Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

......that's not the whole story. I've just sold a 1999 Hyundai Accent for $2500 (UK value GBP400-1000). Thing is, I only paid $2000 for it - this is the first time ever that I've made money on a car. I've probably been a bit lucky as I got it for a bargain but I would have been happy to break even.

So yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive in Australia but you get a better price when selling them on.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Well done.

Cars (2nd hand or new) are far more exy here, winder if the strong dollar will make any difference on imported cars?

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Last time I looked, many of the new cars were cheaper here, except for European imports of course. But that was a few years ago.

How do these compare in the UK now:
$12,890 New Hyundai Getz S Hatchback 3dr 1.4i
$13,990 New Proton Satria Neo G Hatchback 3dr 1.6i
$16,780 New Ford Fiesta CL Hatchback 5dr 1.6i
$29,990 New Toyota Camry Altise Sedan 4dr 2.4i

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Honest answer is I don't know. I do know is I sold a recent BMW 330ci convertible and near new Land Rover in the UK before heading over, for the pounds I got (even at an exchange rate of 2:1, which it isn't) I could get nowhere near buying the same cars here.

Ho hum, I've got my ScoobyDoo, bought new, which fits nearly as much stuff as my lovely Land Rover, but isn't half the car. Didn't come here for material gain, which is a good job really :huh:

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

That price range is easy to get rid of if it's got an rwc. I see clapped out old Holdens with a different colour bonnet on the side of the road for more than that. I reckon I will lose on my corrolla as it was bought on the Marooka ripoff mile when we first got here. I regret not getting a brand new honda jazz for just a few grand more.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Thing I miss since moving to Australia:

1) Family
2) Friends
3) The cars I could buy for the price they charge for an old heap of crap here

It goes without saying the list of things I don't miss is much longer...

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I bought a brand new car when I got here, no regrets other than the fact its a basic Japanese SUV, nowhere near the standard of a European motor.

P.S. No offense to folk with Japanese cars, I have one, but I'd rather have an Audi than a Toyota, in Europe the the price difference seems smaller than in Australia.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

ford fiesta hatchback £10.995

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I would have thought those cars are expensive here because of the Luxury Car Tax? :unsure:

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

2nd hand yes but not so for new. A lot are cheaper here. The Jetta I just bought is virtually the same price as it is on the UK - and the Aussie model has a better spec than the UK one.

Saying that, I'm sure the recession in the UK is throwing up some new car bargains.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I dont get this whole t"hings are more/less expensive here than there" thing. Okay so its relevant when you are moving and transferring your cash etc and every one wants a good exchange rate - but after that surely its all relative to the life you live and what you earn here - makes no difference how much a car costs there if you're not buying one.

My sister is always banging on about the price of bread - and yes when you do the sums, since the dollar got strong, it costs more here now, but all I know is that I spend less on groceries, petrol, bills etc than i ever did in the UK (except the internet. Dont mention the internet. Who mentioned internet?)

Can someone please explain it to me? Am I missing something?

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

they last forever....

we got an old laser, 1988, paid $900 for it, 2and a half years on its still going strong.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

No, you are missing nowt :)

As you say, it's relevant for starters but comparisons from then on in are pointless if you really want to make a go of it. I probably compared and converted stuff from AUS to UK for the first 3 months ... once I was earning in dollars then I got on with it.

However, all this IS relevant if you are weighing up a move so it's all good information to have on the boards. Especially where to shop and avoid getting ripped off when you are straight off the plane and dealing with everything else.

Every unnecessary dollar not in a car dealer's pocket has to be a good thing :D

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

That's probably it, in the UK the Land Rover was about £30k new, over here the same car is about 65-70k and thats the comparison I was doing, I just compared the Subaru I bought and its about the same price in the UK.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Well thank fluff for that! I'm off to cash in some dollars for GBP ready for my trip back next April. ;) Might buy a car whilst I'm there just so I can say I got a bargain! :thumbsup:

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Get a Harley, go nuts :D

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Good point. The Hyundai I sold was in really good condition for it's age - not a spot of rust and had no oil leaks. It's got 170k on the clock but I reckon it's good for another 100k with a bit of TLC.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Our lil lasers got 260k on the clock, oh wants to get it to 300k, its not the best looking car but she goes and goes well at that...
our 'new' (4yr old) kia blew up after 18mths, so got an almost new Peugeot now.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I have a Ford Laser too. Mine's a 2000 Glxi model. Brilliant car :thumbup:

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Since the Guam Pipeline opened internet prices have been steadily and quickly dropping to the extent now you can get truly unlimited internet @ 24 mbits (thats bloody fast) at 29 dollars per month.... from TPG and 39 bucks per month from Dodo.... The caps are just about dead in the water now.

http://www.tpg.com.au/products_servi...us_pricing.php

I would imagine everyone will be trying to get off of their plans now.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

It depends on how many of those Aussie dollars arrive inbound into your bank account every month. The more arrive, the less aggrieved and confused people feel. That is all that counts.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I almost mentioned Kia (any Kia) as a marque to avoid ... apparently the spares and servicing costs are horrendous here ...

