beketamun

You did the right thing unless you could service it yourself. For any cars like that you need to look at parts availability. Even 10 years ago you'd steer away from something like a Skoda because even if you could use Volkswagen parts for servicing, availability of things like replacement bumpers or light casings meant a long wait from Europe, and there are not as many VAG mechanics here as in Europe. In all seriousness....look at Toyotas. They are everywhere, they're not classed as a more premium car like in the UK, parts are easy, every mechanic in Australia can service them.

thanks for that, they deliver to ACT as well which is a new thing.

You need a credit record, so some utility bills and perhaps split them across yours and your partner's names so you both get a record started. You may find you need a credit record even to sign up to a post-paid mobile phone contract because you'll be taking credit.

The UK is damper and there's a lot more wear and tear on the vehicle through constant stopping and starting. Here you can see 50 year old cars wiithout any rust and Toyota's that will do a million km. I saw a Volvo 142 automatic cruising the street here with it's original paint job....very faded but sound. My grandmother drove one of those in 1977 and it went to the scrapyard 40 years ago. The classic car shows here are excellent, you see British cars that don't exist in Britain anymore.

I bought a Skoda Fabia VRS on a credit card once. Ordered it online, it turned up on a truck and they rolled it off and handed over the keys, 0% for 12 months.

Yep, I know. As you've described it is very sophisticated. I bought at auction once, wont bother again. Last one i sold we refused to auction and the real estate guy was superb, had a great strategy. We were goiing to sell at 825 and one up the street went up for 888 (to attract the Chinese), so we held off for a few weeks, let them do all the viewings. As soon as they went "under offer" we put ours up for 900 and it sold 30 miins after the first viewing. Pre-pandemic though, wiith low interest rates. But a changing market will change strategies.

if you went to the auction, they're good at it....it is a very sophisticated and quick market, none of this 6 months to sell a house nonsense. It will interesting to see how things might change in a dropping market. Our last house was bought off-market, we sold at higher than asking price and gave them 90 days to complete. If you know the area you want, might be worth making friends with a few real estate companies and getting on a list for early viewings and telling them what you're looking for. Sometimes people don't want to hold auctions or pay for advertising, they just want rid...they'd be expecting a quick sale with little hassle/haggle.

Had similar issues....went over for 3 weeks to arrange the sale of my dad's house in February before he comes here, a simple house and big garden split off for a building plot....no mortgage or chain complications. The land has taken 5 months to sell to a cash buyer, the house isn't even on the market yet because the new boundaries have to be registered with land registry. They are bloody hopeless. The estate agent nearly fell off his chair when I said we usually had 30 days to complete over here.....it concentrates the miind somewhat when you work to a deadline. On the bright side, prices are still rising over there and he doesn't have to hang around there waiting for the house to be sold now.

Have you considered trying some drugs to make yourself more mellow, you seem to have the money?

It's not though ? I thought REISA look at inner, middle and outer zones to get the median price for each area as the best method as comparison, then combine for the overall median for the statisical area. Obviously the numbers and distances involved will be different, but then that is a different comparison?

Honestly, that's rental prices. And in Canberra, being Canberra...it extends out into the edge suburbs where a lot of the newer properties are, 40km long? https://7news.com.au/business/housing-market/renting-a-property-has-never-been-more-expensive-as-new-data-shows-prices-are-soaring-amid-australias-cost-of-living-crisis-c-7513934

Canberra is more expensive than Sydney these days, probably because of mass covid vacancies in the Sydney CBD...some great deals around. Melbourne is the cheapest in Australia, nearly $1000 per month cheaper than Canberra for a house. Completely insane.

Only for some...I remember Ford Fiestas being expensive in Australia when they're cheap as chips in England. This was years ago though. But compare Toyotas. Rav4 Hybrid top of the range AWD. UKP 49,308. AUD57,354. That's about $30,000 Aussie dollars cheaper if you buy in Australia.

I went ANA last time, like night and day compared to Qantas or BA. It's noticeable that nationalised 'national' carriers have treated passengers far better than the privatised national carriers, who've taken Government covid money and then still slashed their staff and services....Qantas totally let Australia down and are struggling to recover services now having got rid of so many staff who were sacked. It begs the question, privatisation has not outsourced risk when these companies basically threatened to shut themselves down if Government's didn't bail them out, and then sacked staff anyway to keep gioving money to shareholders. So where is the benefit over nationalised airlines that never threatened that and still managed to keep flying? No difference, the taxpayer still bears the cost either way? Now we have these regional small airlines that took the risk in covid and replaced Qantas, being outcompeted and forced out again by Qantas who are using that bail out money to kill competition again and expect it all to go back to normal. Sometimes you have no choice but to go with Qantas, but i'll try and use anybody else if i have to. All my Virgin miles are also being transferred to Singapore, they did their bit to keep going through the pandemic and incurred huge costs so i'll support them. I have to say though, Qantas staff have been fabulous, they're far more helpful than Virgin who also shut down, but they seem mightily pissed off and there's little 'national pride' being shown in how they're perceived now.

Are electronics more expensive here? Last time i checked the UK was more expensive, especially for things like TV's and computers, they're far closer to the place of manufacture here. Here's virtually the same Samsung TV.....4595 UKP, or 4995AUD? The UK is about 60% more, and they have lower wages anyway...thus far more expensive ? https://www.harveynorman.com.au/samsung-85-inch-qn85b-neo-qled-4k-smart-tv.html https://www.currys.co.uk/products/samsung-qe85qn85batxxu-85-smart-4k-ultra-hd-hdr-neo-qled-tv-with-bixby-alexa-and-google-assistant-10236983.html