Tips for buying a car in France

[Coton90]

Buying a car in the States from a dealer can be an unpleasant experience with the games and BS many, but not all, make you go through in the buying process. In the States, used car salesmen have a reputation on par with American politicians and lawyers (Note: comment only applies to Americans), and it’s big on the sleaze factor.

I was wondering what we can look forward to in buying a new car in France, recognizing that all salesmen are not alike. As I recall, years ago in Germany the dealers didn’t have much room to negotiate and the sticker price was pretty much what was expected, but there was some room with options. What’s the buying experience like in France? I understand that because of the economic situation, incentives are being offered.

We have a car in France which we’ll be using for now, so we’re not without transportation. If a car salesperson becomes too obnoxious, we are in the position of suggesting a pier they can use to jump off. My wife wants a new car but I would consider a low mileage used car if I found the proverbial “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” who just used it to go to the grocery store.

[frogblogger]

I've usually fixed on three or so makes and models I'm interested in, then gone to at least ten different dealers... making it clear I'm shopping around for the best deal right from the outset. Over the years I've bought three new cars and four second-hand ones from dealers, and have never been given the hard sell. On the contrary, most French car salesmen are so laid-back you can be waiting for a quarter of an hour before they can be bothered to come and talk to you!

I've usually managed to get a big discount offered by most dealers -and I haven't bought since the start of the recession, so there should be some good bargains out there...

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by frogblogger

I've usually fixed on three or so makes and models I'm interested in, then gone to at least ten different dealers... making it clear I'm shopping around for the best deal right from the outset. Over the years I've bought three new cars and four second-hand ones from dealers, and have never been given the hard sell. On the contrary, most French car salesmen are so laid-back you can be waiting for a quarter of an hour before they can be bothered to come and talk to you!

I've usually managed to get a big discount offered by most dealers -and I haven't bought since the start of the recession, so there should be some good bargains out there...

Thanks for the quick response Pete. This is good to know.

My wife will be doing most of the negotiating as she (1) Can drive a hard bargain (2) Speaks much better French than I can ever hope to and speaks it with regional accent so they know they're not dealing with some naive out of towner.