For automotive professionals in Europe

Millions of used cars are sold in France every year by private owners. No VAT. No dealer margin. The cheapest stock in Western Europe – and the one you cannot reach from abroad.

Send us the link to any French private listing. We inspect the car, verify the file, hold the money in escrow and register the export. You buy it. Directly from the seller. We make that possible and safe.

payment security

Inspection report in 72 h

Anywhere in France

10+ years · 20,000+ vehicles

You find the car in France.
We secure the deal.

Q: How do you verify the real mileage?

Through the official mileage recorded at each French contrôle technique, listed in the Histovec report. Our inspector then cross-checks it against pedal, steering wheel, seat and gear-selector wear, and against the service records.

5,396,418

used cars sold in France in 2025

54%+

of them sold by private owners

€0

VAT on a private-seller car

11.1 yrs

average age - real used stock

Who's CarBuzz24 ?

CarBuzz24 is a French purchase intermediary. Automotive professionals across Europe send the link to a French private-seller listing; CarBuzz24 inspects the vehicle on site, verifies the French documents, secures the payment through a licensed escrow provider and completes the French export formalities. The dealer buys directly from the private seller. CarBuzz24 never owns the vehicle. One fixed fee of €790 per vehicle, excl. VAT.

Three steps. You only do the first one.

No account to open. No stock to commit to. No minimum order.

The cheapest used stock in Western Europe is in private hands

France sold 5,396,418 used cars in 2025. More than half went straight from one private owner to another. That is roughly 2.9 million cars a year with no VAT and no dealer margin on them.

No VAT to pay. A private seller is not a taxable person. You buy clean and resell under the margin scheme at home.

No dealer margin. You buy at the price a French private buyer would pay, not at trade-plus.

Real used cars. Average age 11.1 years, 44% diesel. The segment that has disappeared from professional stock elsewhere.

Low-emission zones push prices down. French cities restrict older cars. Those same cars drive freely in most of Europe.

Six reasons you cannot do this yourself

Every foreign dealer who has tried buying French private stock has hit at least four of these.

Plus the paper trail, which is where the real risk sits

VIN matched against the chassis, the carte grise and the listing

Certificat de situation administrative under 15 days old - proves no pledge, no legal opposition, no theft record

Histovec report - ownership record, official mileage log, damage procedures (VEI / VGE)

Contrôle technique under 6 months - every listed defect photographed. Expired? We arrange a new one.

Service book, invoices, timing belt or chain history

What the inspection is not.

It is a documented professional assessment on the day, on parts accessible without dismantling. It is not a warranty. The sale is private-to-professional, so no legal conformity warranty applies - you price accordingly, which is exactly why the report has to be complete.

car check

Mileage check

No damage / No repaint

Test drive - brake & gearbox

Rear tyres - condition > 70 %

average

view 3/4 front

front rim

rear right wing

What we check, on site, before you pay

The same 150-point inspection on every car, done physically by a CarBuzz24 agent or an accredited partner firm. Report delivered within 72 hours of reservation.

We never hold your funds

Escrow is operated by a licensed European payment institution. We have no access to the account. Payment is released in stages, and every stage has a condition.

Stage	What you pay	Where the money is	What releases it
1 · Reservation	Deposit	Escrow, ring-fenced	Nothing. Fully refunded if the inspection fails.
2 · Inspection passed	Balance	Escrow, full amount	Nothing yet. You can still walk away.
3 · Transfer signed	—	Escrow	Verified certificat de cession and struck-through carte grise.
4 · Release	—	Seller’s account	Automatic once every document is validated.

Our fee is invoiced separately to you. It never comes out of the vehicle price and never passes through the seller.

Why private-seller stock beats every other source on VAT

A private individual is not a taxable person. There is no VAT to pay, none to reclaim, and no intra-Community acquisition to declare. You resell at home under the margin scheme.

VAT position by purchase source for a European dealer buying used vehicles in France
You buy from	A French private seller (via CarBuzz24)	A French or German dealer	A leasing / fleet auction
VAT charged to you	None	Margin scheme, or 0% intra-EU if VAT-qualifying	Usually 20% recoverable
Cash locked in VAT	Zero	Zero to full rate	Full rate until reclaim
Resale regime at home	Margin scheme — VAT on your margin only	Margin scheme, on an already-reduced base	Standard VAT on full sale price
Purchase price level	Retail-to-private, no trade margin	Trade plus dealer margin	Trade, but competitive bidding
Vehicle age available	Any age — average 11.1 years	Mostly under 8 years	Mostly under 5 years

One exception. A vehicle under 6 months old or under 6,000 km is legally a new means of transport, and VAT is due in your country. We flag this before you commit. Margin-scheme rules are transposed differently in each member state — confirm your treatment with your own accountant. This page is not tax advice.

