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If you post in the section for France you might get more responses

Hello everyone,

just to inform you that i have moved this thread to the France forum.

All the best,
Bhavna

Hello-

Not sure about your budget, but buying is not difficult if paying cash. Not sure of difference if you are trying to finance payments for several years.

It may be difficult  regarding insurance without a permanent French address, since that is how your rates are normally established.  Your best option would be to ask an insurance company regarding your options and their specific requirements.  I ended up getting my insurance through Groupama, but I know CIC also offers insurance... but honestly can’t recommend them myself.  CIC made some serious mistakes on a friend of mine’s home and auto insurance.

As any other place that I have lived, if you can find a vehicle for sale direct from an owner it’s always less costly than buying through a dealer or agency. Upside to dealer or agency is usually you’re going to get some form of short term warranty, or at least know the vehicle has been checked out and in good condition. Always best to have an independent mechanic also check it out before you actually buy... just in case.  From what I hear consumer protection laws on vehicle condition being as expected or advertised, are pretty consumer friendly.

Vehicle ownership is relatively easy, but I have been here for a year. Getting my French drivers license while not overly difficult,  is a bit of an ordeal. It is a very time consuming, and document intensive process as an American.  Even once you have everything submitted, it can take up to 10 months to get your permanent license. Your temporary license is only good for five months... go figure.  If you don’t apply for your French license within one year anniversary dateof being in the country,  guess what? You get to take the complete driving written and vehicle test all in French.  Supposedly at a cost of well over €1000.

Good luck on your new adventure!

Hello Richard

But most british people or even american people keep using their home country driving licence.

I have very good insurance at Allianz... I used to be at groupama but they made it difficult to get reimbursed for an accident where I was not at fault. While the traffic was stopped on a mountain road, someone who was not paying attention, drove into the back of my van.

QUOTE.  ‘  1) Because I havent had a permanent residence in France for 4 years, will that create difficulties? ‘

I have not read the 500 pages of the Brexit ‘agreement’ but U.K. nationals right to live in the EU may have changed significantly so buying a vehicle might be the least of your problem

It appears to maintain the right of residence for oneself and family they will need to have lived permanently in the EU for the past five years

I had a nightmare experience trying to buy a car in France.  I found a car in a small dealership, but then, when I went to the insurance office, they would not let me purchase insurance for it because I did not have a French driver's license or an international drivers license (available from AAA here in the US).

I had the international drivers license when I picked up the rental car at the CDG airport, upon my arrival in France.   But, it "disappeared" - that is, thinking back, I don't think I ever got it back from the Sixt rental person.  Granted, I was very, very tired and stressed at the time I did the rental, so my memory is dim.  I later thoroughly searched the rental car and all my belongings, but never found it.   I contacted the Sixt office at CDG and they claimed they didn't have it. 

Looking back now, I'm not sure why I didn't just contact AAA and request a duplicate to be mailed to me.  Instead, I signed up for a "cours de conduite" in the little town where I was renting an apartment.  I actually really enjoyed this class!  It was me (an American woman in her late 50s) and 15 teenagers!  And, I learned alot.  It cost me about 250 euros. I don't recall anything about there being an additional fee for the examination.

Anyway, on the day before the exam, the owner of the cours de conduite business owner told me that she had received a message from the licensing authority saying that I would not be allowed to take the examination because I didn't have a carte de résident (I had a visa de long séjour).

At that point, I didn't get too upset because I had pretty much given up my idea of opening a small medical practice there.  The Department of Health refused to license me because my degrees and certifications came from a non-EU country. My savings were dwindling fast and I was preparing to move back to the US anyway.  This was such a sad, though typical, final chapter to my efforts to deal with the French bureaucracy.

I am now preparing to make a second attempt to establish a residence in France, for my retirement.  I too wish to purchase a van.   My plan is to fly over several months before my move, get the van and the insurance, and then store the van somewhere so it will be waiting for me when I actually move over there.  I'll definitely keep a tight grip on my international driver's license this time!

Not too important but please do not refer to an international driving licence but to  an international driving permit.  There is no such thing as an IDL

The IDP is a translation of ones national DL which in certain countries must be carried by drivers from certain countries with ones national DL  when driving in certain countries.   

Not understanding that can lead to problems