Buying a car when we arrive.

[d4ddyc00l]

We've decided to buy a cheap-ish used car when we arrive with a budget of around $5-6k

 

We need a 7 seater, as there will effectively be six adults (kids aren't really kids anymore!). Don't want something too hungry on the gas, and obviously would prefer something reliable and cheap to maintain.

 

 

Can anyone suggest any cars that may fit the bill?

 

Also, can someone explain exactly what I need to know in terms of Rego, road worthiness certificates etc. as I'm a little confused!

 

​Thanks :biggrin:

[Guest chris955]

5-6k wont buy you much, maybe look out for a converted 7 seater Ford Falcon on LPG. If you buy a car it will I think have to come with a roadworthy but may not be registered, that can be up to $1000 depending on the car. You then need to get property insurance although it isnt compulsory.

[d4ddyc00l]

5-6k wont buy you much, maybe look out for a converted 7 seater Ford Falcon on LPG. If you buy a car it will I think have to come with a roadworthy but may not be registered, that can be up to $1000 depending on the car. You then need to get property insurance although it isnt compulsory.

 

I know it's not going to buy anything flash, just want something to get us by for the first 6 - 12 months. Don't want to take on finance until we're settled and have a better understanding of our finances. I plan to live very near work, so don't need it for a long commute every day. Just going to be for evenings and weekends really.

[newjez]

We had a toyota tarago which was pretty good. You will want a proper 7 seater with 6 adults, not one with the two 'kiddie' seats in the back.

[Guest chris955]

Oh, I didnt read the 6 adults so yes definitely a proper people mover.

[Jacaranda]

Have you thought about ditching the car altogether for a while?You mentioned you were going to be living very near work,so could you pushbike it in or walk?I'd gladly ditch my own car if I did'nt have to drive to work.

[Guest chris955]

Have you thought about ditching the car altogether for a while?You mentioned you were going to be living very near work,so could you pushbike it in or walk?I'd gladly ditch my own car if I did'nt have to drive to work.

 

​It might have to be a big bike for 6 adults though

[Futureinoz]

Well my advice don’t buy a Holden Zafira unless you have a no quibble warranty, due to timing chain and oil issues, so whatever you choose, ensure you do research, as already mentioned $5 to $6K will not buy you much.

So my suggestion is HONDA ODYSSEY, and as for rules, it varies between states, so make sure you look at the GOV website of your area, and if you buy interstate, you need to factor in extra cost into the deal, and of course insurance and recovery, and ambulance insurance too.

[starlight7]

I wouldn't touch an old Holden- old toyotas are better but you would be pushing it for that money.

[devon67]

id be buying an Asian make, cheaper parts etc

how about kia, honda, toyota

buying a car that size with about $6K will be quite a struggle

we bought a honda jazz for $11K 07 plate 10 months rego, 57K on the clock....just goes to show how expensive cars are here

melbourne car super market maybe a good place to get a deal

[d4ddyc00l]

Thanks for all your answers - pomsinoz proves the best source of info again :biggrin:

 

OK, so I'm definitely understanding that $5-6k won't get much. I may be able to stretch a little bit, but really want to keep the spend down initially. I'm going to have another look on carsales.com.au at 7 seaters but will up the max price to $7.5k and see what comes up. Oh, and I'll avoid the Zafira.

 

I just want to have a good idea because when we land in Sydney on 22/06 I'm only going to have a week to get a car bought and house rental sorted so the more I know now, the better.

 

So if I see a car ad on the carsales website that says "Roadworthy Certificate - No" what exactly does that mean?

[Jacaranda]

​It might have to be a big bike for 6 adults though

Silly me!Of course!Everyone drives in Australia right???lol Suggesting someone might walk or cycle is a big no no!:wink:

[Jacaranda]

Can I suggest Ebay Australia or Gumtree?

[d4ddyc00l]

Silly me!Of course!Everyone drives in Australia right???lol Suggesting someone might walk or cycle is a big no no!:wink:

 

I definitely want to be able to walk or cycle to work - just need the car for evenings and weekends when the whole tribe is going somewhere!

[LKC]

Also you need to factor in stamp duty of either 3 or 5%, which many people don't realise. This is for nsw, I don't know about the other states.

[frogian]

Thanks for all your answers - pomsinoz proves the best source of info again :biggrin:

 

OK, so I'm definitely understanding that $5-6k won't get much. I may be able to stretch a little bit, but really want to keep the spend down initially. I'm going to have another look on carsales.com.au at 7 seaters but will up the max price to $7.5k and see what comes up. Oh, and I'll avoid the Zafira.

 

I just want to have a good idea because when we land in Sydney on 22/06 I'm only going to have a week to get a car bought and house rental sorted so the more I know now, the better.

 

So if I see a car ad on the carsales website that says "Roadworthy Certificate - No" what exactly does that mean?

 

If a car doesn't come with a roadworthy cert you wont be able to register it. So you would have to get the roadworthy done yourself (a bit like an MOT) and pay for anything that was needed to get it into a roadworthy state

 

Unless you're mechanically oriented I'd steer clear of anything that doesn't come with a roadworthy, particularly if on a budget.

 

 

.

