price (Will has often posted that you need to check that you get the same amount of land etc so make sure it is like for like), hint that it might be beneficial if you continue looking for a property with the other agent, but at the right price you would be interested in another look at the property. Paul

Interesting that the Fench insurance companies do not charge for small trailers but do for large. In the UK my insurance company does not charge any extra for towing a caravan that weighs in excess of 1400 kg - but does charge £10 for a small trailer for carting things to the dump. But there again, the caravan is easier to tow than the trailer or, more specifically, reverse.

Would agree with Hegs about dropping the price. We were looking (in the UK) fo another house with ours on the market and we did not have many viewers, although one or two sounded interested nothing came of it. Then we found th house that fitted the bill but we needed a buyer for our house. Spoke to our estate agents and asked 'what do we need to do to sell quickly'. The answer was to drop by £10k. This was on a Wednesday afternoon. Agreed to it and the estate agents went into overdrive. By Saturday it was sold. Admittedly, the buyers had just been let down on a property and did not want to break the chain (so thy may have paid the original price, who knows). You have nothing to lose in talking to your estate agents. The other option mentioned of a bridging loan might be another option - extra expense but losing your deposit will also be an expense. Does sound a little unfair if you try to wriggle out of this on a technicality - will give the Brits a bad name and make French sllers and Immobiliers wary.

Surely the contract states that the buyer is ........ (the name), not the person that may be announced from time to time. Whilst not knowing anything about French law they must surely be in the wrong and whoever was originally named is responsible for forfeiting the deposit.

I always think that if a car is ued as normal and the battery then fails it is of no use charging the battery (obviously unless there are maintenance needs as outlined by Ron) it is time for a new battery. Batteries come in different amperages for a given case size - I ould tend to fit the best you can afford, especially when it is on an automatic. Likwise the jump leads - go for heavy duty ones. Some I have seen are only man enough to power a set of fairy lights. Starting current will be several hundred amps so you need something beefy.

BJSLIV - is there a formula / percentage to arrive at each of the figures based on the purchase price - possibly useful for others (me included) to calculate on properties costing <> 100000. Also is it calculated on the price including agents fees or excluding?

Fionah, I know what MOH reaction would be - dont - she spent many years in the pub trade. Some close friends of hers took early tirement som years back and against her advice bought a pub. After 10 months it was sold and they lost a lot of money. Some of her comments are that, in Winter trade can fall of drastically, some of the clients can be obnoxious but you just have to smile, long hours, chefs throwing fits and walking out (its then down to you to cook the food) and many more reasons. She makes the comment people see it as an easy life but it is not. Her pub were in the UK - maybe it is different in France, maybe not. Paul

A few weeks ago we visited the exhibition at Olympia. Talked to some of the exhibitors who asked us to fill in their information sheet. So several times we entered the same information, which became tedious. Think next time I will type out a sheet with all the sorts of info that they were asking for, photocopy it and give it to them if they ask for any details. Paul

Chaps and Chapesses Please expand on these 'other taxes' - I thought there was only the TH and TF Paul

Many thanks for the replies and our visit next week is to try to whittle down areas. As explained, our thoughts re for older properties but felt that exploring new builds now would be useful - i.e. what would we get for our money etc and, if we decide that route then it might influence where we buy the land. We are including the Aude in this initial forage. Our route will see us starting at Toulouse to Saint Emillion to Pierre Bufferie (just south of Limoges) to Chalet Guyon (just north of Clement Forrand) to Aurillac to Beziers to Foix and back to Toulouse taking a very zigzag route and, as in the case of SE to PB going above the line o Limoges an then dropping down - I appreciate that they will be long days but we have some experience of lengthy periods in the saddle having taken part in a Triumph car club rally - 2000 mile round Britain trip in 46 hours! We will then be back in January to visit selected areas (including seeing what the weather is like. Thanks very much for your offer Hardhat - that would be very useful. I am keen on the conversion but MOH does not seem so keen so a visit might cure on of us - I will PM you. Also others of you who have offered on help I will keep your detail on file Thanks Paul

We are flying over next week to do a tour of the S.W. to look at areas. Whilst our thoughts are for an older property think that we do need to consider a new build.   Does anyone know of any local builders that they would recommend who we could contact to see what they have to offer?   Many thanks   Paul

Many thanks for the replies - and yes, we ar coming over next week and looking at a number of areas thinking 'would I like to live here', which we feel is somewhat different to looking at a place as a holiday venue. An acquaintance suggested Ariege and it sounded interesting, and from your replies it would seem that it is a nice place to live, well located.

