Car options for the first 3 months
 

Hi everyone, we're moving to Melbourne in January. I will start my job on 1 Feb and will have a bank account open (HSBC opened from the UK).

Question about what to do regarding cars because obviously I will have zero credit history in Australia. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd hand Nissan X-Trail which costs about $25k and will need financing but from what I read I need minimum of 3 months payslips to get a car loan. What would you suggest for car in the first 3 months?

Should we do one of those "long-term rental" from Avis, Hertz, etc? Or is there another option?

I looked online but it doesn't seem there's an equivalent of a UK PCH (leasing) in Australia?

Many thanks for your help.

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

What we did was buy a cheap car in the beginning ($5k ish) to get us around. It lasted about a year before I sold it to another new arrival for $4k.

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

Unfortunately we don't have PCH as you have it over there

It's one of the few things I miss about the UK

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

We rented from East Coast, who, despite their reputation, were very good. About $10 per day as far as I can remember. This was in Adelaide though.

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

We rented from them and somehow ended up buying the car, really cheaply. Had it for three years until I wrote it off. Didn't do it on purpose but I did hate the car. :D

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

There's really very few options when it comes to buying a car here. Australians regard second hand cars as highly valuable - its not uncommon to see a car listing for a second hand car with the owner wanting more money than what it would cost new. Strange, but its a mentality here.

I rented from east coast at about $1k a month, with a $4k excess. So it wasn't really worth it longer term as I couldn't save enough for a car.

I would not go near a car loan here, the finance options are generally shocking with hidden charges, and dealers are typically very sneaky bunch with extra charges.

My advice would be to buy a small undesirable second hand car (e.g Kia Rio 5 years old, < 100kms etc), and get by with that until you have enough saved for the car you think you need. You may not need an X-Trail.

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

Good advice. A lot of driving in Melbourne will be on roads with a speed limit of 80kph max (btw, you can drive in any lane on these roads, no requirement to stay in left lane - welcome to whacky races:rofl:). On the freeway and Eastlink the limit is 100kph (should move to left but few do). Unless you need the space of a big car go small. Wife has made do with Getz and i20. I bought a Mazda 6 when we arrived, today I would buy i30 size. If you work in the CBD you may find yourself training it in. Before splashing out get a feel for what you need the car for. Bit of advice - don't break the speed limit here, even by 1kph!

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

Hello

I suggest buying a cheap backpackers car for around $1,000

Always backpackers leaving the country desperate to unload their car

Make sure it is roadworthy with more than 3 months rego

When you are finished with it, on-sell it to another backpacker

This way you have a cheap reliable car to drive around for three months, whilst you build up credit ratings and whatnot.

We did this initially, before eventually taking out a loan for a better car

.

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

It may be cheap but it may not necessarily be reliable!

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

Personally consider this poor economy. It may not last 3 months. 7-8k should get a small working car good for a year or two.

Re: Car options for the first 3 months
 

This is a better option - and you might be able to get something decent for a bit less too