How to buy a car in Australia?
– and how not to.
Of course, you could travel Australia by bus and train. It even makes sense to fly in between in this huge country and rent a car or camper; especially if you only have a few weeks.
But isn't it the most fun to explore the red continent with your own vehicle? Depending...
We'll give you some tips here if you're wondering: How to buy a car in Australia - and how not to?
Why do we know how to buy a car in Australia? Because we had to experience on our own skin how not to do it.
1. Take your Time!
We only took a little over a week to find a suitable vehicle. We knew that the days we booked on Airbnb would be used up quickly and that it would be difficult to get one of the popular accommodations in Perth after that. Everything was booked up until further notice!
So we committed mistake #1: we were hasty in buying our car. Admittedly, this was complicated by the fact that used cars are in great demand in Australia at the moment. So we had to decide quickly if nobody should snatch a deal out of our hands (more about this in Seraina's diary below).
2. Service Book available?
If you're looking to buy a used car, you should know if it's been serviced regularly, what wear parts have been replaced over the years (and what hasn't!), how many previous owners it's had, etc.
If there is a complete service book, this should all be apparent.
Did our car have a service book? No. Error #2.
3. Dealer Vs. Private Seller
This is where opinions differ. Can you trust car dealers? Well, just like you can trust private sellers.
With a dealer, however, you may get a warranty (or you may be able to buy one), which may be in the dealer's favor. Read the warranty carefully though. And ask yourself what the warranty will do for you if you are already on the other coast of Australia when the car breaks down.
We bought our car privately. The seller took precious little interest in us after our breakdown not long after we bought it. Was that a mistake? Maybe.
4. How many miles?
How important this point is, is up to your discretion. In Australia, cars are sold that have well over 200'000 km on the odo. It is not uncommon to find a backpacker bus with 400'000 km in the offers. We even saw vehicles with over 700'000 km (!).
I always say to myself, better a little more kilometers, but regularly in motion and maintained, than a few kilometers, but 15 years of standing. According to the saying: If you rest, you rust.
Our car had 226'000 km on the hump when we bought it. I thought to myself, well, then it also makes 236'000 km. Far from it, at 229'000 km it was done.
If you are unsure, go back to point 2 - Service book available?
5. Is it a Fun Ride?
Last but not least, your new car should be fun to drive. If you are sitting behind the wheel for thousands of kilometers and driving is anything but a pleasure, what did you buy the car for?
We were always worried about whether and how far we would make it with this car. Especially after the first overheating of the engine.
There are, of course, other points that come into play when deciding how you should buy a car in Australia.
For example:
- how much your travel budget is
- what you need the car for. Do you want an ordinary car for mostly paved roads (from 3000 AUD), a camper (~10'000 AUD), or a robust 4WD (over 20'000 AUD)? (as of 12/22)
But these are questions you need to answer before the 5 tips above.
Where to buy a car in Australia?
1. In big cities you have more options.
In WA (Western Australia), unlike the other states, you don't need a "Roadworthy Certificate". There you just have to register the car in your name.
In other states you want to make sure that the car you want to buy has a "Roadworthy Certificate", so that you can buy it without inspection.
2. There are several online platforms you can search:
- Gumtree.com.au (used goods of all kinds).
- Autotrader.com.au (used cars in Australia)
- Facebook groups (such as Australia 🇦🇺 Car Market / Campervans for Backpackers / Travelers or BACKPACARS MARKET (Perth)))
Car breakdown in Australia - now what?
Last but not least, a word about what you can do if the unexpected actually happens.
RAC roadside assistance supports you throughout Australia. If you often stay far away from civilization, as we do, you should consider the top class of their offers, even if it is a bit more expensive.
You should also buy a cell phone subscription from Telstra. With it, you're most likely to have reception everywhere.
What did we do instead?
We had the second-highest level of RAC roadside assistance. They pay up to 1100 AUD for the towing service. That won't get you far in the outback.
We bought a subscription from Aldi. They use the Telstra network, but only to a small extent. You just have signal in and around larger towns.
Well, you learn from your mistakes. Or as the Australians assured us: "Look at the bright side. It's all part of the adventure!"
Have fun with your own adventure downunder. Read on in Seraina's diary if you want to know the exact circumstances of our mis-start in Australia.
