Molly Coddle

It seems to me that some new cars in Australia don't seem that much more expensive than their sister cars in Britain? I'm surprised at this find as old cars in Australia are so expensive, for what they are.

Would you agree or not?

Just wondering whether or not we might be better off investing in a new car from the beginning, rather than going through lots of expensive, unreliable old bangers?

Not sure what to do for the best really.


Any ideas?





We've always had German cars here in England as we've found them to be the most reliable and I would like to carry on having German cars in Australia but if we are buying new then I don't think we could afford a German model to begin with, so has anyone any other suggestions on good reliable makes and models?

I'll be doing a lot of driving so it needs to be bomb proof!

ABCD......

Used cars in Australia seem to keep their value better than in the UK.

That is good news for new car buyers, for when they sell the old car.

But bad news for people who prefer to buy secondhand.

Rhubarb65

Yes, I'd agree with that - dollar-for-dollar, new cars here represent better value than second-hand. There are probably several reasons for the disparity compared with the UK:

in the UK, the huge fleet market encourages widespread discounting off list price and the residual values are hammered by the constant supply, particularly for mainstream brands. This is not so pronounced in Australia

Relative strength of AUD has kept a lid on the price of imported new cars

Australia makes it difficult to import used cars, save for very exceptional circumstances (such as when you initially migrate under PR) and this limits supply.

Used cars seem to last longer here - there is not the same issue with corrosion for a start


As to a reliable make, my view is that you can't go far wrong with one of the Japanese brands - we owned a Honda in the UK and own a Mazda here. They don't set the world alight, but very little seems to go wrong.

Molly Coddle

I wonder why that is?


Do you find that most expats buy used cars?


Do you know any popular/reliable makes or models in Australia or maybe what makes and models should be avoided?

Molly Coddle

Thanks for that, sorry I didn't see your post before I replied to ABC.

paulry

We also toyed with the idea of buying a new car on arrival but in the event ended up buying an 8 year old Ford Falcon for $5500 or so. A good solid car built for Aussie conditions with lots of power thanks to it's monster 4 litre engine! More than three years later and it's still going strong with very little that's gone wrong with it along the way. The new car can wait for now

Molly Coddle

Yeah, why buy new if that one is going strong.

Knowing my luck I'd end up with a pile of crap, I'll have a look round when we get there.


By the way I like the 1972 Ford Falcon.

Check it out.

KJCherokee

One reason why secondhand cars are cheap in the UK (rather than being expensive in Australia) is the UK habit of dropping loads of salt on the roads every winter - a few years of that and only the best protected cars will be free from signs of corrosion.

Molly Coddle

Yeah very true.

spuddyo

Another reason cars here hold their value is new car 'vanity'. In the UK you can see from the Registration number how old the vehicle is, in Australia you can't. Your neighbours BMW might be 6 years old, or 2 years old - you would never know. Less reason to want to upgrade and keep up with the Jones's.

ABCD......

Very True...

john in oz

Another issue on new cars is depreciation - cars on average loose around 50% over 3 years from new ...

If looking for a compromise then look at a 3 - 5 year old car at around half their original value. You can always find one with low Kms...

cheers john

carolinephillips

We got a brand new Hyundai Tucson for less than the cost of a 1 year old one, thanks to massive dealer discounting in late August 2008. Had it for 5 and a half years with no faults other than me reversing into things and DD scraping a post in a car park. Very reliable car, but they don't make them any more. Hyundai are a good make though and have a great warranty.

Don't buy a Jeep!!

Amazulu

I've always bought new as they are not much more expensive than nearly new and you get the warranty

Many new cars now come with fixed price servicing and some, like Mitsubishi have 5 year warranties

Many VWs are cheaper here than in the UK. BMW, Mercedes and Audi are always more expensive

Cars are generally coming down in price due to a lot of competition and strong AUD - Australia has one of the most fragmented automobile markets in the world

Amazulu

Last year I bought a Triton with loads of extras, 5 year warranty and fixed price servicing for less than 1 year old models were being advertised for