[d4ddyc00l]

Also you need to factor in stamp duty of either 3 or 5%, which many people don't realise. This is for nsw, I don't know about the other states.

 

Is this something you pay on new and used cars?

[d4ddyc00l]

If a car doesn't come with a roadworthy cert you wont be able to register it. So you would have to get the roadworthy done yourself (a bit like an MOT) and pay for anything that was needed to get it into a roadworthy state

 

Unless you're mechanically oriented I'd steer clear of anything that doesn't come with a roadworthy, particularly if on a budget.

 

 

.

 

So when you say I won't be able to register it, is this what you need to do when you buy a car?

 

Trying to understand the requirements when buying a used car, and still very confused!

 

So, to clarify, do I need to do or have the following:-

 

Register the car (is this like the change of ownership in the UK?)

Rego (what exactly is this? Is it like UK road tax?)

Roadworthy Cert. (is this needed every year, like the MOT?)

Stamp Duty to be paid?

Car insurance (fully comp like in the UK?)

 

Have I missed anything?

[d4ddyc00l]

Right then! Just had a conversation with my wife and told her what you've all said about not getting anything decent within this budget.

 

So we're now thinking about maybe a new or nearly new car on finance with a deposit.

 

Firstly, do you think we'll be able to do this as soon as we get there? I'll have my proof of employment in the form of my contract, and I'll obviously be able to put a deposit down. Just thinking that if this is possible it may save us money in the long run, as we'll not constantly be forking out for repairs, maintenance etc with a newer car.

 

Thanks for all your help!

[Kel87]

Good post to read as we'll be in a similar position when we finally arrive, budget of about 6k but don't need the 7 seats.

For what to do after buying a car I found this thread on pomsinadelaide pretty helpful, the rules may be different for Sydney but gives you an idea, it's very well explained on comment number 7

 

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/transport-shipping/37031-used-cars-rego-insurance-please-dumb-down-me.html

 

​We're also considering the finance with 5k deposit so keen to see your replies to that question.

[bensdad]

Ok we arrived nov 11 similar position couldn't find what we wanted second hand so we managed to get a brand new focus from Titan ford I had contract of employment and put a 10% deposit down. Finance was 10% not the cheapest but certainly not the dearest. All we had to show other than contract was aus driving licence prof of residency and lease agreement.

[northshorepom]

Is this something you pay on new and used cars?

 

​Yes. Both new and used

[MrsLZB]

We've decided to buy a cheap-ish used car when we arrive with a budget of around $5-6k

 

We need a 7 seater, as there will effectively be six adults (kids aren't really kids anymore!). Don't want something too hungry on the gas, and obviously would prefer something reliable and cheap to maintain.

 

 

Can anyone suggest any cars that may fit the bill?

 

Also, can someone explain exactly what I need to know in terms of Rego, road worthiness certificates etc. as I'm a little confused!

 

​Thanks :biggrin:

 

 

Hello! Have you considered bringing your UK car over with you? Worth looking into, once you have added up the costs of buying, insuring, paying stamp duty on /road worthiness, whatever the state you are moving to adds onto the price you see in the car window... It might just be cheaper to import your own car.... Just to throw that out there?

 

Good luck with it all.

[northshorepom]

So when you say I won't be able to register it, is this what you need to do when you buy a car?

 

Trying to understand the requirements when buying a used car, and still very confused!

 

So, to clarify, do I need to do or have the following:-

 

Register the car (is this like the change of ownership in the UK?)

Rego (what exactly is this? Is it like UK road tax?)

Roadworthy Cert. (is this needed every year, like the MOT?)

Stamp Duty to be paid?

Car insurance (fully comp like in the UK?)

 

Have I missed anything?

 

I've just noticed that no one has answered this yet

 

You are going to Sydney, the state government department responsible for roads and vehicles here is the RMS (Roads and Maritime Services), still often referred to by many people as "The RTA" which was their old name:

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au

 

If you buy a used car, it will come with a registration (the "rego"). This will include the current roadworthyness inspection ("pink slip") and the compulsory third party insurance cover ("green slip"). You will have to transfer the registration into your name by visiting a Motor Registry (see the RMS website) with your ID, proof of address and the current car rego doc. At this point you will be charged stamp duty by the RMS to effect the transfer of the rego. Rates of stamp duty are published on the RMS website

 

If you want insurance (you should, as the CTP only covers injury liability to 3rd parties, NOT damage liability, nor, obviously, any theft, fire, storm cover nor damage to your car) then you buy that yourself separately.

 

Every year when the time comes to renew your rego, you will have to buy CTP insurance from one of the short list of suppliers given on the RMS website and (if the car is over 5 years old, which at that price point it will be) get a roadworthiness inspection done at virtually any garage. These days once you've done both those it's all electronically linked to your rego so if they're done, the RMS will know and you'll be able to renew online, if not, you won't.

 

Hence it is normal for people here to have two sets of insurance renewing at different times during the year, unless they bought new: Your CTP will need renewing at the same time each year that your rego runs out, your general insurance will be on a different calendar depending on when you actually bought the car

 

​HTH

[d4ddyc00l]

Great info northshorepom - so if a car has rego does that automatically mean it must have roadworthy?