- A website we have used to buy and sell our car is http://www.car4sale.com.au/home/. This is a very useful and easy to use website. You can find the car you would like to buy or simply find the price range you are after.
Tip: If you are buying an old car, it would be a good idea to negotiate with the seller for them to do the inspection of the car (for road worthiness) prior to purchase, so that any issues with the car can be sorted out to avoid any unexpected costs for you.
- Make sure to have your car undergoes regular service to avoid unexpected problems and costs.
Note: Depending on how much you use your car, you might get a maximum of two services a year. An average regular service cost for the 1994 Hyundai Excel is $100 plus additional cost of any other work or parts replaced (2010/2011 figures).
Tip: If you live around North Canberra, we recommend the DMB Automotive in Dickson, to service or fix your car; they have proved to us to be reliable and efficient.
- For a piece of mind and especially if your car is not an expensive vehicle, obtain a third party car insurance so that the other vehicle(s) can be covered in an accident you are involved in, to save you paying damage cost for a $200,000 Ferrari or something like that;-)
Tip: We have used AAMI for a third party car insurance. You can simply buy the third party property damage policy via their website which is very easy to use. The annual cost of such a policy for the 1994 Hyundai Excel was $159.00 (2010/2011 figures)
- To avoid being stranded out in the cold when your car breaks down, you can use NRMA for their roadside assistance. Call them on 131122 to register a “Classic Care” package which should give you the minimum roadside assistance you will need. The cost of such a package for the 1994 Hyundai Excel was $92.90 which is for a minimum three year period (2010/2011 figures).
- Fuel usually cost for the 1994 Hyundai Excel was about $40 every fortnight (2010/2011 figures); this depends on how much you use your car and how much fuel your car uses.
- Once you bought your car, you have to register it with the Road Transport Authority (RTA).
Note: Annual registration fee for the 1994 Hyundai Excel totalled to $724.40 (2010/2011 figures).
- Since you are a student, RTA accepts your Vanuatu drivers licence to drive in Canberra. Just make sure you observe the road and parking signs to avoid penalty costs;-)
Note: As you would have concluded, owning a car is not cheap, but it is recommended for young families who would do a lot of daily travelling to school, childcare, work and University. The last thing you want is to travelling in the freezing cold, missing the bus and being late for class;-)
