Lifestyle and Leisure
Does the car come too?
Unless you’re planning on getting from A to B with the aid of only flip-flops and a surfboard, you’re going to need a car in Oz
Jo-ann Hodgson finds out if it's best to ship yours over or buy one when when you're over there.
Most potential emigrants will be unsure of whether to ship their car over to Australia with them or buy this modern-day essential once they're out there. There are matters of cost, space and practicality to consider. Some emigrants – without the insider knowledge Emigrate Australia readers have access to – have lived to regret their decision but here, you can learn from those in the know so you don't go on to regret yours.
Reasons for buying in australia
The cost of shipping your car over to Australia is often not financially viable and since cars are no more expensive to buy in Australia than they are in the UK, many emigrants choose to buy a car once they have arrived in Oz. "Cars are about the same price here," confirms Karen Atkinson who emigrated to Brisbane in 2006. "You can haggle them down," she continues. "But remember the price you offer should be 'drive away'. This is because there are taxes that they add on to the price you agree on, so if you say a price 'drive away' then you are saying inclusive of taxes. It makes a massive difference."
Buying a car in Australia can also be a sensible option when first arriving in the country due to the exchange rate. "People told us cars were expensive," says Samantha Raven, who moved to the Sunshine Coast last November. "I suppose when you are earning dollars they may be but us being Brits and bringing money over found them quite reasonable." That said, Sandra Parsons, whose husband took a job as a new car salesman has some words of warning. "The car dealers here, however nice they seem, all see you as cashed-up Pommies, just ripe for the picking so if you must buy a new car, do not do it in a hurry. Be prepared to drive away from showrooms and ring at least four others to see if they will beat or match the price with other extras thrown in."
Rebecca Lloyd, who emigrated to Melbourne eight years ago and bought a car in Australia seems pretty happy with her decision: "My reasoning was that if you buy a new car in Australia you start with a clean service record, or if you buy a second-hand car with proper records then any previous servicing that may have been less than perfect can be easily rectified.," she says. "By contrast, if you bring a car out you don't have much come-back against possible faulty servicing in the past."
Although they don't have MOTs in Australia as we do in the UK, there are certificates you can obtain when buying a second-hand car that will tell you what state the car is in.
One benefit of buying a car in Australia is that insurance is cheaper and when you buy a car you pay compulsory registration for six or 12 months which also includes third party insurance.
Reasons for taking your car
"We did not actually bring our car with us but wish that we had now," says Jenny Carpenter who, since emigrating, has set up her own Australian-based removals company. "If you have a European car like a BMW or VW, they are actually worth a lot of money over here. We had a BMW which is worth AUS$45,000 here but we sold it for £4,200. "The only reason we did this was because we were really struggling to find someone to help us with importing it at a reasonable cost. It can be done but most agents would only recommend it for special cars or cars of high value." Karen agrees that special cars should be given special consideration "I think if you have a car that's special to you or a collectors item it's a cheaper option to bring it than to buy another over here."
You've been warned
Sandra advises that emigrants get a cheap second-hand car when they first arrive in Oz to give themselves time to work out what they really need. "For us a new car was well down the list of needs," she says "When we achieved the others, the new car was all the sweeter." She warns that too many Brits get carried away with the idea of the Australian dream on arrival and end up being ripped off when buying new cars. "There are too many horror stories about cars but those warnings come too late as people do not go on the British expats site and tell others what wallys they have been," she says.
And so the moral of the story is: leave the car at home unless it's extra special and don't let the excitement of your move affect your better judgement.
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