Car to Buy in France?
 

We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ellie

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

ellie wrote in news:3E5A0DD4.2080501
@attbi.com:

    > We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    > buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    > we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
    > Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
    > something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
    > inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
    > the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    > in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    >
    > Any suggestions?
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > Ellie
    >
    >

You are going to see that most of your neighbors drive Renaults, but there
will be a lot of VW, Fiat, minicoopers, BMW, Mercedes. Just like anywhere
you need to figure out what is available and what fits your budget and
driving needs. think twice on the diesel, per litre they spew out less and
the soot is likely as not from the trucks. Keep yours car naitaied and it
won't spew forth.

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

"ellie" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    > buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    > we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
    > Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
    > something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
    > inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
    > the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    > in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    > Any suggestions?
You need to re-examine your view on diesel cars. Those that spew out black
soot are older cars, often poorly tuned with less anti-pollution technology
built in. Most modern diesel cars are almost as clean as petrol (gas)
engined cars. And the new Euro 4 standard, just being introduced, has
particulates level (very fine soot) lower than gas cars as it's fitted with
a trap. More than 50% of cars in France are diesel. You'll save a lot on
fuel, as diesel (gazole) costs around 0.84 euro/litre compared with 1.04
euro for unleaded. Plus diesel cars can do up to 20 km/l as against 14 km/l
for gas.
Good, compact diesel cars include Peugeot 307, Renault Clio, Citroen C3, VW
Polo and Seat Ibiza among many others. Buy the most latest model for less
pollution and greater economy.

Alec

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

Alec wrote:

    >"ellie" wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    >>in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    >>Any suggestions?
    >>
    >You need to re-examine your view on diesel cars. Those that spew out black
    >soot are older cars, often poorly tuned with less anti-pollution technology
    >built in. Most modern diesel cars are almost as clean as petrol (gas)
    >engined cars.
That's good to know. My views have indeed been re-examined! It's true
that probably most of the cars in our town (there are few trucks and
only one bus per day) are old. It's not a very affluent area of the
country - which was why we could afford to buy a house there. Here, I
drove a diesel Chevette for years until it finaly died and I loved that
little car. 8^)

    >And the new Euro 4 standard, just being introduced, has
    >particulates level (very fine soot) lower than gas cars as it's fitted with
    >a trap. More than 50% of cars in France are diesel. You'll save a lot on
    >fuel, as diesel (gazole) costs around 0.84 euro/litre compared with 1.04
    >euro for unleaded. Plus diesel cars can do up to 20 km/l as against 14 km/l
    >for gas.
    >Good, compact diesel cars include Peugeot 307, Renault Clio, Citroen C3, VW
    >Polo and Seat Ibiza among many others. Buy the most latest model for less
    >pollution and greater economy.
    >Alec
    >
I'll be trying out these models, for sure. Thanks!

    >

--
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ ~^~^~^~^~^~^~

http://www.ellieclemens.com

"It's not a game, it's not over."

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

"ellie" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    > buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    > we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
    > Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
    > something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
    > inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
    > the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    > in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
Agree with previous posts.
There are so many good small cars.
I would limit the choice to those with a service agent nearby; I wouldn't
want to have to go 60km to get a Seat (or whatever) serviced, not that much
service is needed these days.

Or be brave and get an old 2CV :)

Roger

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

le Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:19:29 GMT, dans l'article , ellie a dit ...=20

    > We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be=20
    > buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when=20
    > we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there=
.=20
    > Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for=20
    > something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively=20
    > inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like=
=20
    > the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flower=
s=20
    > in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    >=20
    > Any suggestions?

As others have said, diesels pollute less than petrol cars, so you should
reconsider. As for models, Peugeot and Renault are very popular. I
regularly drive my mother-in-law's Peugeot 106 (petrol), which is a dinky
little thing, but still spacious enough to get four of us and a respectab=
le
amount of luggage in. We did Cap d'Agde to Paris via Bordeaux and the
Futuroscope near Orl=E9ans, and were hot, sweaty and bad-tempered (no cha=
nge
for the mother-in-law, then ...) at the end of the trip, but otherwise
quite comfortable.=20=20

--=20
Desmond Coughlan=20
desmond @ zeouane.org
http: // www . zeouane . org

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

"Ringolevio" wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    >
    > "ellie" wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    >> We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    >> buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    >> we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes
    >> there.
    > Agree with previous posts.
    > There are so many good small cars.
    > I would limit the choice to those with a service agent nearby; I
    > wouldn't want to have to go 60km to get a Seat (or whatever) serviced,
    > not that much service is needed these days.