From Seraina's Diary
Yesterday tears, today laughter - and all because of a car
The story begins in Perth, Australia. We need a car to cross the continent and get to eastern Australia. More than 4000 km. The cars on Gumtree are selling like hot cakes. If we had four favorites last night, two of them have been sold this morning. One old-timer Ford remains. Another car stands out from the crowd as it is neither dented nor leaking. It has only 226'000 km on the hump (which is relatively low here) and is a teenager of 16 years. We take a look at it. It's a Holden, an Australian brand. It is okay as described. Just not very special. We buy it immediately because in the afternoon the offer could already be sold. We are already mourning the Ford we did not view.
A few days later, we want to get out a bit. We head for a viewpoint at the other end of the city. But not only the altitude meter above sea level rises on the drive. The temperature gauge of the engine is also on the top red line. We immediately stop at the side of the road and wait a quarter of an hour until we are brave enough to carefully open the overflow tank.It hisses and steams. We fill water to the target level. As if on a cart driven by decrepit horses, we drive on. We don't want it to let us down now.
The viewpoint would be spectacularly beautiful in another moment. But today, we have other worries. On the way back, the car works just fine. For a while, anyway. Because suddenly the temperature shoots up again. In the parking lot, as before, flap up - but the lid of the container is missing. We are still 40 km away from home. And the lid cannot be found.
A barely understandable country Australian stops: "Everything OK?" I answer in the negative. He helps. But he can't find the lid either. His brother lives nearby and must have something suitable. He will be back in twenty minutes. He disappears and we pour a good 4 liters of water into the steaming hole. Out of boredom, I search further, and lo and behold, the lid is under the battery on the sheet metal. When the Aussie is not back after half an hour, we drive on. And reach our home without overheating.
Despite the problems, we do not want to stay longer in Perth. Even the mixed dorms and all the cheap Airbnbs are fully booked for more than two weeks. And car mechanics don't work on Sundays. So we might as well spend the day driving and try our luck further south. The internet says that driving without coolant makes no difference, at least for a short time. The water cools, and the coolant protects against frost and corrosion.
We tackle the good 200 km to Busselton - always nicely with a maximum of 80-90 km/h. On Monday we find a mechanic right away. "You caught me at the right moment!" he laughs and performs a short service. Where the water pump is located, it rattles suspiciously. Three hours of work, that's too much for him, he wouldn't have time for it for over a week. He recommends a bigger mechanic. When we arrive at the workshop, the redhead at the reception desk says: "Oh yeah, she's been hot. You smell the burned oil?" as he looks into the engine. We also discover a drop of oil under the engine, big and shiny.
It wouldn't be the worst ever case if it were engine failure. Only the second worst. Place number one we experienced just under a year ago when our home on wheels needed a new engine shortly after we bought it. But just because of this experience we decided not to buy the stylish 1988 Ford Laser, but the 16-year-old offspring Holden Viva. 1000 AUD costs the water pump. We don't want to know what else will come out then. Should we now have the entire guts of the car removed and the arteries examined? We have not yet decided. We still take the heavy going lightly. Back at the camp, the truth overtakes us. Silently we sit on the beach. We are hungry, but we have lost our appetite. Expensive car, tent, stove, sleeping bag, plate, fork. We wanted to visit our friends, take care of Anastasia's dog for a week. Since I was a child I wanted to see the koalas, the vast plains, the stars, the kangaroos. And now the dream bursts like a soap bubble. Tears come to my eyes. I have to give them free rein to wash away the pain. Secretly, I sneak into the most private place in the world, the bathroom.
We agree with the mechanic to have the water pump replaced next week. Meanwhile, we go south, wanting to visit nature and the sea. All with tips from the good listener Stuart, a camping neighbor. We tell him everything - he shares compassion and hope. The next morning, tired from an unrefreshing sleep, Simon starts: "This has never happened to me before, and I've already bought five cars in Australia! If only we had taken more time and bought the Ford Laser!", and so it goes on - grump, grump, grump. "WHAT'S THE MATTER? Why so pessimistic? Could it be just the water pump!?", I ask, frowning. He tells me about his dream last night. The ship on which we were sailing. The wailing alarm that it was sinking. How he refused to believe it. Until the ship really started to sink and how the water around his legs was rising higher and higher. "Luckily I woke up then!" he laughs. "And by the way," he points past me, "there's a tow truck that just pulled into the neighbor's campground." I have to laugh. The bad signs are all around. Five minutes later, the tow truck pulls out again. Loaded with a Holden Viva. Silver, just like ours. My insides tighten and then I burst out laughing uncontrollably.
We set off without knowing what the future will bring - but you never know. Things usually turn out differently than you think. And laughter is a relief.
