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We have an English caravan that is in France near Carcassonne. We used this to live in during holidays while we were renovating our french cottage.

As we have now finished and are able to live in the house we want to sell it. We need a Carte Gris. Can anyone tell us how we can do this. the caravan was secondhand when we bought it. The Co Van Royce no longer exists.
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There used to be a good thread about this written by a bloke who actually managed to get his caravan registered in France. Sadly it has gone due to age but there is a shorter thread that may help a little.

http://services.completefrance.com/forums/completefrance/cs/forums/2595479/ShowPost.aspx

The bottom line is that you will find it very difficult to sell it unless to another UK person who has a UK registered car and be able to tow it. If you want to go down the registering it in France route then it has to be modified (gas for example), tested etc. You need to think about how much it is worth and is it really worth going through all the hassle. If it were me I would advertise it on UK and French Ebay as suitable for the same use that you had it for and state that you will need a UK registered car to collect it.

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Wasn't the thread I was thinking about, it was a lot older but that one is about as good as it gets and covers just about everything.

It does seem a lot of work if the OP is selling it afterwards and I wonder how a French person would feel about a UK caravan as the 'specs' seem to be quite different.

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I have had a Eldis and a Hobby and thought the Hobby a better van especially having a fixed bed although I believe English vans now have models with fixed beds. It was just a pain having to set up the bed every night especially after a few beers. However it is at the end of the day a (very) personal choice.

I remember looking at the Vanroyce years ago and thought they were very nice although a bit pricey and possibly the best on the market at the time. To be honest I have been more into camping in the past, tried caravaning for a bit both in the UK and France but for me personally boating has always been my prefered choice.

Anyway back on subject. There does not seem that many UK vans for sale in France especially down this neck of the woods (Carcassonne) although I did find the following site up north that seems to sell them.

http://www.normandycampsite.com/caravans_for_sale.htm

You could look at it as a holiday perhaps, get a quote and when your on the last day drop the van off and come home. Actually their site looks quite nice to stay on, perhaps you can do a deal?

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I think that there are people who leave their caravans in storage in the south of France, then drive down to collect them to go off on a holiday jaunt. Why not just offer it for sale on ebay UK for example, buyer to collect whilst on holiday?

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I had thought of suggesting that but other than mobile homes there was only one UK touring caravan offered on Ebay UK and thought that it might be a waste of time.That said you never know, might be worth testing the water to see what response you get.
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We have had Eldiss, Mardon and Swift in our time and agree about the fixed bed situation which is why we now have a Bailey Unicorn Valencia with a fixed bed.

I seem to recall that Vanroyce were classed as the ''Rolls Royce'' of caravans in their day, very well built, very expensive and very heavy.

I believe that it would be possible for the OP to get the van registered but it would not be easy or quick. Lots of paperwork to research and obtain, Bureau Veritas inspection ( probably ) and some modifications possibly. A lot depends on the age of the van and the chassis / axle / braking system manufacturer. Our Bailey did not have a C of C but did have certificates for the gas installation. DREAL ( at Caen ) were very helpful so it may be an idea for the OP to run the details of the van past DREAL to check exactly what will be required.
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  • 3 weeks later...

I was away on holiday when this thread was active so I missed it. I wrote the earlier post which Jay refers to. (Thank you, Jay).

I think in this instance it will be more difficult to complete the registration. VanRoyce, as Powersdeal correctly remembers, was an expensive and HEAVY caravan, and the inclusion of "Royce" in the name was I think meant to imply a high quality. In fact they were lovely 'vans, and very nicely equipped, but far too heavy for our cars at the time we looked at them.

The main thing with registration is getting acceptable documentation; this goes a long way towards satisfying the French authorities, even if it the 'van is old. When I did our 1989 caravan in 2006 Lunar were very helpful in providing 2 letters, in English and in French, certifying the standards applicable to the caravan. DRIRE (as it was then) accepted these without question.  This is not going to be possible with a company that has gone out of business, so the only way will be to submit to the full DREAL inspection. You need to be patient and just take it one step at a time.

It is best to make an initial appointment (without the 'van) to see the DREAL inspector and get him to tell you exactly what will be required. As it seems to differ from place to place, this route is far better than trying to guess what might be needed. Sunday Driver gave me some very good advice (as he did to so many others on here)... he said to make a proper folder for the registration task, with as many photographs of the caravan and its running gear, including any identification plates etc, and also include ALL the documentation you have. It helps if you also have a proper cover sheet for the folder with something like "Immatriculation d'une caravanned britannique" and your contact details and main identification details of the caravan. SD reckoned this shows you are going about the job in a professional way. I can vouch for the inspector's reaction on seeing mine, and he got straight down to business and listed all the things I needed to change on the caravan (lighting mods, reflectors, ID plate) and the inspections I would need to attend once I had completed the changes.

None of this is rocket science, it happens with a lot of French procedures (eg Carte Vitale); you just have to do what they ask. As Powersdeal has already said, it's better to get the requirements from the horse's mouth rather than second-guessing it and complaining afterwards that it didn't work as you expected.

If you decide to sell the caravan the best market is without doubt back in UK unless you can find someone who wants to park it on the property here in France solely for use as extra accommodation for friends or family, and not for road use.

If you have a specific question, please feel free to email me.

Good luck.

 

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Oh dear Q you have been left behind - fixed bed vans are made by all the manufacturers. However, we made the mistake of buying our first van with a bed you need to make up and as you rightly say a right pain after taking the waters.

Yes, VanRoyce products are / were well regarded. It seems that the owners club has folded. However, you could advertise it on one of the UK caravan magazines.

Could be a nice holiday for someone - motor down to France, collect the van, fortnight on French campsites and then tow it back to the UK or if they are already on a booked French motoring holiday then they could tow it back after.
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