Alright guys, looks like my wife and I are moving to France early next year and we're selling our cars here in the States.
Time for car shopping.
Anyone familiar with the car buying experience in France? We're looking to buy two cars (one economy car and one luxury car). I already have cars in mind, but I know nothing about the process of actually buying one.
I'm also curious if there are any cars I should consider looking at that aren't available in North America. Might be a chance to try something new.
Peugeot 508, the best that France has to offer ! (okok we got one)
now seriously, I'm Dutch but I
*think* most of the following holds true in France as well
New car = made to order at factory = minimum of ~2 months of waiting time
I've never seen any dealers in Europe like they had in the US, with fields full of new cars waiting to be sold ... here you visit a dealer, look at the cars, make appointments for some testdrives, decide which car you want, pick the options and order it. Brand new (and thus popular) cars like the upcoming
Ford Mondeo Mazda 6 will probably take around 6 months before they'll be delivered (that was the case for when the previous Mondeo was released)
Used cars you can take home after about a week probably; usually a decent dealership gives them a final checkup (yearly official checkups are mandatory for cars older than 3 years here, probably same in France) and registration of the licence plate etc can take a few days as well so don't expect to drive away immediately once you've made a decision
If you're buying used do note that 85% of the cars will have a manual transmission; the remaining 15% will either be premium German models or cheap Koreans that were owned by elderly people (over here at least, there it will probably be cheap French cars lol)
I vaguely remember you having a topic about moving to France; weren't you going to live somewhere near the German border? In that case you'll want a separate set of
winter tires as well, as they're mandatory in Germany during Winter (i.e. you'll be held accountable for any accidents you have in winter-ish conditions if you're using regular/all-season tires)
If you're going to drive lots of miles/kilometers , you might want to consider a diesel engine ... not sure about the fuel costs in France or their premium of petrol over diesel (differs per country due to taxes & tariffs)
also if you're going to live in a busy part of a big city, just buy small cars and don't be surprised if they are full of scratches and dents at the end of the year because French parking is notorious for bumping lol
as for the cars;
Peugeot Citroën & Renault are the French brands, their cars range from economy to almost-premium. None of them are remotely sporty (apart from the Renault Megane Sport which is a proper Hot Hatch) as they all have front wheel drive and engines are basically 120/160 hp gasoline or 110/130/160/200 hp Diesels, but the top models are all very comfortable cars designed for long distance highway cruising. Peugeot & Citroën are technically the same company (PSA) so the cars share a lot of stuff like engines & transmissions, but Citroën definitely has a very unique styling on their latest models (and unusual body types as well!) whereas Peugeot is a bit more conservative.
Then there is some other European stuff you don't get in the States, like Opel, Alfa Romeo & Fiat ... and of course various smaller models or wagon versions that the main German brands only offer in Europe. Personally I think the Alfa Giulietta is gorgeous ...
Furthermore all the Asian brands are available as well, they should offer a lot of value for money and are generally very reliable.
What cars are you thinking of ? Most common economy cars in France would probably be the Peugeot 107/208, Renault Twingo/Clio or something like the Volkswagen Polo and Opel Corsa. For luxury car I'd always look at the model which was most recently refreshed; so that's the Peugeot 508 or Citroën DS5 for the French cars, and something like the Volkswagen Passat, upcoming Mazda 6 or the upcoming
Ford Mondeo. Or just something Mercedes/BMW/Audi if you can afford it
edit: WTF Ford ... first they close the factory in Belgium, then they delay the new Mondeo to late 2014 !! madness