Just bought a secondhand car - eek, what next?

[darnsarf]

After looking through some helpful comments here about the virtues of buying and reregistering LHD cars in UK or putting up with a RHD one and re-registering it, I decided to buy a car in France. As others have mentioned, many prices in dealerships seem very expensive, compared to the UK (though french registered LHD drive cars bought in UK seem even more). I began looking through ebay for price info on a car about 3 years old, preferably an estate. Tempted by a particular offer, I took the plunge and 'successfully' bid for a car (completely different from my sensible workhorse plan of course!). The car is privately owned, not sold via a dealership but it was a very good price (I think, but then I've not seen it yet!) So far, so good. The owners are to have a CT done (at their cost) next week before I collect it.

My question is about what documentation do I need to see to reassure myself that everything is 'above board'? Presumably there is a registration document (is this the carte gris?). I assume this needs to have the owners name and address on it. Does the owner have to fill something in to say it's been sold (to me) or do I do that? There will be the service history (I'm told), I'll have the CT report. Is there anything else - car tax equivilent for example?.

Finally, having bought the car, with the right paperwork, what do I then do? The car is registered in dept 74 and I'm (non-resident) in 31. Do I then have to register the car locally and pay for new plates? Presumably I have 6 months or so to get round to doing this?

Advice most welcome. Since I've not actually paid anything (and won't until I see the car and the paperwork), I'd like to avoid a major earbashing from the missus for buying a dodgy car on the internet, especially as it's not the sensible Ford Focus Estate we, sort of, agreed on!

 

 

 

 

 

[P]

[quote user="darnsarf"]

I'd like to avoid a major earbashing from the missus for buying a dodgy car on the internet, especially as it's not the sensible Ford Focus Estate we, sort of, agreed on!

[/quote]

What sort of a man are you darnsaf. Just tell her 'I've bought this car and you will just have to put up with it'.

Please let me know how you get on so that I can decide whether it would be worthwhile trying the same sort of thing.[:D]

Paul

[Sunday Driver]

Transferring the registration for this car is quite straightforward..

The seller will give you the carte grise for the car.  Make sure it contains his name and address and that he's cancelled it through and marked it "vendu le (date").  Your name and address should be entered on the coupon on the bottom as the buyer.

He will give you a form called a certificat de cession which you have to take to your prefecture for registration.  He must also supply you with a certificat de situation/non-gage.  This is the equivalent of the UK HPI report and shows there's no outstanding finance on the car, or fines/judgments/warrants, and that it's not on the stolen list.

Finally, he'll give you the CT certificate which must be no more than six months old.

Once you've bought the car, you have one month in which to register it at your own prefecture.  You'll need the above documents plus a registration application form, passport and a utility bill.  You will be issued a new registration number, so you'll need to get new plates made up.

 

 

[darnsarf]

So,

1, Carte Gris (with "vendu" etc)

2, Certificate de cession

3, Certificat de situation/non gage. Is this obligatory for all car sales including those from a private seller?

4, The CT <6 months

That's really useful, many thanks. One othe rpoint - I not seen where you get new plates made - presumably the prefecture can help point me in the right direction?

Since I'll need to fly to Geneva and taxi to the place where the car is and then drive 800kms to our house in 31, let's hope it's all worth it!

[Cerise]

darnsarf - you forgot present for wife.  As one whose husband went out to buy lightbulbs from B & Q and came back with a Triumph Spitfire, and who also managed at another juncture in our lives to get BMW Z3 instead of nice sensible estate I wanted for the dogs, I know nice excuse present is essential.

You can get your new plates from LeClerc Auto or similar and they will normally fit them for you as well.  Price about 30 euros.  Reregistration price depends on type of car.

[darnsarf]

ooh, what a good idea (and harmony investment). I was thinking maybe about a car care kit or a chamois leather and polishing equipment. As the car in question is a 4x4 maybe a step ladder for easy embarkation might be appreciated hmm? Would either of these ideas from an old fashioned romantic do the trick?  :-)

Thanks for the Leclerc stuff.

 

[darnsarf]

[quote user="P"][quote user="P"]

[/quote]

What sort of a man are you darnsaf. Just tell her 'I've bought this car and you will just have to put up with it'.

Please let me know how you get on so that I can decide whether it would be worthwhile trying the same sort of thing.[:D]

Paul

[/quote]

I was thinking of something maybe less neanderthal like " Well I agree it doesn't look exactly like the photo on the net but from a certain angle, you can understand why I might have thought I was buying a Focus -the wheels are a very similar shape" If it all goes pearshaped, I will certainly let you know, possibly from a hospital bed.

 

 

[cooperlola]

So c'mon, tell us, what did you buy then?

[darnsarf]

Oh it's nothing very flash at all - quite the opposite (and certainly not as good looking as your avatar!) It's a Hyundai Santa Fe. Now not wishing to offend any proud owner here, this is one ugly car! It's the 2.7 V6 auto petrol version (uhuh, I meant to buy a diesel) but with leather seats, aircon and lots of additional toys/options. It's coming with a set of summer alloys and a full set of winter wheels plus snow chains and a rack for skis. It'll spend a lot of its life at the airport car park waiting for us to arrive. We won't be doing many miles so the consumption isn't really an issue and the 4x4 bit I suppose is useful for a few months of the year (and skiing of course). However, the worrying thing is that it's been 'pimped up' with chrome bullbars, sidebars and tinted windows. I'll feel a bit like a drugdealer coming into town. So, whilst the Focus would've been possibly a bit too sensible and dull, this one is a (tiny) bit sensible but rather naff., in a Dukes of Hazzard sort of way! But, as Catherine Tate would say "Am I bovvered?"

