aduffield76 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Hi all, We will be arriving in Melbourne on the 5th January and one of our first tasks is to buy a car. Apart from actually buying the car, what else do we need to organise along side it....or does the dealer do it all? ie car insurance, registration, road tax? I just want to be as prepared as possible. Also, has anyone recently bought a car through carsales.com.au or any other firms/sites? What were your experiences and do you have any tips? Cheers in advance Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 If you buy from a dealer then they do it. However you should consider having the car checked over by the RACV even if through a dealer. If buying privately then you need to check that the seller is the car's owner, no hire purchase agreements etc etc many checks and if you visit the Vic Roads site it will give you all the information about buying and selling cars privately and through a dealer. http://www.revs.com.au/home/index.dot?gclid=CL_Dt8z9sLsCFYw1QgodERcAgg http://www.vic.gov.au/transport-vehicles/vehicles-vessels/buying-selling.html http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/Registration/BuySellTransferVehicles/BuyingSelling/ Second hand cars are not cheap and there are sites that will tell you the expected resale prices of cars. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celt Down Under Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I think that people check www.redbook.com.au for an idea what a car is worth. Are you hiring a car initially, or do you have family or friends here to run you around? You will need a car to find a car. As Petals mentions, definitely get any 2nd hand car inspected by an independent body such as the RACV. It could potentially save you $1000's and a lot of heartache. I sold a car that was inspected by the RACV on behalf of the purchaser, and it was a very thorough inspection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Hi all, We will be arriving in Melbourne on the 5th January and one of our first tasks is to buy a car. Apart from actually buying the car, what else do we need to organise along side it....or does the dealer do it all? ie car insurance, registration, road tax? I just want to be as prepared as possible. Also, has anyone recently bought a car through carsales.com.au or any other firms/sites? What were your experiences and do you have any tips? Cheers in advance Andy Your equivalent of road tax is called your 'rego' (registration) and is administered by Vic Roads. It is pricier than in the UK, partly because it includes an element of compulsory third party insurance. Previously you have had to display a rego sticker in the windscreen, but from the beginning of 2014 stickers are being phased out, as enforcement can be undertaken by reference to a database using ANPR. If buying from a dealer they will sort this, if buying privately the car should come with some remaining rego, as in the UK. The usual change of ownership paperwork applies. If buying secondhand the seller needs to arrange a roadworthy test, called an RWC - you should make sure this is in place and current. Insurance you arrange very much as in the UK - online, by phone or through a broker - and that effectively tops up the compulsory third party through your rego. Note that there is no equivalent of the annual MOT in Victoria - roadworthiness checks only need to take place when a car changes ownership or registration. The advice about getting a car checked by RACV (the local AA/RAC equivalent) is good advice. Carsales.com.au is the largest of its type over here. It appears to be very legit, but take the same precautions and ask the same questions as you would buying through a similar site in the UK. It's a useful resource anyway and you'll already have sussed that the relative prices of some makes and models is very different here than in the UK. New cars (except luxury models which are heavily taxed) are cheaper relative to earnings, and will seem cheaper in many cases than the UK (that's both about exchange rates and taxation, as well as the fact that the Aus new car market is very competitive), but used cars are pricier. People seem to keep cars longer, and look after them better as a result, because cars depreciate in value far slower here. Most cars are autos here, but you will find manuals if you want one, and they should be cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJJB Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Carsales.com.au is the largest of its type over here. It appears to be very legit, but take the same precautions and ask the same questions as you would buying through a similar site in the UK. The big frustration with CarSales is that it can be very difficult to find out the name of the car dealer selling a specific car unless you hand over your details via a phone call or entering your contact details. That applies for each and every car you want to view. Also you cant see a dealers inventory either. Better off going direct to dealership websites and seeing complete inventories in your local area. Check your local newspapers for special offers as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 The big frustration with CarSales is that it can be very difficult to find out the name of the car dealer selling a specific car unless you hand over your details via a phone call or entering your contact details. That applies for each and every car you want to view. Also you cant see a dealers inventory either. Better off going direct to dealership websites and seeing complete inventories in your local area. Check your local newspapers for special offers as well. Very true, although many dealers photograph their cars in such a way that it is very clear which dealer they are - by strategic placement of a hoarding, shop front or dealer sticker... I've worked out a number of these just from the photos or from clues in the descriptions. I think the dealers know it is a pain in the backside having to go through the carsales system to make contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fensaddler Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 If you are looking for a secondhand motor, and you are in the eastern suburbs, one useful site may be the one on the Maroondah Highway in Ringwood. Here there is a site which has lots of dealers together - so in effect providing something similar to the big car supermarket sites in the UK. Even if you don't buy there, it will give you a better idea of what is on the market. The other tip from our experience is that if you haven't got a satnav, get one, and if you have, load some Aussie maps. It will make your first few weeks that much easier when you are trying to drive around. The good news is that for a big city, outside the CBD, Melbourne is a pretty straightforward place to drive in for an ex-pat pom. Stick to the speed limits (they are enforced rigidly with only a 3kmh margin of error allowed), learn to cope with speed and distance in kms, remember the drink drive limit is lower than the UK (0.05 rather than 0.08) so even less sense to drink and drive, get into doing u-turns (a common manouvre you will make on many journeys because so many roads are divided, but have no roundabouts), get your head around the fact that people can and will overtake you on both sides, accept that half the cars on the road think tailgating is acceptable, and learn the rules about trams. Otherwise, frankly, you should have no great dramas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melbpom Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 The big frustration with CarSales is that it can be very difficult to find out the name of the car dealer selling a specific car unless you hand over your details via a phone call or entering your contact details. That applies for each and every car you want to view. Also you cant see a dealers inventory either. Sales sites are obliged to quote the dealer trading registration even on carsales.com or drive.com. Just look for "LMCT1234" at the bottom of the webpage and then google it. It will save you having to give contact details and also the trader who "pays" to get your details even if you're just looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furkew Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Probably too short notice as you guys are arriving quite soon, but we bought from a car dealer before arrival a second hand car (2 years old) and they delivered it to us at the airport on arrival. I researched prices for the car on the second hand market, haggled online and got (what I felt) a good deal and paid firstly a deposit and then the final sum just before departing. I was RACV checked by the dealer as well. Insurance organized online. It saved us car hire for at least 1 week maybe even 2 and we didn't waste days traveling all over looking at cars with bored kids in the back of the car. Totally agree about sat nav. Don't buy oz maps on your present unit, it's cheaper to just buy a new unit over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 If you know which sort of car you want you can also go to a dealer that specialises in that car e.g. Mazda, Toyota etc. They often have good secondhand stuff. Personally I wouldn't go to the place on Maroondah Highway unless you want a fairly old car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aduffield76 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Happy Christmas and thanks so much for all you input. i have found 3 or so decent looking cars at decent prices and all from RACV approved dealers. i think I'm going to contact them to arrange to go and do a few test drives. will google car insurance but not sure how easy it will be to get a quotation without the registration details. wheels are in motion (pardon the pun) and thanks to you all again....PIO rules! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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