One fixed fee per car. Nothing on the vehicle price.

We take no commission on what the car costs. That is deliberate: we have no reason to push the price up.

What the CarBuzz24 per-vehicle fee includes, and which services are charged as options
What’s included in the fee	Included	Options
Seller contact in French, availability check	Yes	—
Signed sales mandate or 24 h escrowed reservation	Yes	—
150-point physical inspection + full report	Yes	—
Verification of all four French documents	Yes	—
Price negotiation on inspection findings	Yes	—
Escrow set-up and staged release	Yes	—
French cession, export mention, ANTS declaration, deregistration	Yes	—
Free desk review of the ad, before you order anything	Yes	—
Transport to your premises	—	From €300 / car on a 6–8 car load
European certificate of conformity (COC)	—	€190 + manufacturer cost
New contrôle technique if expired	—	€110

From any French driveway to any European yard

The car you picked is parked outside a house in Brittany, a suburb of Marseille or a village in the Alps. That is not your problem. We collect it wherever the seller lives and deliver it wherever you are in Europe – one car or a full load, driven or on a truck. You choose, according to your cost and your deadline.

Driven delivery compared with truck transport for vehicles bought from private sellers in France
Criterion	Driven delivery	Truck transport
Vehicles per trip	1	1 to 8
Kilometres added	Yes — the route	None
Non-running vehicles	No	Yes
Typical lead time	2–5 working days	10–15 working days
Cost per vehicle	Quoted per route	Lowest on a full load

Collection anywhere in France.

Mainland and Corsica, at the seller’s address. No meeting point to organise.

Delivery anywhere in Europe.

Your premises, your compound, a port or a partner yard — you give the address.

One car or a full load.

Ship each car as it clears, or let them accumulate and send six to eight together.

Insured from collection to delivery.

Every vehicle, both modes, for its full purchase value.

The file travels with the car.

Complete French export and registration pack handed over on delivery.

Tell us the delivery address and the date you need it. We come back with both options priced, and you decide.

Against how you buy today

Buying used cars in France: doing it yourself, going through a French exporter, or using CarBuzz24
Criterion	Trying it alone	A French exporter	CarBuzz24
Access to private listings	You can see them, not act on them	No — they hold trade stock	Yes, any listing you send
Purchase price	Lowest, if you can close	Trade plus their margin	Lowest — we take no cut of the car
VAT position	None	Margin scheme on a reduced base	None
Physical inspection	You travel, twice	Their own word	Independent, 150 points, on site
Payment security	None — SEPA is final	They hold your money	Escrow, released on your approval
French paperwork	You, in French	Included	Included
Choosing the exact car	Yes	Only from their stock	Yes — you pick, always
Transport	You organise it	Sometimes	Driven or truck, 1 to 8 cars
Realistic time per car	3–8 weeks, 2 trips	2–4 weeks	5–10 working days + transport

What we do not do

Six things worth saying plainly, so you can price and plan properly.

We never buy or sell the vehicle.

We act under mandate. The seller is the French private owner. We are never the owner.

We never hold your money.

Escrow is run by a licensed payment institution. We have no access to the account.

We give no mechanical warranty.

Private-to-professional sales carry no legal conformity warranty. The inspection report is your protection, not a guarantee.

We take no cut of the vehicle price.

Fixed published fee. Nothing hidden in the car.

We do not promise 72 hours.

Eight to fifteen working days from reservation to collection. Anyone promising less on a cross-border private sale is guessing.

We reject about one car in four.

After the seller call, and more after inspection. That rejection rate is the service.

Direct answers

Can a foreign dealer buy from a French private seller?

Yes. There is no residency or nationality requirement to buy a vehicle in France.

The seller declares the sale to the French authorities, marks the carte grise for export, and the vehicle is deregistered from the French system. You register it in your own country.

Is there VAT on a car bought from a French private seller?

No. A private individual is not a taxable person, so no VAT is charged and there is no intra-Community acquisition to declare.

The exception: a vehicle under 6 months old or under 6,000 km is a new means of transport, and VAT is then due in your country. We tell you before you commit.

Can I resell under the margin scheme at home?

In principle yes – that is the standard treatment for a vehicle bought from a private individual.

The margin scheme is set out in the EU VAT Directive and transposed by each member state with its own conditions and record-keeping rules. Confirm your own position with your accountant.

What is a certificat de situation administrative?

It is the official French statement confirming a vehicle is free of any pledge (gage) or legal opposition blocking a change of ownership.

It must be less than 15 days old at the time of sale. Without it the transfer cannot legally proceed. We obtain it on every file.