[Will]

Just a couple of points - make sure that the new plates are riveted on rather than bolted, apparently it's illegal to have removeable plates.

And a bit of a pedantic point, but just to save any confusion, the requirement to have a CT less than 6 months old is down to the buyer rather than the seller. i.e. you can sell something with an older CT, or even no CT at all. But the buyer will need to get a new CT before the vehicle can be registered to him/her. That's why most buyers insist on the seller getting this done before purchase, or alternatively sellers will offer it as part of the deal.

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="darnsarf"]

3, Certificat de situation/non gage. Is this obligatory for all car sales including those from a private seller?

 

[/quote]

When you apply to register the vehicle, the prefecture will check the national vehicles register for a stolen flag or judicial oppositions.  If it's registered as stolen, you lose the car.  If there are any oppositions, you won't be able to register the car until these have been satisfied - if the original owner says "tough", then you'll have to pay the outstanding monies yourself.

For your safety, do not accept a car without a valid up to date certificat de situation/non-gage!

Regarding the plates, you can get them made up at your local cordonniere shop (handbags, keys, etc)  There's usually one situated in the foyer of your local supermarket.  You'll need to show them your carte grise. 

 

[suein56]

Do the plates still have to be changed if you buy a secondhand French car that is registered in the same department as yours?

Sue

[Miki]

No,  we have one that we use now that was bought locally and the plates stayed the same but of course, the carte grise was renewed in my name.

[suein56]

[quote user="Miki"]No,  we have one that we use now that was bought locally and the plates stayed the same but of course, the carte grise was renewed in my name.
[/quote]

Great news, thanks Miki; that will save a small amount. We are hoping to buy a local car which is up for sale. So, hopefully there will just the carte grise registration to pay for.

Sue

[Unknown]

I've just read this post with interest.

Can someone tell me what a carte gris is?  Is it the certificat d'immatriculation?  If not and I don't have it what do I do then?

Thanks

Dotty

[cooperlola]

The carte grise is in effect the equivelant of the old log book, now the DVLA ownership document, in the UK.

You should have got one of these automatically with your car, or when you re-registered it (if it is an import) at the prefecture.

[Unknown]

The car I've bought is French registered but in the UK and had not been imported to the UK.  I want to bring it to France and I will need to register it to my dept.  I've only got the cert d'immatriculation, what is this? as it has the former owners name and address on.  Will I be able to go to the prefecture with this, or will I need other stuff.  Also the car has CT until Oct 2007, will I have to get it CT'd before I register it?

Many thanks

Dotty

[cooperlola]

Yep, Dotty, that's the badger.  The certificat d'immatriculation is the carte grise.  One and the same (just had a look at mine and that's what it calls itself). No doubt Sunday Driver will fill you in on what else you need!

[Unknown]

Many thanks Cooperlola, trouble is it doesn't have the bit I need to fill in, darn it.

Do you have a Lola?

[cooperlola]

Well, yes but not the sort you mean.  We have 3 cats called Cooper, Lola and Chevron, for reasons which I am sure you will appreciate![:)]

[Unknown]

How sweet.

[Sunday Driver]

Dotty

The process for re-registering your French car is exactly the same as described above for darnsarf.  So you will need "the other stuff", including a fresh CT.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say the carte grise doesn't have the bit you need to fill in.  In order to register the car in your name, the carte grise has to have been cancelled "vendu" and your details entered as the new owner and finally signed by the previous owner.  This certifies that the car has been legally sold to you.  The previous owner also has to send a copy of the certificat de cession to his prefecture to notify them of the change of ownership.  They will then update the vehicle record with your name and address and you have a month in which to re-register it in your name.

However, if you try to register the car without these formalities having been completed, then your prefecture will find the vehicle is still registered to the previous owner and they will refuse to re-register it on the basis that the vehicle/carte grise may have been stolen.

 

 

[Unknown]

Many thanks SD, I will have to find out about the missing bit.

Do you know if the prefecture can/will get in touch with the original owner?

Dotty

[Unknown]

Following on from this earlier thread, can anyone tell me how I find out if this car is registered here as stolen?  I have a bought a car in good faith, but I'm not able to get the rest of the carte gris or the original former French owner to say he has sold it, to me or the person I bought it from.

Should I go to the prefecture and ask them, or is there a website I can check it against.  The car isn't of huge value and I want to bring it to France and drive it legally, but only if that's possible.

Many thanks

Dotty

[Sunday Driver]

To be honest, this is going to cause you some difficulty. 

You've bought a used car in a foreign country that's been exported there without having its registration status regularised in France.  You have no proof of title to the car and it's official French registration documentation is incomplete. 

Furthermore, you bought it without taking steps to check whether it's been stolen (the person you bought it from was not even the registered owner) or whether there are outstanding loans or fines registered against it - that you would have to pay in order to get it registered in your name.

Sorry if I sound over critical, Dotty, but the buying/registration process has been well explained on this forum section...

So, first off, you should get a certificat de situation/non-gage.  This will tell you whether the vehicle is stolen or not, or otherwise encumbered. You can do it online [url=http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/vos_demarches/vehicules/telecartegrise_particuliers]HERE[/url] and print off the certificate.  You will need your carte grise to input the required details. 

Secondly, you need to establish your title to the vehicle.  You have your own receipt (I assume), so you should contact your seller and ask him for a copy of the receipt he got from the previous French owner.  Once you have these, then go to your prefecture and explain matters and see whether these are acceptable for registration.