Reply to: Keeping a car in France

[milanbenes]

Wilmslowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww,

good job very creative

for fun I will reply

having lived on the mainland for some years, I can say the safest is to have a car which has the steering wheel localised to the country you are in - I'll leave you to work that one out

secondly, on the mainland, all insurance policies for cars come with 12 months green card for the other countries in europe

but, UK insurers don't do this as standard - so you need to check that

Milan.

[russell]

Look at you all, replying to an imaginary question from a sockie, what is this place coming to?

[Churchill]

Maybe, I think it depends on the elderly lady though. Out here you see loads of old folks cycling around with their shopping or grandkids in tow, and if she's playing golf she's presumably reasonably active so barring any nasty medical conditions could probably pootle a few miles on a bike and the exercise would do her good. I think staying active is one of the most important things to take care of as one ages, it keeps the mind healthier as well.

Oh and there was I thinking you were just being a twat.

Oh well.

[cailin maith]

Maybe, I think it depends on the elderly lady though. Out here you see loads of old folks cycling around with their shopping or grandkids in tow, and if she's playing golf she's presumably reasonably active so barring any nasty medical conditions could probably pootle a few miles on a bike and the exercise would do her good. I think staying active is one of the most important things to take care of as one ages, it keeps the mind healthier as well.

Def agree with that... I think when they stop being active, thats when retired people start to go downhill.

[doodab]

Possibly not ideal for an elderly lady though.

Maybe, I think it depends on the elderly lady though. Out here you see loads of old folks cycling around with their shopping or grandkids in tow, and if she's playing golf she's presumably reasonably active so barring any nasty medical conditions could probably pootle a few miles on a bike and the exercise would do her good. I think staying active is one of the most important things to take care of as one ages, it keeps the mind healthier as well.

[BlasterBates]

looks like you need a French registered car if you intend to stay more than 6 months

Driving in France

Best to buy a second hand car in France I would have thought.

[cailin maith]

I suspect even you could manage it with a bit of help from a grown up.

Wiggle | Burley Travoy Urban Trailer System Trailers

Possibly not ideal for an elderly lady though.

[BlasterBates]

There is usually a time limit of 1 to 2 years if you take your own car over anywhere.

You need to check up. You can't do it indefinitely.

[doodab]

While carrying golf clubs?

Can you?

I suspect even you could manage it with a bit of help from a grown up.

Wiggle | Burley Travoy Urban Trailer System Trailers

[Churchill]

Can she ride a bicycle?

While carrying golf clubs?

Can you?

[doodab]

Can she ride a bicycle?

[Troll]

I understood the best ploy is to buy a French registered car and run it in the UK

Cheaper tax, insurance, etc

I don't know if entente cordiale extends to the French equivalent of the DVLA so parking /speeding fines may possibly be dodged also

[ChrisPackit]

The main problem is that the steering wheel is on the wrong side, which means for the first dew days you drive down the middle of the road, which is not a good place to be.

An easy solution to this problem is to purchase a Mclaren F1 where the seat and steering wheel are in the centre of the car, meaning no more left hand drive / right hand drive quandries...

Ths only potential spanner in the works, is that they go for a £1 Million +

Hope this helps

[EternalOptimist]

I often hire cars abroad for monthly blocks, its not too expensive, the quality is good and its worry free.
The main problem is that the steering wheel is on the wrong side, which means for the first dew days you drive down the middle of the road, which is not a good place to be

[Churchill]

My mother has a flat in France – although renting it out a lot this year, she plans to spend a lot longer in it next year (around 25% of the year or so), and would like to have a car, given that the village is in the sticks, and she wants to drive to the golf course which is a car ride away.

Has anyone here had a UK car and taken it to leave in France long term? If so, how do you go about doing this? She prefers the UK driving position, and has a second car (Ka) that she could take over (or, rather I would drive over for her).

Another option would be to buy a car over there. I am worried about buying a used car in France, so would probably buy a new 1007, Clio or something new and dirt cheap.

Also considering a monthly car lease from a car hire firm. Again, anyone got any experiences of leasing cars in France for a month or two, and, if so, what about insurance etc, or would she ultimately just be better hiring a car for a month 2/3 times a year?

Ideally I would like her to feel comfotable just using taxi's, but her French is about as bad as the English of the region!

Cheers chaps……

When I lived over there Europcar used to do good deals on long-term rent/lease.

Make sure you have the correct kind of car insurance if you do end up taking a UK car over there and also remember that if it's there long term you'll have to have it re-registered.