What is Histovec?

Histovec is the free French government vehicle-history service.

The seller generates a report showing the ownership record, the mileage logged at every roadworthiness test, and whether the vehicle has been through a damage procedure (VEI or VGE). We require it before reservation.

How do you verify the real mileage?

Through the official mileage recorded at each French contrôle technique, listed in the Histovec report.

Our inspector then cross-checks it against pedal, steering wheel, seat and gear-selector wear, and against the service records.

Is the free check an inspection?

No. The free check is a desk review of the advertisement, done remotely, within 4 working hours.

It covers the asking price against the French market, red flags in the listing, whether the vehicle is exportable and your estimated landed cost. The physical 150-point inspection is carried out on site only after you order, and it is included in the per-vehicle fee.

What happens if the inspection is bad?

Your reservation deposit is refunded in full and we stop there.

Or you use the findings to renegotiate. There is no penalty and no obligation to proceed.

Who signs the sale documents?

You do, remotely – or we sign on your behalf under a written mandate you sign in advance. Both are legally valid in France.

Do you buy the car and resell it to me?

No. We are an intermediary acting under mandate. You buy directly from the private seller at the negotiated price.

We never take ownership and we never mark up the vehicle. That is what keeps the price — and the VAT position — clean.

Is there any warranty on the car?

No. A sale from a private individual to a professional carries no legal conformity warranty anywhere in the EU.

Your protection is the inspection report, which is why it covers 150 points and includes photographs, video and an OBD scan.

What volume can you handle per month?

Up to around 40 vehicles per month per client today, across our agent network and accredited partner inspection firms.

Above that, tell us in advance and we plan inspection capacity with you.

Do you cover all of France?

Yes – mainland France and Corsica, through our own agents and partner inspection firms.

Can you store cars before shipping?

Yes. Our secured facility has video surveillance and an A2P-certified alarm system.

The first 14 days are free per vehicle, then €4 per car per day. Most clients accumulate 6 to 8 cars and ship one full load.

What if the seller changes his mind?

Your deposit is returned in full and we look for an equivalent car at no extra fee. The mandate is contractual on both sides.

Which languages do you work in?

French, English, German, Portuguese. One named contact handles your file from start to finish.

Who exactly is CarBuzz24?

CarBuzz24 is the trading name of CARBUZZ SARL, a French limited company registered at 500 rue Pierre et Laurent Ramus, 73000 Chambéry, France – RCS Chambéry 979 031 044, VAT FR74979031044. It is a vehicle purchase intermediary: it acts under mandate for its clients and never buys, owns or resells the vehicles it handles.

The business was built on cross-border vehicle purchasing – more than 10 years of it, and over 20,000 vehicles handled. That experience started in the opposite direction, sourcing German and European vehicles for French buyers, which is how CarBuzz24 came to know both sides of an intra-EU transaction: the paperwork, the registration systems, the payment risk and the ways a cross-border deal falls apart.

What CarBuzz24 actually operates

A network of independent commercial agents across France, backed by accredited partner inspection firms, so a vehicle can be inspected physically wherever the private seller lives – mainland France and Corsica.
Registration with ORIAS, the French register of insurance and finance intermediaries which governs the insurance and financing services offered alongside the purchase.
An escrow partnership with a licensed European payment institution, so client funds are held and released by a regulated third party. CarBuzz24 never holds them.
A secured storage facility in France with video surveillance and an A2P-certified alarm system, for clients who consolidate before shipping.
A multilingual team working in French, English, German and Portuguese. Each file is handled by one named contact from first contact to delivery.

How CarBuzz24 is paid

By a fixed, published fee per vehicle, invoiced directly to the client. CarBuzz24 takes no commission on the vehicle price and no margin on the car. That is a deliberate structural choice: an intermediary paid on the purchase price has an interest in a higher price, and this one does not.

Where CarBuzz24 works

Sourcing and inspection take place in France. Delivery covers the European Union. The most active markets are Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria.

How CarBuzz24 operates on prospecting

CarBuzz24 does not cold-call consumers. Private sellers are approached only where they have published a public advertisement or given prior consent, and every transaction is covered by a written mandate. French law n° 2025-594, which takes effect on 11 August 2026, bans unsolicited consumer telephone prospecting; the CarBuzz24 model was built to work without it.

Start here

Paste the links. Within 4 working hours you get a written desk review of each car: is the price right against the French market, are there red flags in the ad, is it exportable, and what it will cost you delivered. This is a remote analysis of the listing – the physical inspection happens after you order, and is included in the fee.

Free. No account. No obligation.

Inspection report in 72 h

You find the car in France. We secure the deal.

Paste the links. That's the whole process.

Contact