A VW LT ex-ambulance. Could be a good roomy base for a super-commuting mobile pad or a tiny home project. VWs in France seem to have less of the UK’s Volkswagen price premium. 3900 Euro on leboncoin.

From a UK perspective, France offers interesting buying opportunities. Houses (especially rural and small town properties) represent great value compared to the UK, particularly in eastern France, in some of the areas close to the Belgian, Luxembourg and German borders. We’ll return to this topic in future posts.

For secondhand vehicles, the picture is more mixed in France. Mainstream secondhand cars are dearer than in the UK, as are ready-to-use campervans. However, there are some good buys in specialist vehicles, and there are vehicles for sale in France that are not commonly available in the UK, so this widens your choice.

Ex-ambulances, for example, offer potential as campers or mobile tiny homes. The price range is wide, but in France there is more available at lower prices than in the UK. Prices of VW-based ex-ambulances are lower in France than in Britain – the VW/German price premium seems to be less. There are ambulances for sale based on the Renault Trafic van and on large Mercedes and Citroen estate cars – Trafic ambulances are uncommon in the UK and the coachbuilt estate types are very rare. These offer options which are more compact and more economical on fuel than the large size vans.

This VW T5 is a more compact option. 3350 Euro on leboncoin seems good value against UK prices. There is a discreet semi-high roof that improves headroom.

You have to cope with left hand drive of course, and ex-ambulances can be very high mileage (not always though). But you can get used to driving LHD in the UK, it’s not that bad, and ambulances are often rigorously maintained while in service, so that even a high mileage example can be sound.

To buy in France and get the best bargains, it’s necessary to use the platforms and channels that the French themselves use. I like leboncoin, which is a Gumtree-like secondhand small ads site. The website works well with a good search function, and it is very good for houses and apartments, vehicles, and interesting alternative house projects such as cabins and even railway carriages. You have to start your search by selecting a region, but you can then change your search criteria to ‘Toute la France’ and cover the whole country. The website is very popular, with thousands of ads from all parts of France.

Obviously, having some French language helps a lot, although you can use Google translate. Some advertisers insist on contact by telephone, but others are OK with email enquiries.

At time of writing, the Euro has again been weakening against the GBP, so allowing also for some negotiation on asking prices, you might be able to take 20% off Euro asking prices in the ads to see potential transaction prices in Sterling. Room for negotiation varies – some prices look to be very firm; other sellers appear more flexible.

The VW T5 interior. Compared to basic panel vans, ambulances offer an insulated rear space, a finished and level floor, lighting, and sometimes heating and air con. Stretcher rails could be removed, but swivel and foldaway seats could be worth retaining.