Une Peugeot 208 s'il vous plaît
What is the name of the reversing alarm again in French? I saw: "You know, that sound you hear when you back up?", whereupon the salesman exclaims jovially "Ah d'accord! Un Beep-beep-beep!”. I have had the pleasure of helping a friend buy a car - in France. It was a Peugeot 208. First and foremost because of a serious, local dealer with a good reputation. The Peugeot 208 is very popular in France. Good space in relation to external measurements. Easy to park. And last but not least, it is French. It can offer advantages.
Dealers' secret list
Actually, we were looking for a nicely used car, but now towards the end of the year there were several unsold 2018 models. Brand new cars at reduced prices. The sales manager was able to obtain a live online overview of all cars that were available nearby. All French car brands have interim warehouses around the country which are continuously filled with cars from the production premises. Sometimes too many cars of certain models are produced. Then there will be chaos in the warehouse. If the situation becomes completely catastrophic, the prices are dumped. Not officially, but as a special offer you can get when you are ready to buy at a dealer.
Search locally online first
Anyone can gain insight into the dealers' secret list by searching "Offres du moment" on Peugeot's French websites. Other French brands have corresponding websites. These are not just promotional models, but offers on cars parked around the country near your specified postcode. But they do not show all cars. My friend was offered a show car that was at a dealer in the neighboring valley. I couldn't find that car online. In contrast, I found some very good offers on stock cars of the entry-level model. Only 10 euros. Dirt cheap! But the weakest 990-liter 1,2 HP engine needs to be whipped hard to go. The engine is far too small for this car. The cars are only recommended because of the price. New 68 for just over 208 sheets, it's still nothing to complain about! But if you can afford it, you shouldn't go for anything less than the PureTech petrol engine with 100 HP - also popular in Norwegian cars.
I recommend taking a look at current special offers online before you visit a dealer. It gives an indication of which models there are many of in stock right now, and which you can make a good purchase on. In any case, you won't get anything worse offer than the prices online!
More about the bone
Be aware that if there is an exceptionally good offer on the dealers' lists, you may run the risk of several buyers considering the same car - at the same time. If you say "I'll think about it until tomorrow", you risk the car being sold in the meantime.
The car that interested us was offered with an extra discount of 300 euros from our seller. It was before lunch. After lunch, the seller unfortunately had to announce that the extra discount could not be given anyway, because someone had in the meantime made an offer for the same car to another customer without extra discount. But for the same price, we could snap up the car in front of the noses of the others. You never know whether there really were any other buyers - but it feels really good to be able to pick up something right in front of someone's nose!
A few practical pieces of information
No annual fee
You pay no annual fee in France. The dealer will probably charge a fee to register the car and obtain a vehicle registration card - the gray card (la carte grise - «la kartegri:s'). Any shipping may also be added. At our dealer, the mark-up was approximately 300 euros.
Insurance must be purchased separately
It is not as easy to buy insurance directly from the dealer. Our dealer was able to establish telephone contact between the buyer and Peugeot's insurance company. All agreements would then be made directly between the parties without the negotiator becoming involved. You can buy car insurance through your bank or of course through an insurance company you already use.
Bring the electricity bill
In order to be issued with a carriage card, a certificate of residential address is required - which links you as a resident to your stated address. It may be a bill for electricity, water or waste disposal - but not insurance. The bill must document that you are resident - not the owner. This is common practice in France.
Advance payment when ordering
You must expect to pay 10% of the purchase price when you sign the contract. It is also common to pay by check in France. Our dealer does not take cards, but accepted that the buyer transferred money to the next day, - and the remaining amount by the day the car is picked up.
Foreign telephone numbers
The French do not like foreign phone numbers, even if they know that the calls will be answered in French. Many computer systems only accept French numbers. You can of course enter your e-mail or a friend's French telephone number. I often choose to agree that "I'll pop in for a walk tomorrow to hear how it's going" - or something like that. You can never trust someone to call a foreign phone number or send an e-mail. That's just how it is.