On the service agent theme: speak to the locals and ask for recommendations
of a reliable dealer. This can make the ownership of a car so much easier
if the local dealer has a good level of service, provides loan cars etc.

Bear in mind that Citroen & Peugeot are part of the same group and their
cars are very similar.

Also Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda are all owned by VAG - very similar cars
made in Germany, Spain & Czech Rep. respectivley. Price varies a lot as
they come with different specifications and VW still commands a price
premium.

All five manufacturers listed above make very competent cars. Choose the
one that appeals to you for comfort, price and location of a dealer. Try to
get an extended test drive.

If you do decide to buy a diesel car (and I would in France as it will save
you money) then steer clear of smaller Fords & Opels (Vauxhall/GM). Neither
of these US giants make small diesel engines as good as their EU
counterparts. Same applies to Rover from the UK.

--
[email protected]

BMW R1150GS

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

Hi,

do you intend on bringing this car back to the states?

ellie wrote:
    > We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    > buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    > we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
    > Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
    > something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
    > inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
    > the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    > in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    >
    > Any suggestions?
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > Ellie
    >


--
"But to live outside the law, you must be honest"
Bob Dylan - Absolutely Sweet Marie - 1966

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

Desmond Coughlan wrote:

    >le Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:19:29 GMT, dans l'article , ellie a dit ...=20
    > =20
    >As others have said, diesels pollute less than petrol cars, so you shoul=
d
    >reconsider. As for models, Peugeot and Renault are very popular. I
    >regularly drive my mother-in-law's Peugeot 106 (petrol), which is a dink=
y
    >little thing, but still spacious enough to get four of us and a respecta=
ble
    >amount of luggage in. We did Cap d'Agde to Paris via Bordeaux and the
    >Futuroscope near Orl=E9ans, and were hot, sweaty and bad-tempered (no ch=
ange
    >for the mother-in-law, then ...) at the end of the trip, but otherwise
    >quite comfortable. =20
    > =20
Snort! 8^) Sounds like our last trip from Esp=E9raza to Paris via=20
Limoges. I remember saying "Next time I think of driving to Paris=20
instead ot taking the train, just please shoot me."

--=20
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ ~^~^~^~^~^~^~

http://www.ellieclemens.com

"It's not a game, it's not over."

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

wessie wrote:

    >"Ringolevio" wrote in
    >news:[email protected]:
    >
    >>"ellie" wrote in message
    >>news:[email protected]...
    >>
    >>>We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    >>>buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    >>>we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes
    >>>there.
    >>>
    >>Agree with previous posts.
    >>There are so many good small cars.
    >>I would limit the choice to those with a service agent nearby; I
    >>wouldn't want to have to go 60km to get a Seat (or whatever) serviced,
    >>not that much service is needed these days.
    >>
    >On the service agent theme: speak to the locals and ask for recommendations
    >of a reliable dealer. This can make the ownership of a car so much easier
    >if the local dealer has a good level of service, provides loan cars etc.
    >Bear in mind that Citroen & Peugeot are part of the same group and their
    >cars are very similar.
    >Also Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda are all owned by VAG - very similar cars
    >made in Germany, Spain & Czech Rep. respectivley. Price varies a lot as
    >they come with different specifications and VW still commands a price
    >premium.
    >All five manufacturers listed above make very competent cars. Choose the
    >one that appeals to you for comfort, price and location of a dealer. Try to
    >get an extended test drive.
    >If you do decide to buy a diesel car (and I would in France as it will save
    >you money) then steer clear of smaller Fords & Opels (Vauxhall/GM). Neither
    >of these US giants make small diesel engines as good as their EU
    >counterparts. Same applies to Rover from the UK.
    >
Thanks. Good points; I hadn't thought of taking the dealers' locations
and reputations into account. Probably because here in the US no one
_ever_ takes a car back to the dealer for servicing since the dealers
charge much more than your local mechanic.

--
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ ~^~^~^~^~^~^~

http://www.ellieclemens.com

"It's not a game, it's not over."

