Buying your first car in OZ!

[waliam]

Wonder if people could share their experiences regarding purchasing a car. I have a 3 yr old and would need a car as soon as possible after I land in OZ. Is it better to rent first or have people found purchasing one more convenient as I guess rentals cost a bit as well.

[shariliz]

Like you, we needed a car to transport the 3 little people around as soon as we got here; because we only had a 2 year visa, we could only get a loan for 2 years so the repayments were $747/month. At the start, we had nowt but hassle but- fortunately- it had the warranty. Rented for a couple of weeks which was just shy of $500 before we bought from a dealership and, with hindsight, wish we'd had more time to investigate either before we came over or at least had budgetted to hire a car for a few weeks longer. Here in Adelaide, they can be as cheap as $40/day and you can usually find some cheaper long-term rentals.
On the other hand, we've just bought our 2nd car interstate (via a 'well known site with auctions' !!!!), paid $2000 all up (inc. deliv, rego and licence) and it's bloomin' maaaarvellous!!!
Whichever state/territory you're headed, ask in that forum for reliable, honest dealers.

[calNgary]

Hiya most folks rent a car for 2 or 3 weeks which gives you time to have a look whats about.If you buy second hand make sure it has a safety certificate and dont forget you pay a small percentage of the purchase price when you transfer the vehicle into your name(make sure you budget for this), Trading Post - Buy and sell cars, sell boats, sell dogs and much more online Australia wide is a good guide as is ebay australia,
Cal x

[minlady]

Hi
We have been here 6 weeks now. When we first arrived my OH started work the day after we arrived - so i was pretty much left to my own devises with 3 children. He had a works car given to him but we rented a car for me for 3 weeks. It worked out the equivalent of £20 a day for a Toyota Aurion ... which is really reasonable considering the size and speck of the car.

I have now bought a new car.. a Nissan Micra.... which again was alot cheaper than in the UK market. We paid cash... as the APR on Finance over here is as high as the banks... no deals to be found unlike the UK.. so just be aware of that. Also prices for new dealerships which you see in the papers may not include on the road price...
Automatics seem to be 'in' rather than manual... but manual cars are about $2000 cheaper... but the resale will not be as good.
Also noticed that all cars seem to hold their value - unlike the UK.. where you drive off the forecourt and loose £3000!!!... Also we noticed a secondhand car isn't that much cheaper than a new... unless of course you find a beloved banger!!

just remember you can haggle here.... what is originally quoted can be changed..... !!

hope that helps

min x

[Andy Thomas]

Hi Guys

We have been providing used cars to migrants in Victoria since the end of last year and saving customers an average of $2,500 off the Glasses Guide/Dealer price.

We can now offer new cars with a full fleet discount to any individual anywhere in Australia. You can even pre order your new car to be delivered the day you arrive in the country. You never need to deal with a salesman again. Our buying power means that FULL fleet discounts are available on every car order saving you thousands on a new car. Visit the link below to see a typical example or obtain a no obligation quote. It couldn't be simpler.

Regards, Andy

[sweetpea0701]

Originally Posted by minlady

Hi
We have been here 6 weeks now. When we first arrived my OH started work the day after we arrived - so i was pretty much left to my own devises with 3 children. He had a works car given to him but we rented a car for me for 3 weeks. It worked out the equivalent of £20 a day for a Toyota Aurion ... which is really reasonable considering the size and speck of the car.

I have now bought a new car.. a Nissan Micra.... which again was alot cheaper than in the UK market. We paid cash... as the APR on Finance over here is as high as the banks... no deals to be found unlike the UK.. so just be aware of that. Also prices for new dealerships which you see in the papers may not include on the road price...
Automatics seem to be 'in' rather than manual... but manual cars are about $2000 cheaper... but the resale will not be as good.
Also noticed that all cars seem to hold their value - unlike the UK.. where you drive off the forecourt and loose £3000!!!... Also we noticed a secondhand car isn't that much cheaper than a new... unless of course you find a beloved banger!!

just remember you can haggle here.... what is originally quoted can be changed..... !!

hope that helps

min x

Who did you use for rental car? No Birds?

[jewels1356]

thanks for the link have it saved and will look at it