Buying a 4L in France

[Mike313]

Hi all,
I'm living temporarily in Montpellier, south of France, where I am a student, albeit a middle-aged one. I am interested in buying a 4l - have been for some time - but until now it has been hard to justify (I can walk to most places I need to get to in 15 minutes - and walking is my only form of exercise!) and I have an eye-wateringly tight budget to live on. However, I've got to move out of my student accomodation in a matter of weeks and will need some means of getting about as not only do I have to move all my bits and pieces (could hire a car for that) but will also be working (I hope!) somewhere in this region through the summer and will need some transport. My intention would be to buy a 4l that will be reliable for daily use, light mileage, for use over the next 18 months without me having to do too much too it. This would be important. Then in about 18months or so, I'd like to get it renovated, resprayed, engine re-built etc. when I have the money to do it.
So here are my questions (and don't laugh, I'm not a mechanic!):
1. I'm going to try source a 4L down here in Herault (department in the south of France), will probably use leboncoin website as a good means of sourcing a car. Are there any other good sources in this region that you enthusiasts' know about?
2. What year, model etc. would you guys recommend I focus on (if possible). I mean I've heard of 4L, 4GTL, Clan, Savane and I'm sure Google would help me with the specs, but I wondered what your personal advice might be.
3. What, in your experience, is a car like that going to cost me - just a sort of ball-park figure.
4. What points should I check out when looking at a 4L? Are there any special weaknesses, or potential money-pits that I need to avoid? Unfortunately I don't have a mechanic-friend to give any potential purchase the 'once-over'.
5. I've no idea what I should ask for in terms of paperwork, I hope to get some advice locally about that. The sum of my understanding is that a Carte Gris is like a log-book and a Controle Technique is an MOT. If you have experience buying a car in France I'd be interested in any advice. All advice will be most welcome.
Mike.

 

[Mike313]

Just to add, I've mailed Renov4L in Narbonne about 60miles down the road from here - they apparently do renovation (got that advice on here) and may have some cars. But as per my e-mail above - please be generous with your advice !!!

 

[paulandpat]

Carte gris is a log book, controle technique is the equivalent of an MOT. CT should have at least 18 months to run in order to transfer the registration over into your name, unless it's a 'voiture de collection' - over 30 years old - in which case the CT is every 5 years.
Look on the Totalfrance website - lots of information relating to all sorts of things on there - the 'owning a vehicle in France' section could be particularly useful.
Cannot comment on prices down there, as we live in the damp north - if you go through leboncoin don't be afraid to haggle!

 

[Lobster]

2. What year, model etc. would you guys recommend I focus on (if possible). I mean I've heard of 4L, 4GTL, Clan, Savane and I'm sure Google would help me with the specs, but I wondered what your personal advice might be.

Very much depends on your own personal preferences really. Late GTLs / Clan / Savane models should be easier to find and are easier to live with on a daily basis. Earlier models are nice but slower etc so it really comes down to how you will use it and which you prefer.

3. What, in your experience, is a car like that going to cost me - just a sort of ball-park figure.

Varies enormously. I think the concept of spending as much as you can to get a good one is valid though. The more you can afford to spend then the better choice of cars etc

4. What points should I check out when looking at a 4L? Are there any special weaknesses, or potential money-pits that I need to avoid? Unfortunately I don't have a mechanic-friend to give any potential purchase the 'once-over'.

RUST!

They are all relatively simple but do like to rust. Have a search around on here for the common areas to give yourself an idea of where to look.

 

[Mike313]

Thanks for the advice Folks. If anyone thinks of anything else, please post.

 

[simonandjuliet]

Buying 4L in France

Hi, just got back from trip to UK (what a price for fuel !)and will send a longer response later, or if you wish, let me have your mobile and I`ll call you. Renov4L is a good start but he is difficult to contact. I am there tomorrow and will ask what he`s got at the moment. Otherwise Leboncoin is very good
Regards
Simon

 

[simonandjuliet]

4L for sale in Narbonne

Following on from yesterday's comments to Mike313's post, I saw today a beige GTL (R1123) in Narbonne ,south of France, it has the small engine - 800cc from 1982. Recovered front seats, very sweet, rebuilt engine and new floor at the front, good tyres etc. Very clean underneath and NO significant rust. Body needs tidying and a repaint in the future - flat paint with a few dings.With CT (MOT). By no means perfect , but a good sound car that can be driven and improved over time. Only real problem I saw was a corner of the floor in the boot which is a bit frilly (not a fail here) He is asking 1000€, which I think is a a little bit expensive for this area - I would haggle, but hey ! How does that compare with UK prices?
Car not for me - too recent and too beige !
Simon

 

[Mike313]

Simon,
Just saw your reply at this late hour. Thanks for the info. Will send you my mobile tomorrow when I figure out how to send a PM.

 

[Katy]

Looking for R4 near Montpellier

Did you find a R4 near Montpellier? I have one in the Vaucluse near Orange. It is a R4 Clan 1984 brought over from UK in 2004 and it is not beige but silver. Hasn't been used since then. Interested?