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Would any sane person voluntarily go with Dodo for internet? From all the negative comments about them, the company chose a good name to describe themselves...

The plans you refer to are not available in this area - no ADSL2 on this exchange.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Second-hand Saabs are cheap here.

I paid $270 dollars for my 87 Saab - love it. I am considering upgrading to a newer 91 Saab with a large engine for $400.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Which I think are part of the same group as Hyundai, another marque I would avoid!

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Bargain! I like Saabs, wanted a old-school 900 Turbo in black, made do with a9000 with a turbo-charged 2.3L ... went like stink :thumbup:

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Mine's been excellent. Shipping it over too. Hopefully arrives this week. :thumbup:

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Its going to be interesting to see how IINet respond to this

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I probably won't gamble on this one as the bonnet is faded and the Mrs would instantly see it as a downgrade and would prefer this older one.

Mine is a 2 door 900i 2.0 (non Turbo).

The old school 2 door Turbos start around $1000 on Ebay.
Anything with 4 doors is so unpopular that they get given away.

In Melbourne there is a Saab specilalist who know what they are doing and reasonably priced. I like going to them for services because you get a newer Saab as a loan car which you can then cut around in for the day!
They often have cars for sell, they had a silver 2.3 '97 900 for about 3k which I might have got in other circumstances.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

The older ones had Mitsubishi inards and were quite tough. The Getz and Rio are very cheap new but you get what you pay for. Despite what dealers and the media may say Korea is not up Japanese standards when it comes to cars.

Edit to add:
Yes you are right, they are the same group.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I quite like my Hyundai...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_hj8k2cqkmsQ/TK...i-granduer.jpg
Just checked the costs, from a post in 2005:
Current redbook values:
Private Price Guide $6,200 - $7,800
Average Km 140,000 - 230,000

About a 50% drop in value over 5 years.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

When comparing Australian s/h prices with UK ones, you have to remember that there is no need in Oz to spread salt on the roads every year so older cars here are far less likely to have serious rust problems. We sold a 20yo BMW 318i for $5000 last year and the body was perfect - it was just starting to cost too much in mechanical repairs.

If you need spares though, be prepared to buy them overseas. I have a Jeep and when I needed a new clutch recently it was cheaper (and quicker!) for me to buy it from a dealer in Hull and have it flown out than to buy it from the local Jeep dealer.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

I don't know a lot about cars but I'm never convinced by this argument.

Firstly, do cars actually rust these days? A member of my family drives a 15 year old Toyota in the UK - no rust at all.

Secondly, I live 10kms from the sea here. In the UK I lived about 130kms from the sea. Surely there'd be more salt in the air for most of the population in Australia then there would in the UK?

I wonder sometimes whether some things are more expensive in Australia just because the population is accustomed to it and new entrants to the market see the abnormal profits to be made and refuse to lower prices.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

A lot of modern cars are very well protected against rust and if they are cleaned properly won't have a problem.

I think salt air is only a problem if you live right next to the sea - I'm not sure of the distance but pobably only a few kms at most.

Agree with your last statement. A lot of things (but not all) are more expensive here because people accept this and don't complain or bargain - Aussies have been conditioned to being ripped off. I'm hoping that the new WA retail laws are going to put a lot of Australia's beloved, yet often crap, small retailers out of business. I will piss myself when the first IGA goes under.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Me too.
My current hang-up is the "Local Heroes" ad campaign for money-grabbing, hypocritical rip-off merchants that are IGA owners.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Who make out that they are small independent retailers yet are actually owned by a billion $ South African mob.

Wankers.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Rust does seem to effect older cars. Depends how people care for them too. But there is no doubt in my mind that salt f**cks cars and salt on the road can't help. Take a 4x4 rental into the surf and drive along and you will lose your deposit - and they claim to know on inspection as soon as you get back. I'd prefer to take my chances with sea-air on the coast.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

Doesn't that make the land rover around the same price?

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

£30k is currently about $48k, even at an exchange rate of 2:1, (which it hasn't been for a while) its only $60k.

There are some big variations even in Japanese cars, I was thinking of an MX5 as a 2nd car for Mrs Freebo

Aus MX5 Roadster = $51,000 or $31,000 ($25.5 at 2:1)
UK -------"------- = £20.750 or $34,000 ($41.5 at 2:1)

So a the Aus bought one is $17,000 or 50% :scaredhair: more expensive - or have I got this wrong? The prices don't match until the exchange rate hits about 2.5:1

You have to wonder if the current strong dollar would make the dealers more prone to discount, especially for European and American cars.

Re: Yes, 2nd hand cars are more expensive here but.......
 

You have to try to stop comparing the prices of similar models between UK and Oz, first the spec can be quite different, second, the body will be in much better condition due to a better climate.
To get a better idea, compere the price against your annual salary, if you earn £30000 and buy a £10000 car its a third, so in Oz you earn say $80000, a third would be about $26500 if you spent a similar proportion of your money on a car.