Just to add to Nicks mention of the SVA test in the UK and that you can take any vehicle into the UK provided it conforms to the SVA and also how the kit car industry flourishes. The test is detailed and a large number of kit car manufacturers had to modify their designs so that they complied - indeed, one very substantial, and excellent kit, was dropped by the manufacturer because of the difficulty in meeting the requirements of the test. So whilst the SVA does mean that if a vehicle complies it can be imported if it does not and cannot be made to comply (the test includes such things as radii on bumpers and boddywork) then it cannot be registered. Paul

Isn't this a question of where you will be resident and the interest that you can earn on the capital if invested and the interest on the mortgage. In the UK you can easily earn 5% gross interest on a safe investment - giving 4% net to a standard rate tax payer and lower amount to a higher rate tax payer. If you can get a mortgage that has an interest rate of equal to the interest you will receive or less it would make sense to go for the mortgage option. But it is a gamble as to how rates will go

Five year old tyres - from that age onwards they probably need replacing. At 5000 miles not because the tread is worn but because the side walls will be racking making them unsafe. However, I do not suppose the garage changed them for that reason.

Mike, whilst it some cases it might be admirable to support ones staff there are also times at which just holding up your hands and saying 'we have screwed up on this one' can claw back a situation. As for potential PR harm - in my view he is doing that by his actions. The situation has been created, you have publicised the problem and will have others thinking 'steer clear of this company'. However, if he had held his hands up you may have acted differently - still highlighting the problems but adding 'thankfully the company has taken responsibility for this and everything is back on track'. If we decide to go down the new build route I will certainly avoid this company. If the MDs actions had been as above I might well have changed my mind - because things do not always go smoothly - but when they do not resolve the situation don't make it worse. I assume you are at he point where you will welcome a new builder taking over. Paul 

Ah but just because a car is built in a certain country, export models will not always comply with the rules of the country of build. A US version is likely to have many changes to comply with US regulations - a reason why some manufacturers avoid that continent.

In the UK you could well have problems with differing tyes on the same axle as they will have different characteristics. In the case of an accident, the police may well cite it as a contributory factor and insurance companies may reduce any payout. In addition, do you wish to place a tyre of unknown quality on a car and suffer the consequences of anything going wrong or place a recognised and respected make of tyre on the car, ensuring equal performance from both sides. Personally, I would replace both as one worn and one new tyre will have different characterstics, iei water clearing.

I would be grateful for any experiences of living in this department - including weather Many thanks Paul

Would welcome any experiences of living in this department - including weather etc. Many thanks Paul

If you go to the website that Nelson quotes and look uner 'Partition' and then 'Panelplus' you will see the system that as used in Wimpey houses, at least in the 70s and who knows possibly still so today. I do not know what the costs of the panels are but it is a very quick way of building a wall. It consists of wooden battens at the top and bottom and a batten linking two panels. It consists of crosses of cardboard separating the two sides in with holes in so that cables can be passed down, either by pushing something down through the holes or, commonly, pushing something down to clear the crosses for the cables. Paul

Gill Call me sceptical but I believe that the move by the hotels is not one of thinking of the planet but of thinking of their bottom line figure - less laundry, less cost, more profit. Paul

Carried out a search and did not find anything so: What is typical French humour - what makes them laugh (a few seriuos replies would be appreciated) Paul

Do not know whether it is feasible..... Several people are probably in the same position so, forming a co-operative and each having a share and buying a digger, complete with trailer. Now, each member can use the digger (obviously a need to transport using a 4x4 etc). When a member has completed his/her work, their share can be sold to someone else. Repairs maintenance etc would have to be funded by all the members when it requires it. Just a thought Paul