OZ here we come

rattus713 · August 23, 2014

Hi Guys im new to this so please go easy on me.

I am travelling to OZ with my wife on a WHV starting 22nd Sept and we are looking at buying a campervan/Hitop for a little bit of extra freedom. I have strated to try and look into insurance however im getting stuck when it comes to entering an address. Do I have to do this over the phone and say we don't have a fixed address or is there some other way of doing this.

Also on another note can any one suggest the place to buy a van I have been told that Kings Cross in Sydney is one of the best places for Sydney which is where we will be starting our travels.

Cheers

MARYROSE02 · September 1, 2014

I copied this from a Pommie website, after Googling 'buying a car for a backpacker in Australia.' Book yourself into a hostel in Sydney, and spend a couple of weeks getting to know the place. Have you booked anywhere yet and/or joined the YHA?

[h=1]Transport > Australia > Driving in Australia > Buying a car in Australia[/h][h=1]Buying a car in Australia[/h] If you're going to be travelling around Australia for several months it may be worth the trouble to buy your own car and sell it before you leave. Cheap reliable cars are generally large cars such as the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, which can cost a lot to run but are generally cheap to fix and service.

Ideally it's a good idea to check hostel notice boards and buy your car from another traveller as it may come with camping equipment and you should be able to get a good bargain, considering that other travellers have a flight home to catch and are in a hurry to sell. Other good places to look are the classified ads in Friday’s Sydney Morning Herald and Herald Sun (Melbourne) and Saturday's Age (Melbourne). The Trading Post (website www.tradingpost.com.au) is also a good spot to find a bargain. Buying a car privately, either from another traveller or through classified advertisements is usually the cheapest option, but it's not always the best choice if your time is limited. Buying from a used car dealer is easier and the dealer will organise the paperwork to get the car transferred into your name. There are loads of used car dealers in the suburbs of the big cities.

Some car dealers that do a lot of business with backpackers offer a buy-back guarantee, where they offer to buy the car back from you at an agreed (lower) price at the end of your trip. You can usually get a much better price selling the car yourself but a buy-back guarantee is handy if you don’t want to waste precious time trying to sell the car when you have finished with it. If you buy from a car dealer that offers a buy-back guarantee, read the fine print and make sure that you are not required to pass a roadworthy inspection. Very few vehicles can pass a roadworthy after a trip around Australia and a buy-back guarantee with this condition is virtually worthless. The main car dealer that offers a buy-back guarantee is Travellers Autobarn (tel 1800 674 374; website www.travellers-autobarn.com.au).

Used cars need a certificate of roadworthiness before they can be sold – don't buy a car without one as you’ll need to show it when you transfer the registration. You will also need to get a certificate of roadworthiness before you sell the car at the end of your trip. Many mechanics can assess your car and issue the certificate.

Once you have a roadworthiness certificate, take it along with the receipt, your driver's licence and passport to the local department of transport; this department is known by different names in different states (refer to the list at the end of this paragraph). You will need to pay a fee, which is calculated according to the value of the car. If the annual vehicle registration is due, or if you are buying a car in a different state to which it is registered, this will also need to be paid. The registration (or rego) includes the minimum legal third-party insurance. You can count on these fees running to several hundred dollars. Each state's laws vary, check with the department of transport in the state where you plan on buying or selling your car.

[h=5]Motor Vehicle Registry (Northern Territory)[/h] 18 Goyder Road, Parap

Tel 1300 654 628

Website www.nt.gov.au/transport/mvr/

Open Mon-Thu 8am-4pm, Fri 8am-5.30pm

[h=5]DIER – Transport Division (Tasmania)[/h] Service Tasmania, 134 Macquarie Street, Hobart TAS 7000

Tel 1300 135 513

Website www.transport.tas.gov.au

Open Mon-Fri 8.15am-5.30pm

[h=5]RTA (New South Wales)[/h] Centennial Plaza Motor Registry, Ground Floor, Centennial Plaza, 260 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Train Central

Tel 13 22 13

Website www.rta.nsw.gov.au