chrisall

Hi,

in the UK there are loads of cheap, perfectly usable used cars in the £1000 - £2000 price range. Is there a similar availability of used cars in OZ?

Cheers,
Chrisall

Centurion

www.carsales.com.au - have a look yourself. In general be aware that second hand car prices in Australia are a lot higher than the UK. A good thing when it comes to trading in, a bad thing if you are looking to enter the car market.

DadAgain

Plenty of availability of cheap used cars - its just that "cheap" starts at round about $8k. Less than that and you're buying a death trap.

I recently picked up a 2003 Astra with 66000Km on the clock, in good all round condition and a full service history. Its considered a bargain at $8500.

If you spend less than $5k on a car you'll be lucky if you make it off the premises before it breaks down .

spartacus

There are cheap motors to be had but, unless you're after something really old (80's Merc, Volvo etc) virtually nothing under $5k worth looking at (and I've looked at plenty).

You'll get some thing decent between $5-8k though. As long as it got some rego and a safety cert.

ABCDiamond

New cars are generally cheaper here, than in the UK.

User cars are generally more expensive here, than in the UK.

Depreciation, for some reason, doesn't seem to have caught on as much

Deutschmaster

There's no such thing as used and cheap here!

It seems: between 2 and 3 thousand you will get something clonked out but road worthy. Between 3 and 4 thousand you can pick up something mid 90s, small, worn out, but still has life in it.

In Victoria a car has to be road worthy to be sold. There's not that much in a road worthy - things like do the brakes work etc - so that means the previous owner could have put off replacing parts and you'll have an expensive bill the first time you get it serviced.

sr71

Neither has rust.

3-4 year cars in the UK are often clapped out and high mileage, 6-8 years old and there is often the beginning of serious corrosion or rust. They just seem to last a lot longer in the drier climate.

spartacus

Have you been talking to my good lady?

Why . . . I'm only in my 80's!

slipshot

Nonsense - maybe 10 years ago yes, but such a wild and inaccurate statement about rust is not needed. Plenty of cars in the UK 8 years and older have decent rust protection and will barely have any rust. Live by the sea and it could be a different matter but that is exactly the same for cars here that have lived by the sea - the difference is that cars in England were subjected to the salt on the roads in winter. However, that was before rust protection became widespread and now few cars are affected by it.

Guess what - 3-4 year cars in Australia are often clapped out and high mileage. And in both countries, some are not. Good and bad in all. Given the absence of an MOT in many places, there's a greater likelihood in Australia that the car will be a bag of sh*t if there's limited service history and high mileage as it's pot luck, but then it's pot luck buying an older used car in the UK - for both it's good to have someone with you who knows what to look for.

The Vic law says cars up to a certain age have to be sold with a warranty, but we got our 2003 Falcon with a 3 month warranty which was enough to ensure it worked as it should. Not all car dealers will offer this but this was a Ford main dealer.

Some care are more expensive over here - European cars generally are more expensive in Australia, while local cars (the few that there are) and Japanese cars are generally cheaper in comparison to size etc given many models are not sold in the UK. But limited depreciation means they hold their value better.

As an example, we had a temporary 2003 Galaxy prior to leaving the UK to get us around. Bought for £5k, sold for £4.5k when we left. Used the same money over here (had $10k), bought a 2003 Falcon. Both popular vehicles - Galaxy had 70,000 miles and was great condition. Falcon had 201,000km on it, was great condition, but smaller and far less effective in most ways than the Galaxy and a far lower spec - but a bigger engine. Would have a Galaxy any day over the Falcon, but the higher values of cars worked against us. Until we sell that is....

Scooter Man

just on cheaper cars, try a Misubishi Magna, cheap for a 1999 model 3500 - 5000, could get you a really good car, i got a full history wagon in March for $4000 with full history, its still 2k english but compared weith many other cars on the road its good value, plus spares a a dim a dozen as there are loads of magna's about (Australian built).

We only got here in Jan 09 and were totally unprepared for the cost of disposable UK items like cars, so was glad to find this in the gumtree ads.

stay off paramatta road car yards, they are for the most part very expensive, and not what I have learnt is good value.

like i said look on gumtree and trading post.

J

Scooter Man

SORRY MY POST IS AIMED MORE FOR SYDNEY, re the parramatta road comment.

My Oz Brother inlaw just got a 1997 Honda Accord for $4750 156k on it, and its in no way clapped out or worn up, guess you have to look at more rubbish before you fiond the good cars, lots of back packers and foreigh students often sell cars in a hurry at give away prices, and there often on the free ad sites.

Hope this helps

chrisall

Hi, sorry but from experience I don't agree with that statement. I have bought and sold loads of 5 - 10yo cars in the UK and none of them has had problems with corrosion.

Even high mileage doesn't necessarily mean clapped out. I'd rather have a car that's done 150K motorway miles than one that's done half that but only driven a few of miles to the shops every now and then.

At the moment you can even pick up some cracking used cars for £1000 or thereabouts, there's loads of choice.

It's this corrupt shower we call government that makes you believe old cars=old bangers in the name of so called 'green' causes. It's all a big con, as is the scrappage scheme....grrrr....don't get me started ;-)

Cheers,
Chrisall

alan_blue

i have found e bay to be quite good to be honest. I bought a 97 camry vienta 3ltr v6 with 150k in top condition for $3500 so there are bargains out there you just have to find them as they are rare.

I have seen that calibras are cheap here too

lapin_windstar

I don't pretend to be an expert but I've always been nervous about buying backpacker/student cars: my feeling is that their owners are broke, not interested in long-term maintenance so long as it gets through the next month and the backpackers will be thrashing the cars (2wds over 4wd tracks, beach driving etc). But I am conjuring that all up in my head, and possibly a lot of good highway kms is better than Mrs Mangle's 2km a day commuting when the engine never gets warm etc...

Vash the Stampede

I have found that rust is much more of a problem here in the UK than in Australia.

Back home (Australia) I had a 1994 Mazda Astina (323F) which was just starting to develop a few spots of surface rust on one of the bottom door sills when I sold it in 2003.

Here in the UK I had a 1995 Astina with a badly corroded wheel arch that required welding repairs, a badly corroded exhaust system that had to be replaced, and corrosion building up along the entire bottom edge of the hatch. My wife's Micra has had the same problems in similar areas; wheel arch, hatch, door sills and door edges.

I think the combination of inclement weather and salt grit takes a heavy toll. And of course there's a lot of stop/start driving, which doesn't help the engine either.