weaseltron

Howdy all I am looking at buying a new car in the very near future, turns out this is another slightly confusing Sydney thing - perhaps you can help! So, I am just looking for a little hatchback to get about the city, spending a maximum of about $10k I am correct in saying the following charges would apply on top of the, say $10k: 1. Stamp Duty - 3% of the value of the car 2. Registration transfer - something like $30 3. REV/car history check - optional but around $25 4. Motor vehicle tax - approx $100 - $200 (based on weight of vehicle??) 5. Insurance - depends on provider and vehicle obviously but probably somewhere around $60 - $80 p/m Is there anything I've missed? Also, are there any dealers anybody can recommend around Sydney, preferrably the Inner West/Parramatta region, I guess buying from a licensed dealer is the best way to go but I would be interested to hear any recommendations. Thanks in advance A

Thanks for the info, so can you register with any doctor using Medicare or is there a specific list?

So what exactly is covered by Medicare? Myself and my wife are generally pretty healthy.....

Hi all So, just arrived in Sydney - hooray! In order to get our Visas we signed up for private health care. Now we are here I am wondering if it is worth keeping this or if we will be ok with Medicare (we are from UK). Can anyone offer any advice as to the pros/cons of having the additional cover? Also, what exactly (in plain english) is covered by Medicare? Thanks in advance for your help A

Howdy fellow forumers I am trying to decide on where to live in Sydney - I have been for a while. Its hard. I need to be decisive. Hopefully you can help me! Situation: Wife working in Milperra - will have the car I will work in finance so I imagine CBD/Parramatta/Inner West is the most likely - will not have a car (initially anyway) We have a budget of around $500 p/w to start with and want somewhere nice, clean, safe, friendly, with things to do such as coffee shops, regular shops, bars etc. Don't care about nightlife at all or being near the beach. Somewhere with parks/cycling areas etc would be nice though. We would prefer to get a decent sized house in a maybe not so "hip" place rather than a box in somewhere "super cool" (Yep, ive just turned 30 and apparently now talk like my dad). I have looked at the following places: Concord, Concord West, North Strathfield, Strathfield, Rhodes, Homebush, Homebush Bay, Stanmore, Croydon and Marrickville. We would like no more than about an hours communte each way. Can anyone help to narrow down this search? Does anyone have any personal experience with these areas, with the transport links, traffic (esp peak time) or even just the general area? Is there somewhere totally different you would suggest? I hope so..... Thank you all

Hi all My wife and I will be arriving in Sydney at end of August this year. We are in the final stages of getting our 457 visa right now. I was wondering if you kind folks can help me with 2 queries? 1. We need medical insurance for the visa, which is fine, but we are from the UK so eligible for medicare. With this is mind, is it advisable to just go for the basic coverage (from Iman for example) and if so, can we upgrade later if need be? The reason being obviously that we will need to start paying now but wont be in Sydney for another 3 months or so. 2. Is it possible to arrange a bank account before we arrive? If so, what docs would we need to provide them and is there a bank you would recommend? We just want somewhere to store our money so low charges, easy access to ATMs etc etc. Thanks in advance Andrew

Hello all So we are moving over to Sydney in around 6 months, I am trying to pin down an area to live - even if its only for the first 6 months. We want ideally to be not much more than 30 minutes in the car from Bullecourt Avenue, Milperra and no more than 45 minutes on public transport from Parramatta/CBD for work reasons. We dont know anything really about Sydney so maybe you could recommend a decent area to live, at least for the first few months while we get our bearings. I have been looking at Strathfield/Homebush - are these decent areas? To start with we are not that bothered about being near a beach etc but we would like a nice, safe area with shopping/restuarants etc. Budget around $500-$600 per week to begin with. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks

Hi all Quick question, I am looking at google maps for travel times between Strathfield (say the station) and Univeristy of Western Sydney, Milperra by car Google gives a journey time of around 25 minutes. Is this accurate? For this kind of trip what travel time could you expect in peak hours (morning for work and evening for the commute home)? Thanks

Hello all Perhaps someone on here has some advice on places to buy a car, new if the price is right, used otherwise. Not looking for anything fancy, couldn't care less about BMW, Audi etc. I want a small car and as long as it has wheels, some kind of engine, a place to sit and won't have to go to the garage every 3 weeks im happy! Can anyone recommend some places?, also what kind of prices would I be looking at, say for: Used car 5-7 years old little hatchback (Kia/VW Golf etc) I know thats not a lot of detail but ballpark figures are all I need right now! Thanks

I too hate commuting, we will be trying to minimise as much as possible although not at the expense of living somewhere decent. I agree with you about peoples' prejudices, after living in Glasgow there are lots of areas which people tell you are no-go zones. I didnt experience that at all, yeah 3am walking on your own is probably a bad idea but thats the same anywhere, including Sydney, Thanks for your information, one final question if I may: Any thoughts about Padstow? Looks close to Milperra, and looks pretty decent.

Hi MaryRose, thanks for the information What is crime like in these areas, I see so much info saying that some areas are rough while other people say they are ok, what do you think about these parts of town? If it helps we are from Glasgow, Scotland so are used to being sensible at night In terms of Strathfield, the one hour commute would be ok, do you happen to know if this would be normal? I.e can we expect one hour in the mornings and evenings after work or is this really based on a "quiet" time of day? Thanks for your help.

Can't tell if this is sarcastic or not!

Hi Rupert We are moving for my wife's job. In terms of areas, I have no idea where is good and bad - this is why im here, I figured you fine folks could point me in the right direction Where would you suggest, perhaps somewhere Inner West, I only suggest the areas above as they are geographically close to my wife's workplace and I have no real idea about the areas themselves. Bearing in mind we would like an hours commute (give or take) at most if possible - by public transport at first. Where would you suggest? In terms of budget - I have looked at some property sites, it seems like you can get decent places for around this budget - obviously no beach views though!! As NickyNook suggested, Strathfield looks ok - any thoughts? Appreciate the feedback

Hi NickyNook Thanks for the information, I dont think drive-by shootings are really something im interested in! Any ideas what Milperra, Strathfield, Panania & Riverwood are like? Thanks

Hi all My wife and I are planning on moving to Sydney next year, I have been looking at potential places to live but Sydney is huge and there are so many choices! I was hoping some kind soul here might be able to help? A little bit about our circumstances: We will be renting, at least to start with. Budget: $500 per week maximum Wife will work: Bullecourt Av, Milperra I will work: Unsure yet We would like: Somewhere safe (we are planning on kids in the near future), decent shopping, decent pubs/bars, restaurants, a bit of outdoors (parks etc). Not bothered about: Nightlife (clubs etc), beach (although we will be going at weekends!). We are looking for somewhere that is either Equi-distant from Milperra, CBD and Parramatta or which is closer to Milperra but still close to the other 2 areas. Ideally with either a max of 1 hour commute (by public transport). I have been looking at: Campsie, Earlwood, Beverly Hills, Lugarno, Milperra, Kingsgrove, & Guildford purely in terms of geography - does anyone know the pros and cons of any of these areas? Thanks in advance for any help, let me know if I should post any more details