Vehicle payment?

[Thebiga]

Hello, Can anyone tell me how they have taken payment for a vehicle they are selling.

Have they used a bank to bank transfer in France or have they taken a cheque. I know that people say that not many cheques bounce in France but I wouldn't take the risk. I don't even know how long a cheque would take to clear. So I'm just wondered how others have faired when selling on a vehicle in France.

Thankyou.

[dave21478]

Some have been cash, the rest personal cheques, and no problems to report.

However, sums have rarely been over 1500€, and I tell a little white lie to cover myself....That I will be paying the check into my UK account and I need to justify where it came from, so I take a copy of the buyers identity card while doing the paperwork. I dont know how much real-world use that might be if the cheque proved to be dud, but at least I can see that the cheque book does actually belong to the buyer.

[Bugsy]

Bank draft or cash for expensive items but I have given and received ordinary cheques for lowish value items.

[Bob T]

When we sold a motorbike for about €6000, we took a cheque. There was no problem, but I made sure that my wife had the camera and took pictures of the couple buying, the car that they turned up in (showing the numberplate), and their documents. I also did the transaction at our local cafe where there were plenty of witnesses who I know.