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Advice on buying a car


Pasteypoms

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Hi, we are moving to Melbourne in January, we have savings, which we have transferred a few mths ago to OZ as the exchange rate was good. We want to buy a car when we get there but I don't want to use our savings straight away. How easy is it to get a loan when we are there or a credit card? Also would you advise buying a new car or one that's a few years old? We have a 189 visa do we have to re sit our driving tests as I read conflicting reviews.

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Unless you already have jobs, there is probably no chance of getting finance for a car or credit card, regardless of how much cash you might have sitting in the bank. We tried to get a credit card when we first arrived but the bank said unless there is a regular amount, I.e salary being deposited into your account each month then no chance, even though We had a substantial amount in the bank that we transferred over for our arrival.

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What type of car do you need? How many need to be moved - any kids? Do you plan to do any travelling or just potter around melbourne? I would suggest if you think you might need to go at any stage then a cheaper used car about 7 - 10 years old would be the bet.

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All depends on your circumstances; only you know the answers.

 

If you've got a million $ In the bank, buy new. If you've got 10k in the bank, buy a cheaper runabout. There are plenty of used cars to choose from. They tend not to rust here, unlike the uk, so prices may seem high. Check dealer prices online to get a feel for the prices.

 

You don't need to re sit driving tests.

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We bought an old BMW 1992 soon as we arrived in Sydney for $1500 which was a cheap price. Cars are very expensive here in OZ, certainly compared to UK. Only advantage is they tend to be less rust than at home. A little corsa will set you back about $3k (barina here) You can drive for 6 months on your UK licence before you have to get an Oz one. We got OZ ones in the first week as most places ask for an OZ driving licence as a form of ID for anything!! The reg doc must be transferred within 14 days for you get fined (for NSW not sure about Victoria state)

We came over on 175 residency visas. I tried to get a mobile phone sim card pay as you go for my iPhone and was told i had no chance unless working!! even after proving we had a fair amount of money sat in the bank account in OZ and in UK, the only option was a pre-paid sim card. Chances of you getting credit i would say are very slim!

We in UK lived off ebay but here it seems to be a mixture with gumtree being the most popular.

My advice would be get something what you can afford to pay when you arrive, and look once your here. Not sure its for real but i feel we get picked on something terrible in our BMW by the big SUV's or maybe the driving is really bad everyone cuts each other up all the time as normal!!!

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Never buy a new car, unless you are a rich idiot.

 

Buy Japanese (Aussie metal is better than it used to be, but still not as good as Jap stuff). Specifically, buy Toyota. Look at what people drive in the outback - Toyotas. They are reliable, there's a dealership in near every town, and you can damn near buy the parts in your local supermarket. Go Corolla or Camry. I've owned both. Good machines.

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Yes they do a similar shape and call it something else.

 

Anyway, as advice, i would budget £8-10k if you can to get yourself a decent 10 year old 'ish car. Or, go real low end like we did and wait to see what you think might work for you.

 

In many ways i wish we had budgeted the £8-10k and gone for something like Toyota land cruiser or Lexus LX SUV type, especially with the kids.

 

Fuel costs, for 95 octane petrol is about £1 litre. Diesel slightly cheaper but diesel cars are more expensive. (Like the UK 10 years ago before diesels really took off!!)

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Toyota sold the larger Avensis Verso in Australia but discontinued them around 2010. You can get a 2005 model with 60,000 miles for around $12,000. The smaller Corolla Verso was not sold in Australia.

A lot of people in Australia now tend towards the smaller "Soft Roader" SUV's such as Nissan Dualis +2 or the like if they want an occasional 7 seat people mover, the +2 started in 2010 and you get 40,000 mile versions of these for around $19-20,000.

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All depends on your circumstances; only you know the answers.

 

If you've got a million $ In the bank, buy new. If you've got 10k in the bank, buy a cheaper runabout. There are plenty of used cars to choose from. They tend not to rust here, unlike the uk, so prices may seem high. Check dealer prices online to get a feel for the prices.

 

You don't need to re sit driving tests.

 

I smiled at the suggestion that cars in the UK depreciate more because of rust. Not sure how long you have been out of the UK but cars rarely rust these days and they are much more reliable at starting up on cold mornings.

 

It is interesting that used cars are more highly valued in Oz than UK which I attribute to Australians being more practical whereas in the UK more people are seduced into having the latest of everything. Also lots of financing options for new cars in UK.

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I smiled at the suggestion that cars in the UK depreciate more because of rust. Not sure how long you have been out of the UK but cars rarely rust these days and they are much more reliable at starting up on cold mornings.

 

It is interesting that used cars are more highly valued in Oz than UK which I attribute to Australians being more practical whereas in the UK more people are seduced into having the latest of everything. Also lots of financing options for new cars in UK.

 

I stand corrected. Cars in the UK rarely rust. Somebody on the internet said so.

 

[emoji12]

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  • 10 months later...
i would suggest that to loan a few years older car than a brand new. there are many good 2nd hand cars there and don't forget to loan it. don't buy it in cash. it's much better to have a loan when you have a job.

 

please forgive my lack of understanding but why is a loan better than a cash sale?

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