buying a used car in the south!

[rynd2it]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

The toll roads here are in impeccable condition and usually are the most direct and efficient way to get from one place to another. (Not like the dreadful shape most toll roads in the US have fallen into.) There are also standards for the frequency of "aires" (the rest stops along with road).

I'll also give a small unsolicited endorsement for the autoroute system here: We spent the weekend at a donkey festival in Normandy. The route was one hour on the autoroute and then one hour on back roads, mostly through fields and woods, with few, if any, places to stop along the way - whether for convenience stops or for fuel.

The night before my return, I suffered a "gastro" attack and by the time I had to leave for home, was calculating quite precisely how long it would take me to reach the autoroute, where I was guaranteed a "rest stop" every 20 km or so. Not something you think about the first time you encounter the tolls here, but I was more than happy to pay the 11€ in tolls to drive "in confidence" once I reached the autoroute.
Cheers,
Bev

Excellent point Bev. The toll roads in CA were immaculate and cheap ($1.50) and very uncrowded. No rest stops though - funny thing is we all in the UK believed Motorway Service Stations were an American invention, never saw one in the US

Cheers

[Tanksalot]

Chucking in my €.02 worth - My experience having crossed France North to South a few times is the toll roads are well worth it, nice easy motoring. If you want to see the countryside then go of piste but once you hit two towns on market day the autoroute seems a far better idea.

Nick

[GALLUS]

Cheap and reliable cars are plentyfull

Hybrid
Honda Insight (Civic) is far cheaper than Prius Toyota, you could find a recent car for 12 000 euros with less than 30 000 k on the odometer. Family car but not a Porsche

small french car
strangely, automatic cars with petrol engines are cheaper than diesel and manual gear box.
Same price range as above, for a Peugeot Cabriolet 307 CC, with automatic roof, nice in southern France. Similar model Megane Renault.
real 4 seater, but not 5 seater

other options
Mercedes are cheap to run and super reliable. A car above 5 year is cheap on insurance. They retain high value on resale for vehicles with low mileage. Same budget as above. Diesel are overpriced.
Large Renault Espace (MPV) are reasonable to purchase and superb with a family . Low mileage and history book are compulsory. Avoid diesel, but select the engine withe the lowest petrol consumption.
Ford and Renault sale flexfuel cars that run indifferently on E85 (ethanol less than 1 euro per liter) and petrol. This could be a solution if you have PETROL STATIONS with E85 around your place (more in northern France than southern France)

[KimMii]

Originally Posted by Tanksalot

Chucking in my €.02 worth - My experience having crossed France North to South a few times is the toll roads are well worth it, nice easy motoring. If you want to see the countryside then go of piste but once you hit two towns on market day the autoroute seems a far better idea.

Nick

I completely agree...in fact, I'd go so far as to say France has the BEST road system in the world!

On the 'car' note...we just bought a used Audi from a Renault dealer...it has a 12 month 'warranty' and they are a large dealership with a large 'garage' which instills confidence.