Off into the Unknown
On our way south we reach Warren National Park, adorned with gigantic trees. David is the host and we are warmly taken care of. What is the problem with our car? David knows: "You bought a Lemon!" So it's a bad egg. He knows cars and sees what the problem might be. The thermostat. If the thermostat is old, it can rust and stick, not letting the water circulate properly through the engine to cool it. He always carries an extra thermostat himself. "Only $20 for that thing," he tells us. But for our Holden, we pay 120. Depressed, we order the part to be picked up in Albany.
Before that, we drive to Northcliffe, where we discover the Understory Art Forest, a forest decorated with sculptures by various artists.
In friendly Albany, we find a mechanic who replaces the thermostat. Everything costs money. So far we have already spent over 1000 AUD to get the Holden ready for the long desert trip through the Nullarbor Plains.
We feel queasy when we think about the two or three days we have to drive through the desert far away from any civilization to get to the east. No reception, no mechanics, just a bunch of nothing.
The next town, Esperance, is already one of the last. It's 480 km from Albany and there's hardly anything in between. 200 km further comes Norseman, Horseman, as I call it because the gold mining town consists of old container houses, dented trucks, and piles of tin, and dust. It's like in a Western movie. An elderly man waters his flowers in the garden. His flower garden is the only one far and wide.
Now we have arrived in the middle of nowhere. After 9 hours of driving, we put up the tent under a eucalyptus tree, dead tired. All alone in the incredibly beautiful landscape. The shrubs, isolated trees, and succulents draw long shadows over the glowing rust-red earth. The industrious ants, very active at first, warp into their underground network marked by a thousand holes.
Shortly before five o'clock, the sun rises. Time to get up. We have given up looking at the clock. We drive on the only existing road. It stretches to the horizon, disappearing in a mirage in the rearmost section. Only the dark bushes on the left and right are visible. Every now and then we are jolted by the air pressure of oncoming road trains, 40 meter long trucks. A friend advised us to always drive at 105 km/h, which is the speed of the road trains, so we would have to overtake them as little as possible.
Bitter End in the West - Sweet new Beginning in the East
We drive, drive, drive - until it rattles, then hisses. And that happens every time I step on the gas pedal. The car loses speed. Not a good sign. We stop at the side of the road and pop the hood. Smoke as big as from a freshly cooked meal escapes from the engine. If it weren't for the constant thunder of road trains, it would be dead quiet. I calmly begin to pack our belongings, while Simon searches for a cell phone signal with his arms stretched out.
Our options are vanishingly small. The last town Norseman (Horseman) is a good two hours drive behind us. The next towns are probably so small that they hardly offer towing services. And how the heck are we supposed to find information without reception? We can't even contact Roadside Assistance.
We wave the next car over. It surprisingly stops. "Do you need a lift?" We don't know, don't want to leave our car behind, and at the same time want to move on as quickly as possible.
Rod gets out and leans against our car. He has been on the road for 20 hours. Hardly any breaks. His destination is in Queensland, another 40 hours east.
"I want to be there in two days," he smiles wearily. Rod's cell phone barely picks up a signal. We may use it to call RAC, the car insurance company we bought a few days ago. To get advice, as we are stuck ourselves.
RAC listens to us, checks, calls us back. Several times. In the most impossible place imaginable, we break down. They are at a loss. After several phone calls – Rod, do you want to wait another quarter of an hour? – they tell us the only possibility. A tow truck from Esperance. 500 km away. A good six hours ago we drove past this wind-blown place. What on earth do we want there? And that for 4000 AUD, where they want to take over 1000, so 3000 for us. We can't believe it. That's how much the car cost us three weeks ago. We swallow dryly, have to think and decide. Rod says: "There will be a bus soon, it can take you. A bus on this route?
A little later Rod's friends, Russ and Pixi, arrive. They bought the bus in Perth and want to bring it to Queensland. They briefly examine the engine, ponder what it could be, find a burst radiator hose. Together we clean out the car and push it over the edge into the bushes. Bye-bye, you ungrateful lemon!
Russ' bus is very comfortable. Two days and one and a half nights with only short breaks we are allowed to travel with our rescuers. You have to be that lucky.
After 36 hours we arrive in Bendigo at 1 am. Final stop. Russ and Pixi are also longing for a day's rest. We say goodbye thankfully and wish them a safe onward journey.
We are now only a kangaroo hop away from Melbourne. The adventure can continue. Although only with rented four wheels, but without the oppressive weight of our unreliable Holden Lemon.
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Maja
Eifach en sensation euchi brechte s läse😉grad au sonigi abentür und erläbnis mache s läbe soooo spannend!!!👍 xxx mam😘