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

"ellie" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    > buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    > we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
    > Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
    > something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
    > inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
    > the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    > in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    > Any suggestions?

You will find my personal choice for a car to own in France at

http://www.smart.com/

but I only need something for weekend and holiday use, not as permanent
transport.

BTW, if you want a really clean fuel, then the best choice is liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG), although the Smart does not list that as an option. It
seems to be very widely available in France.

Colin Bignell

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

Jean Moulin wrote:

    > Hi,
    > do you intend on bringing this car back to the states?
No; we are moving to France permanently.

    > ellie wrote:
    >> We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will
    >> be buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars
    >> when we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and
    >> makes there. Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be
    >> looking for something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and
    >> comparatively inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I
    >> personally don't like the pollution they spew out. (In our little
    >> town in France, the flowers in the window boxes get covered with
    >> black soot from deisels daily.)
    >> Any suggestions?
    >> Thanks,
    >> Ellie

--
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ ~^~^~^~^~^~^~

http://www.ellieclemens.com

"It's not a game, it's not over."

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

nightjar wrote:

    >"ellie" wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >
    >>We're going to be moving from the US to France in the fall and will be
    >>buying a car sometime after that. Other than having rented cars when
    >>we're in France, I'm totally unfamiliar with car models and makes there.
    >> Hell, I'm unfamiliar with them here! ;-) We'll be looking for
    >>something small, of course, very fuel efficient, and comparatively
    >>inexpensive. I'd rather not buy a deisel since I personally don't like
    >>the pollution they spew out. (In our little town in France, the flowers
    >>in the window boxes get covered with black soot from deisels daily.)
    >>Any suggestions?
    >>
    >You will find my personal choice for a car to own in France at
    >http://www.smart.com/
    >but I only need something for weekend and holiday use, not as permanent
    >transport.
    >BTW, if you want a really clean fuel, then the best choice is liquefied
    >petroleum gas (LPG), although the Smart does not list that as an option. It
    >seems to be very widely available in France.
    >Colin Bignell
    >
I love those Smart cars! But I need something just a tiny bit bigger.
I'm an artist and I need something I can fit good sized paintings into.
A small hatchback is the sort of size that would make sense.

I didn't know about the LPG option. I'll have to keep that in mind as
well. Good thing we have some months to ponder over this decision.
We're going to France for two weeks in mid March and maybe we'll find
some time to wander through some car dealerships. Among the other
zillion things we have to accomplish in what will be our last trip to
there before our final move. Shudder...

    >

--
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ ~^~^~^~^~^~^~

http://www.ellieclemens.com

"It's not a game, it's not over."

Jean-Pierre Raffarin

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

le Mon, 24 Feb 2003 17:02:22 -0000, dans l'article , nightjar a dit ...

{ snip }

    >> Any suggestions?
    >
    > You will find my personal choice for a car to own in France at
    >
    > http://www.smart.com/

Ever noticed how 'Smart' car owners aren't ... well, aren't ?


--
Desmond Coughlan
desmond @ zeouane.org
http: // www . zeouane . org

Re: Car to Buy in France?
 

ellie clemens wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    >>
    > Thanks. Good points; I hadn't thought of taking the dealers'
    > locations and reputations into account. Probably because here in the
    > US no one _ever_ takes a car back to the dealer for servicing since the
    > dealers charge much more than your local mechanic.
    >

In Europe, most manufacturers will give you an extended warranty beyond the
normal 12 months. 3 years is common, 5 years with a few. This warranty will
be pan-European, so a French registered car will be repaired free of charge
if it breaks down on holday in Italy.

Usually, a condition of this warranty is that the services are carried out
to the manufacturer's specification - most people interpret this as you
need to use a franchised dealer. Strictly untrue, but you need to be able
to prove that genuine parts were used and that all of the recommended tasks
were performed.

With my mileage, I only need to get my Seat serviced once a year. Yes, it
does cost more than using a local non-franchised workshop. However, I see
the extra cost as an investment in the level of service I would expect from
my franchised dealer if the vehicle needs a non-scheduled repair during the
3 year warranty period.

Incidentally, the car, a Seat Ibiza, is 2 years old and has needed no
workshop time other than routine servicing.


--
[email protected]

BMW R1150GS