How to Buy a Second Hand Car in France

Buying a secondhand car in France involves paperwork and can take time. Fortunately dealers can take care of all of administrative details for you. Furthermore, secondhand cars hold their price very well: a secondhand car costs much more in France than a car of similar age and condition would cost in the U.K.

Find Your Car

You can find a car for sale in the classified advertisements of local newspapers and on websites like the French versions of Ebay and Autojournal. The links are in "Resources." Cars for sale in the street display a sign with the letters AV. They do not usually indicate the price, only the age and mileage. You are expected to look up the going rate for a models of that year in a publication and website called the "Argus." There is only a little latitude for bargaining, about 10 percent below Argus. Also look in dealer lots.

Completing the Deal

You and the seller must fill in three copies (one for the seller, one for you and one for the authorities) of a car sale form called "Declaration de cession d'un vhicule," which you can get from the city hall or download from the government website. The seller must draw a diagonal line through the vehicle's registration document (called a "carte grise") and write the date and time the sale took place on it. The seller must also give you a certificate called "non gage" which he can download from the government website and another produced by an accredited mechanic called a "contrle technique" less than six months old setting out all the details of the car's mechanical condition.

Administration

You must go to the "service des cartes grises" in the city hall or administrative headquarters that has jurisdiction on where you live in France. You must take the following documents with you: the form you and the seller filled in, the "carte grise," the "contrle technique," the "non gage" certificate, a proof of your address (such as a utility bill), your ID document and your residence permit if you are not French. You will have to pay a tax depending on the car's power, its CO2 level and your place of residence. Expect to spend a couple of hours. Some websites can provide this service for you online.