Peugeot 208
Model history
Terje's cars have tested the Peugeot 208 under the title A rather small steering wheel. The small steering wheel allows you to read the instrument over the steering wheel and not between. The 208 was introduced in spring 2012 and received a mild facelift in 2015 with changes to the front, new running lights and changes to the infotainment system. New engines included, among other things, 100 HP HDI. A brand new model is on the way and is expected to be introduced in the spring. In line with previous practice, with its predecessors 206 and 207, Peugeot is likely to continue producing the outgoing model in parallel with the new one. I won't dwell on old myths about French cars, but few French cars are as flawless as the cars towards the end of their production period.
On the road
The Peugeot 208 has good seats. Handles and interior seem solid. The 3-cylinder engine is very audible and emits a lot of vibrations below approx. 1750 revolutions. You need to give plenty of gas to start from a standstill. Then the 3-cylinder sound image is very audible. At speed, however, the engine is well dampened. The gearbox has 5 steps and is operated with a gear lever that I think is similar to something you find in a truck. Gear changes are a bit slow. No sporty clack-clack, but alright in daily use.
The car's big plus is the use of space. The interior space is surprisingly good despite the compact exterior dimensions. The forward A-pillars and the small steering wheel help to give the feeling of plenty of space.
Prices
In Norway, cars such as the Peugeot 208, with their low weight and low CO2 emissions, turn out surprisingly favorably in terms of price. On Peugeot.no, a Peugeot 208 1,2 PureTech 82 HP Allure with metallic costs NOK 214. Even if you have to add half-yearly tax and winter tyres, you get a lot of car for the money. In France, the list price of a similar car is as high as NOK 820 (conversion rate 188 from euro to NOK). A type of equipment is supplied under Allure, called Signature. It is somewhat simpler, - among other things without navigation, light alloy wheels and chrome mirror housings. I wanted to go for the Allure, but there was no Allure on the dealers' lists - only the Signature. My friend therefore ended up with a new 2018 Peugeot 208 1,2 PureTech 82 HP Signature with metallic, 3-year service agreement and an acceptable refusal.
And it had beep-beep-beep!
Summary
If you buy a French car in France, you can get better discounts than on imported cars - provided you choose stock cars.
Scandinavians and Britons are considered good customers. Use recommended dealers and tell the salesperson that you are connected to other Scandinavians/British in the city.
Choose the correct model and engine variant. It simplifies maintenance. Consider extended warranty/service agreement.
Prepare in advance. Search the manufacturer's French website for special offers near you. Feel free to check the price of both used and new cars in stock at a special price.
New from 2019 regarding re-registration
If you buy a car from a dealer, they arrange everything with registration/re-registration. If, on the other hand, you buy from a private person, the parties must arrange re-registration themselves. From 2019, online services have been established to register a new – or change – vehicle license online. That solution is not recommended for several reasons - to which I will return. So, if you buy a car from a private person, you arrange a meeting at a local car dealer. Remember to bring your passport and a bill that links you to a French address, such as an electricity bill, water bill or communal costs. NB! There must be a bill that says that you bor at the address (preferably a holiday home). It is not enough to document that you eier the house. Several car dealers operate with a fixed price for this service. I have heard that it should be between €30-40 in my small town.
Here are the challenges if you should still try to register a vehicle license online
You can use the following service:
www.carte-grise.org
To get something done, you need a secure ID - similar to what we use Bank ID for at home. You can find more about "FrenchConnect" at the link below.
About FrenchConnect (secure id)
People who do not live in France may face several problems. First of all, you need a French passport or French identification. If you pay taxes (property tax, residence tax), you must also be able to use your 13-digit "Numero Fiscal" which you will find on your last payment instruction. I tried to use my number, and it was actually approved - and called "tax number". As a foreigner, it is still not certain that the system will approve you - either because you are a foreigner or because your telephone number is Norwegian. Services that generate access codes on the mobile probably require a French mobile number.
There are also websites that offer online re-registration. I have not followed any of them and do not know how they handle the requirement for authentication / secure ID - and whether they offer a service similar to what car dealers do.
www.eplaque.fr/carte-grise.html
www.service-cartegrise.fr
www.cartegrise.com
Update 31.01.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX: Just spoke to someone who tried to get a vehicle license online. Both buyer and seller were French - had French telephones - and reasonably "advanced" in computer processing. They succeeded not and had to visit a car dealer instead.
