W44NE G Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Hi,I've just signed up as I might be moving to the South of France. As it's quite a possibility I want to start getting to know more about the place and this forum looks great.Basically, my dilemna is I have an MG ZS180 here in the UK. The car has only covered 40,000 miles and I love the way it drives... there's no other car as good for the money if you ask me. I was considering selling it and getting a left hand drive one BUT then I looked on the french autotrader and anoher french used car site and the same car is around £8000 which is a lot more than it would be in the UK. Therefore, I'm considering taking the car with me if I move.Things I'd like to know are:Do I absolutely 100% have to register the car in France if I decide to live there? I'll probably be driving back home at least twice a year and could keep up the MOT's. I also have a private plate which was bought for me as a present so I don't really want to lose it. What is insurance like in France, or, as it will be UK-registered, will I have to stick with a UK insurance company? I'm 23 and my car is a 2.5 V6. Insurance here with 3 years no claims is £1300 or so. If I can get insured with a french company, can I carry over my No Claims Bonus to a french insurance company? What is the cost of petrol like as I will be running my own business and my car is more like my office lolI'm just trying to find the best option and trying to avoid ending up buying a heap of a second hand car in France... they're all so over-priced and I'm going to need as much money as I can get to set up over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Welcome to the forum.As a resident in France, you may not drive a foreign registered vehicle unless you import it and register it here. The process is quite straightforward (but you will not be able to continue to use your private plate) - you will find details in the FAQ at the head of this section. However, in your case, unless you already have an EU type approval certificate of conformity with your vehicle documentation, the demise of Rover Group may present difficulties in obtaining this critical document. You may want to check to see if Rover's French head office is still operational:Rover France S. A.BP 3295102 Argenteuil CedexFrance Tel: 01 39 98 40 40Insurance is generally less expensive than in the UK and includes full European cover and breakdown assistance as standard. You will qualify for a discount on production of your UK no claims bonus letter. Petrol is generally cheaper than in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Latest:MG Rover France announced that from November 2005, all requests for certificates of conformity for imported cars should be addressed to:A.B.P.254, Avenue du President Wilson93210 ST DENIS LA PLAINEContact: Patrick VATIERe-mail: [email protected]Tel./fax: 01 34 73 48 02mobile: 06 72 61 61 25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Roy Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 As an alternative to French used car sites do a search for LHD cars in the UK - you'll find a good choice available. Don't forget all the time you are driving a RHD in France you have problems overtaking when driving alone, paying for anything that involves a kiosk i.e. fuel, tolls, car parks etc.- it is so much easier to have LHD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W44NE G Posted July 31, 2006 Author Share Posted July 31, 2006 Thanks for all the replies. You've certainly given me a lot to think about there.I did think of the problem with overtaking but hadn't thought about kiosks etc... I mean, what would I do if I wanted a McDonalds?! lolIt looks like the best idea would be to sell my MG and take it from there. I'm going to have to find something comparable to it but that's proving a hard task... I like sporty cars for not too much money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 I've thought about the tolls and kiosks etc. Have you thought about a long stick with blue tack on the end to pass the notes over and a fishing net to catch the change? Make sure you have electric windows though. McDonalds is a bit trickier unless you use a bigger net, no good for the drink though!Sorry about the humour, I have the same problem with a ZT, it's getting sold I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More2Learn Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 I am slightly puzzled, I want to bring a UK car to France as like others, the model I have is only a couple of years old and has been looked after by me.I intend to take over the French property and move lock, stock and barrel down from the UK a couple of weeks after. I will be giving up my UK address and want to keep using the car in France while I go through the process of registering and re-insuring it to keep it completely legal all the time.Should I use a close friends address in UK and transfer the insurance policy prior to moving and just tell them I will be in France on holiday for a couple of months. Once I have got settled I can get insurance locally and then cancel the UK insurance, that way if anything happens I am covered in the intrim period. Anyone see any problems doing it like this.More2learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Driver Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Welcome to the forum.If you sort out your car paperwork and headlamps before you leave, then registering and re-insuring will take you half a day once you're in France, so there's no need to think about long term UK insurance cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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