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*ORIGINAL TITLE* :- "Been offered a free car, bit of a dilemma."
As title I have been offered a car free of charge if I go and collect it, it is a 1997 Citroen Xantia estate 1.8 petrol.
A few problems though:
1, It is in the south of France - I have roughly worked out I should be able to collect it for around £250 - £300
2, It's due it's second cambelt I believe and would need an MOT when brought back to the UK as it is currently Controle Technique'd (French MOT)
3, What would I do with it? I currently have 3 road legal cars which is ridiculous as I only drive for pleasure, no commuting. One of which is a 405 TD so renders the Xantia useless to me.
The reasons I want to get it:
1, It has been in my family since new, my Grandfather bought it new and then gave it to my aunt in 2008 when it then got driven to France.
2, I don't want to see it go to waste, this RHD xantia will be almost valueless in France so would most likely end up being scrapped or such like.
3, It would be an awesome little trip to go and collect it and see if it makes it home! (Plus I would be able to stay at my Aunts for a couple of days, so free holiday)
I don't see the point in just bringing it back to the UK and selling it as although my Aunt would be fine with that, I would feel a bit miffed about selling it unless it went to a friend.
What would you do? Any suggestions?
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Last Edit: Dec 2, 2014 0:22:48 GMT by goliath
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do it.  |
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Makes for a nice little holiday! Even if you do just MOT it and sell it on when you get back, it'll give it a second lease of life  |
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I'd want to have the car as well and have been in the situation several times when "at the end of the day" simply not cost effective.
How have you calculated the cost ?
Unless using car transporter / trailer you will need
(a) to get plane , coach, train, lift as passenger or whatever to your aunt's
(b) insurance. I found as existing customer NFU also covered me on French & Belgian vehicles for small fee. Otherwise it's sorting out insurance in France which could easily exceed you projected budget.
(c) It's a long way from South of France to UK so will cost quite a bit for fuel especially in a petrol car.
(d) if using motorways remember the fees
(e) car ferry can gobble up budget as well - I always found Caen to Portsmouth very expensive. Cheapest was Dunkirk to Dover with Norfolk Line.
When my brother was killed I wanted his BMW 2002 but simply not viable as in Germany. Same could apply to the Xantia. It'd be a shame but on the other hand you need to be realistic and work out an accurate cost as I think you could need to double your current estimate.
Paul H
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I do this, but in the other direction - buying cars in UK and bringing them to the south of France. Flights, local transport, insurance, fuel, food on the journey, tolls, ferry and breakdown cover (VITAL!) generally total about £300. It can cost less, but depends on your plans and obviously how far you have to travel either end regarding airports.....sleeping in the car saves money if you stop on the road, but isnt too comfortable. Budget airline prices vary wildly depending on how soon you book before flying. Dover - Calais by boat is the cheapest. A crossing will never be less than about £40 and is more usually £50 - £70. My preferred route avoids a lot of the toll sections of motorways, but still racks up 60 Euros or so. Some things to consider...mainly, how will you insure it? You will need to either find a UK insurer who will cover it, or get temporary French cover. Does it have a valid Control technique? This is the French MOT. it is valid for 2 years on passenger cars. If you plan on re-selling the car to someone who will want to keep it on French plates, the CT needs to be less than 6 months old, so best get it re-tested before you leave France. By the letter of the law, as a UK resident you are not allowed to drive a foreign registered car on UK roads. Its fun though. I wrote up one of my trips here.... retrorides.proboards.com/thread/119924/road-trip-report |
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1986 Panda 4x4.
1990 Metro Sport.
1999 Ford Escort estate.
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Dave are you planning a trip to england any time soon. Two birds and all that and you could get paid for it as well.
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sweaty palms slip off joystick
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I'd want to have the car as well and have been in the situation several times when "at the end of the day" simply not cost effective. How have you calculated the cost ? Unless using car transporter / trailer you will need (a) to get plane , coach, train, lift as passenger or whatever to your aunt's (b) insurance. I found as existing customer NFU also covered me on French & Belgian vehicles for small fee. Otherwise it's sorting out insurance in France which could easily exceed you projected budget. (c) It's a long way from South of France to UK so will cost quite a bit for fuel especially in a petrol car. (d) if using motorways remember the fees (e) car ferry can gobble up budget as well - I always found Caen to Portsmouth very expensive. Cheapest was Dunkirk to Dover with Norfolk Line. When my brother was killed I wanted his BMW 2002 but simply not viable as in Germany. Same could apply to the Xantia. It'd be a shame but on the other hand you need to be realistic and work out an accurate cost as I think you could need to double your current estimate. Paul H I would drive the car back. Plane from Bristol to Nice approx £40, I would travel from the airport with my Aunt (she works in UK but lives in France so commutes regularly). I am covered on the car whilst in France on my Aunts insurance, I am not sure about when I reach the uk but I can add the car to my policy for next to nothing. I would avoid toll roads, I have a bit of experience travelling through France and the latest jaunt back from Monaco a couple of months back cost about £100 in toll fees! Ferry crossing I can get for £19, there is no rush to collect so I can book in advance. I need to work out the rough fuel cost, but about 1000 miles door to door will be about 2.5 tanks of fuel. £70/tank (french prices). Sorry to hear about your brother, that's a great shame you didn't manage to keep his 2002 as a momento. Condolences. |
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I do this, but in the other direction - buying cars in UK and bringing them to the south of France. Flights, local transport, insurance, fuel, food on the journey, tolls, ferry and breakdown cover (VITAL!) generally total about £300. It can cost less, but depends on your plans and obviously how far you have to travel either end regarding airports.....sleeping in the car saves money if you stop on the road, but isnt too comfortable. Budget airline prices vary wildly depending on how soon you book before flying. Dover - Calais by boat is the cheapest. A crossing will never be less than about £40 and is more usually £50 - £70. My preferred route avoids a lot of the toll sections of motorways, but still racks up 60 Euros or so. Some things to consider...mainly, how will you insure it? You will need to either find a UK insurer who will cover it, or get temporary French cover. Does it have a valid Control technique? This is the French MOT. it is valid for 2 years on passenger cars. If you plan on re-selling the car to someone who will want to keep it on French plates, the CT needs to be less than 6 months old, so best get it re-tested before you leave France. By the letter of the law, as a UK resident you are not allowed to drive a foreign registered car on UK roads. Its fun though. I wrote up one of my trips here.... retrorides.proboards.com/thread/119924/road-trip-reportThanks for the reply. I'm budgeting the following (roughly): Flight £40 Local travel £nil (travel with aunt as above) Insurance £covered whilst in France, not sure about when in UK. Fuel approx £180 Food £0 (not counting that as I would be buying food if at home anyway!) Ferry £19 Tolls £30 (will avoid tolls where possible) Breakdown cover £0 (already have ADAC European cover) I have no problem sleeping in a car on a long journey, it's all part of the fun! It has a valid control technique as above, I think it has just over a year left on it. It is RHD and on English plates so no plans to sell in France. It was never imported to France so is still a UK car with UK plates and Docs. |
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Just to add, I'm not worried about spending £300 or whatever to go and collect it (the adventure will be worth it).
