morgano

We immigrate to Australia in July 2010.
Now we're thinking about buying a car.

We had a look at different online markets and were really scared. 1-2 years old cars were only a few cheaper than a new one.

What would you do? Buy a new one or a used car? (We need a car like Suzuki SX4)

Thanks for your advice.


Alex

caliburn

We are also on the same boat.... trying to decide on new vs. old. I have found that www.pickles.com.au is offering some good deals on fleet car sales. For example, the likes of Toyota Aurion 2008 at around 50,000km odo are going for around $20k. New ones would cost you north of $30k. However, privately used 1/2 year old vehicles don't offer much of a bargain, relative to new ones.

Anyone got experience with fleet or government used cars that go for auction?

Steve1977

If either of you have owned your car in the UK for over a year, it could be well be worth bringing a car with you. Have a look at carsguide.com.au to see what your car would be worth against the equivalent and factor in roughly $6000 total shipping costs (dependent on what vehicle you have of course). You may just find that if you were to sell the vehicle in oz, you could make quite a tidy profit.

This is not usually a viable option, but with the exchange rate the way it is, it is looking more and more attractive.

morgano

So, I'm from Germany and this isn't an option for me. I would have to do a rebuild on the car because the stearing wheel is on the other side ... :-)

Steve1977

Again, it still possibly could be worth it, i know that there are workshop's in australia who can do this for you, but it wont be cheap, so probably not worth it unless you are bringing something that is very rare.

Have a read here, there's lots of useful information on importing your car, although this mostly applies to cars brought from the UK.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/t...pefully!&mid=0

rockpeblar

I know a few people who have purchased ex government cars at auction in Perth. Never had any problems. A lot of dealers buy from auction and then add a few grand before putting on the forecourt so it is a way of getting a good deal. Probably best to try and view a few days before the actual auction to check service history and condition of car.

Centurion

Be careful though, that's if you could sell it. Not many people want a import plate vehicle unless its something a bit unique or a luxury marque.