Buying or renting a car in Australia

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This article is a travel topic.

Driving in Australia is a great activity which, not surprisingly, requires a car. This article discusses some ideas for acquiring a car in Australia if you don't already have one.

[edit] Buy or rent?

A very rough rule of thumb can be:

  • Less than 3 weeks: Don't even think about buying a car.
  • Above 3 Months: It will most definitely be better to buy.

[edit] Tips for renting in Australia

You can rent a car in Australia if:

  • You're over 18 years old and the holder of a valid international drivers' licence or a current local licence. UK licence holders may drive for 6 months in Australia (after which they are required to take a local driving test), and it is usually accepted by rental companies.
  • Some vehicle hire companies require the driver to be over the age of 25. Other companies have lower minimum age requirements, such as 18 or 21, and may require a surcharge.
  • You understand and agree to uphold the road rules of Australia. It's especially easy for visitors from the UK or South Africa to drive in Australia, as traffic drives on the left.

A number of rental companies specialise in providing 2-3 year old vehicles which are offered at substantially less cost than new ones. These can sometimes be pre-booked on the internet and collected from close to international airports. There is really little difference to hiring new vehicles from major rental companies.

It may seem glaringly obvious to many, but make sure your rental has air conditioning!

[edit] Tips for buying

Many of these tips are true regardless of where you are looking to buy a car, but there are a few concerns specific to cars in Australia that you should be aware of.

Primarily, remember that Australia is not one country when it comes to car buying - each state has different registration and road rules. For instance, in Victoria a car cannot be sold without a roadworthy certificate, and the test is very strict which can cause problems with older cars. However, no regular roadworthy is required so cars can be driven for many years by the same owner with no testing. South Australia, on the other hand, requires no roadworthy for ownership change. For most states you need to be in the state concerned with a local address (can be a hotel or hostel) to get the car registered in your name, so if you are buying an out-of-state car think about how far you will have to drive to get the papers change, and whether you are going that way anyway.

  • Don't buy a car you have not test driven yourself for at least around the block. If you are too scared to drive it, ask the seller to take you on a short ride and tell him what you would like him to do: brake sharp, accelerate fast, etc.
  • Don't buy a car (either from a garage or private person) if you do not have at least some basic knowledge of cars and know what to look for.
  • Don't buy a car from a dealer unless he is specialised in providing for backpackers and has a good reputation (ask him for feedback from his customers and check the Internet).
  • Don't buy a car that is leaking any fluid (black=engine oil/brake fluid, brown=engine oil/brake fluid, red=gearbox, green=radiator or other.), has an oily looking engine head or rust on important parts of the chassis such as the door areas, or near the suspensions.
  • Don't buy a car that has problems with the gearbox (automatic or manual) - this type of repair can be very expensive. Don't buy the argument that you will have to use overdrive or use neutral position when parking.
  • Don't buy a car that doesn't stop (SHARP!) when you want it to stop. Check all the car lights with the help of a friend. Choose a car with a "roobar" ("KangaROO-bar," also known as a "bull bar") and spots (also known as "Spot Lights") if you are going to be driving in rural or remote areas. Be aware that 'roo bars' will not save your vehicle from much damage if you hit a roo and that the best way to avoid this danger is to avoid driving at dusk/night.
  • Avoid buying a car that has not at least 3 months of registration left - you might end up having to rush into a territory where you do not want to go at that time just in order to extend the registration and have a safety inspection ($$$$)- or have trouble selling the car!
  • Do buy a car that can easily be fixed in the outback or in a small town (Commodore, Falcon, Landcruiser, or Patrol - some suggest the older the better).
  • Consider a car with a buy back guarantee. But be careful; some companies will make you have the car inspected before they buy it back or will only give you a verbal agreement, and for older cars this guarantee can hike the price up to unrealistic levels.
  • Try to get Western Australian registration - they are easy to extend just over the telephone without a safety inspection. BUT remember that this means the car hasn't had a safety inspection in forever and could be a real wreck.
  • Contact the Office Of Fair Trading for the state you are in to perform a REVS (Register of Encumbered Vehicle Service) check to ensure there is no money owing on the car you plan to buy, as if there is, you will inherit that debt from the previous owner. This can be done on the internet and is well worth the 30 dollars or so it costs. You can also spot clocked or stolen cars this way.

[edit] Rental companies

Primarily campervan hire (those suffixed * also rent cars):

Primarily car and/or truck and/or 4x4 hire:

[edit] Rental aggregator websites

[edit] Used vehicle sales websites

[edit] See also

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