What I am apprehensive about is collecting it and then having no use for it or not being able to sell it or selling it to someone who will wreck it etc.
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The question is can you turn down a free car and a road trip all rolled into one.
If it was me I would have to. but you will still have a spare spare spare car so you could put up some pics of it and sell it to someone on here with delivery possible (if its on the way back) and add a few quid to cover expenses. Then you could get paid for going on a road trip.
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sweaty palms slip off joystick
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Detour to Austria George, get those wheels from Richard, it'll be the ideal vehicle, very comfy, quiet and reasonably economical.
When you get it back here it'll be more economical with the UK price difference from petrol to diesel unless you faff about with SVO, its a bigger more comfy car too.
Thought Matt had the 405 anyway?
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Do it.
I have heard that Golden V is cheap in France...
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Last Edit: Nov 7, 2013 0:12:14 GMT by joem83
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93fxdl
Posted a lot
Enter your message here...
Posts: 2,013
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I say do it. Not for the car but for the adventure. In years to come you will be able to bore the  off the other residents in your retirement home with tales like this, if I still lived down south and didn't have family comments, I would leap at a chance like this, perhaps someone else will fancy an adventure and join in to split the cost. Ttfn Glenn |
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Just to add, I'm not worried about spending £300 or whatever to go and collect it (the adventure will be worth it). What I am apprehensive about is collecting it and then having no use for it or not being able to sell it or selling it to someone who will wreck it etc. Better to come and get it, have a little fun doing so, and if it turns out you really have no use, selling it on in uk. Whats the alternative? it will end up crushed here.....RHD is quite hard to sell here, and if its still on UK plates, its pretty much worthless and very undesirable. At best it might sell for a hundred Euros or so for parts or to Gyppos who will run it to bits unregistered. And as hinted at above, there is potential to make a little money taking stuff back to UK to re-sell. If you know some smokers, the profit on a few cartons of ciggies could cover a large portion of the trip costs, especially if you take a day-trip down to Spain to buy them. don't go silly though, customs take a dim view of boot-fulls of the things crossing borders! |
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1986 Panda 4x4.
1990 Metro Sport.
1999 Ford Escort estate.
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Oh, and if it is still on UK plates, whats your plan for driving in UK? I doubt it will still be MOT'd and taxed, so you will need to book an MOT near your home and drive it straight there off the boat.
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1986 Panda 4x4.
1990 Metro Sport.
1999 Ford Escort estate.
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Roadtrip alone makes it worth it. PLUS: Can you live with yourself if you don't get it and the car gets scrapped? At least you'll have an amazing road trip and YOU get to choose what happens to the car. Heck, I'd be up for joining you and sharing some of the costs.....makes a cheaper road trip for you and a cheap-ish holiday for me.  |
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What a story, for me it's a no brainer, you seem to have a plan so go for it, you will regret it if you don't.
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Roadtrip alone makes it worth it. PLUS: Can you live with yourself if you don't get it and the car gets scrapped? At least you'll have an amazing road trip and YOU get to choose what happens to the car. Heck, I'd be up for joining you and sharing some of the costs.....makes a cheaper road trip for you and a cheap-ish holiday for me. Sweet, when are you free? It seems the general consensus is that I should stop being a big girl and go fetch the damn thing! So that is what I shall do, not sure when as yet. It would be nicer to go in the spring so the weather will be nice for the trip. |
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I have no problem sleeping in a car on a long journey, it's all part of the fun! Xantia estate: loads of room for a decent blow-up mattress and a good night's sleep. Yes, financially it's probably not worth it and yes, you have no real use for the car, but somehow that makes it seem all the more worthwhile as an adventure. |
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1989 Peugeot 205. You know, the one that was parked in a ditch on the campsite at RRG'17... the glass is always full. but the ratio of air to water may vary. |
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Look at it as an road trip adventure holiday and not as a mission to save the car. when you make it back give me a PM as I have a work mate who works here but lives in Spain so he might be interested in a RHD UK registered car.
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