Buying a used car Queensland

[Snowball2]

So we finally made it to Townsville! Next on the list is buying a car. I just want a chespish run around really. 
Ive seen a couple online at a local dealership, but I have no idea of the process. It seems you have to physically go to the council to transfer the ownership with ID & proof of address. I’m in Airbnb accommodation for a month so don’t yet have anything to prove I live here.

also, can someone explain the Rego please? I think it’s an MOT combined with something else?

Any help is much appreciated!

[Eera]

If you buy through a dealer they do the transfer paperwork for you, it's if you go private you need to go to the TMR (equivalent of the DVLA) to do it yourself, not the council.  If you don't have a permanent address there's a Form F4408 that you can fill out which effectively says as much, but the dealer should be able to best advise you - they would have seen people in your situation a thousand times before.
I guess rego is pretty much like the road tax in the UK, it's the fee you pay for using your car on the road and varies as per the size of vehicle and whether it's a classic or limited use.  Rego comes with compulsory third party insurance, which covers damage to people, not property, so you'd be best advised to get proper insurance coverage as well (it's not compulsory here!).  There's no such thing as an annual MOT in Queensland either - you get a roadworthy inspection done when you sell the car, and you'll need the certificate to register the car in the first place, but no yearly trip to the mechanic.  You can be slapped with a defect notice by the police if you're belching black smoke or something, so maintenance is still recommended.

[Snowball2]

Thanks for this

[AliQ]

On 08/11/2019 at 04:20, Eera said:

If you buy through a dealer they do the transfer paperwork for you, it's if you go private you need to go to the TMR (equivalent of the DVLA) to do it yourself, not the council.  If you don't have a permanent address there's a Form F4408 that you can fill out which effectively says as much, but the dealer should be able to best advise you - they would have seen people in your situation a thousand times before.
I guess rego is pretty much like the road tax in the UK, it's the fee you pay for using your car on the road and varies as per the size of vehicle and whether it's a classic or limited use.  Rego comes with compulsory third party insurance, which covers damage to people, not property, so you'd be best advised to get proper insurance coverage as well (it's not compulsory here!).  There's no such thing as an annual MOT in Queensland either - you get a roadworthy inspection done when you sell the car, and you'll need the certificate to register the car in the first place, but no yearly trip to the mechanic.  You can be slapped with a defect notice by the police if you're belching black smoke or something, so maintenance is still recommended.

Hi Eera, thank you for posting about form F4408. Do you know if having no permanent address or temporary address for a while, increases your car insurance ?
Thank you.

[BobHatton]

Not having a permanent address as such MAY affect your insurance quote as insurance is based around a postcode. BTW, a rego can be bought for 6 or 12 months (similar to the tax disc in the UK). In Queensland cars don't need a Road Worthy Certificate (RWC) unless (a) You're buying one or (b) You're selling one with a rego. Unlike the UK where MOT's were needed once a year (they were when I was there anyway) there is now requirement for a yearly RWC in Queensland. This does differ by State though (eg: NSW does have a yearly RWC).

One other thing; don't buy from a dealer. Their warranty is not worth the paper its written on and they will charge at least a 20-25% premium for the pleasure of buying from them. Have a look at Townsville Gumtree and buy privately is my recommendation. Hope this all helps.

[goodman2020]

Bob Hatton is right, not having a permanent address as such may affect your insurance quote as insurance is based around a postcode. It will be difficult to buy a car in UK without at least a permanent address. So you have to resolve this question first. After that, you can buy a used car anywhere you want. For example, I bought mine a year ago I graduated from school and took the Mitsubishi Eclipse. I bought it after I sold my father's car to a removal service. They paid me about $10,000 for an old Nissan. That's nice, isn't it?

[BobHatton]

Gumtree is the best place to buy a car privately...