Goodbye “Mustang Sally,” Hello “Lucy”
I spent most of last week buying a used car in France. It is the first car I’ve bought in France and the first car I’ve ever bought. Like many things in this new world, where I don’t speak the language, purchasing my new “voiture” wasn’t easy. ย I had to enlist help.
Buying a car in France
When friends learned I wanted a car, they all had suggestions. The most prevalent one was “Don’t buy a French car.” Sorry, but that’s just what I did. The next tip was, “Don’t buy from a dealer.” Yep, I did that too.
I am double handicapped. I have never bought a car for myself. My first car was a hand-me-down from my Mother. My brother, who owned a VW dealership, arranged the next cars. I drove VWs for years. Then my ex bought our cars. If he said he was going car shopping, I’d say, “Tell me when it’s over, and by the way, I’ll get the new one.”
Of course, not speaking French is my second handicap in buying a car.
Uzรจs has no car dealers, so I turned to Leboncoin. Car shopping online became my passion. I looked at cars constantly. But when I’d be interested in one, I’d just sigh. There was no way to communicate with the seller. Using email didn’t work. They didn’t reply. If I telephoned, I could write a script in French to tell what I wanted, but their response was unintelligible. Going to Nimes to a car shop was a consideration, but finding someone to drive me there who knew anything about cars wasn’t happening.
Finally, I threw money at the problem. A young French man I’ve met several times at one of the cafes in Uzรจs told me he’d help. He needed money, and I needed a car. It was a perfect matchโexcept that he wasn’t entirely on the same timeline as me.
After several weeks of back-and-forth emails to “GG” with links to cars on Leboncoin, he finally saw one that appealed to him. It was with an “independent” dealer in Remoulins. After a trip to see the car and then back to sign the papers, it was mine.
Buying a car in France
JJ agreed to go with me to the “prรฉfecture” to change over the title and help with whatever else is needed. I had no idea about insurance. The garage insurance was running out on Monday. Indeed, that could be solved, too.
Here’s Lucy! With her shiny red body, she’s the female version of “Lucifer”.
Happy memories of Mustang Sally
Saying “goodbye” to Mustang Sally hasn’t been easy. Looking back at some of our adventure posts makes me happy and sad. If you’d like to walk around through “memory lane” with me, here are some posts where Sally played a starring role. Click on the titles to view the posts.
May in Uzes
On the Road with Mustang Sally
Then there are memories of Mustang Sally at her last car wash.
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Happy Trails, Mustang Sally!
