Need a checklist for buying a car interstate

[fatjoez]

Alright I need everyones knowledge on what I need to buy a car interstate
I've decided to buy a lexus is250 from adelaide, i live in gold coast queensland

Basic details
- Buying sight unseen
- getting it freighted
- my understanding is its currently unregistered
- buying from dealer

Rough overview / list i've come up with

- pre purchase inspection by one of those mobile mechanic inspection company guys
- arrange insurance for the car
- paperwork with dealer -- how'll this work? money first car second? or deposit? or half upfront? how do people do it usually

once in my state (queensland)
- book inspection for vehicle ~ how much?
- post inspection take to queensland transport to register/get plates ~ how much?


have i covered everything here
is there any other paperwork / stuff I need to do / think about

cheers

[jamesatfish]

If buying from a dealer you're mitigating some of the risks with interstate purchase - there will be statutory warranties in place for the purchase and the dealer will need to comply with the same fair trading laws that every other business complies with, so if the vehicle is substantially other than advertised you will have some grounds to seek appropriate recourse.

I doubt the dealer will let the vehicle off their lot without payment in full but again the risk of this is mitigated by the fact that they're a licensed dealer, so there's a lot more at stake for them if they decide to take your money and run compared with a private sale.

Although you mention the vehicle is unregistered, make sure that it does come with an RWC (or the equivalent in SA) as a guarantee that the vehicle is in a registrable state, and that you're not knowingly buying a vehicle with sufficient defects that it wouldn't be eligible to be registered in SA. (the above is obviously irrelevant if the vehicle is unregistered because it's a new or demonstrator vehicle previously unregistered).

All that said and done, consider whether the risk (however slim) is greater than the small amount of money it would cost to fly down to Adelaide and inspect the car in person and make the payment. By all means do all the due diligence first (pre-purchase inspection etc) and if everything checks out, what's a couple of hundred dollars of airfares in what I'm assuming is a fairly expensive vehicle purchase?

[h100vw]

Come and look at it, don't take the risk. For the small cost of the plane ride, over the hassle you could be getting into = not worth it. I'd be surprised if you can get a car in Adelaide cheaper than in QLD. SA is generally a lot more expensive and lacking in choice usually. Unless you are buying a Commie or Toyota.
Then there's the getting it registered in QLD thing to get through. I have bought cars outside SA and all you have to do here is have an identity check done. THERE IS NO ROADWORTHY TEST in SA.
Gavin

[Corey_R]

THERE IS NO ROADWORTHY TEST in SA.

Yeah... it's scary some of the cars on the SA roads. You could drive something without any rear wheels and just drag your rear around the streets. That's perfectly fine... until the police spot you. It's basically up to the police to defect cars they feel are not roadworthy.
I've seen people driving around in cars where the floor has rusted through beneath their feet... again, unless they get pulled over - there is nothing stopping them.

[AdamD]

I've seen people driving around in cars where the floor has rusted through beneath their feet... again, unless they get pulled over - there is nothing stopping them.

+1. No emissions testing, no ongoing checks for rust or any other safety flaws (many of which are never going to be visible from a police vehicle or to a cop with a flashlight at 2am). Sure there's a whole lot less hassle involved with renewing rego on a car here in SA, but I'd happily forego that in exchange for the confidence that other cars on the roads aren't death traps. (Would love lower rego fees too, if they're offering. )

[Speed]

I'd be surprised if you can get a car in Adelaide cheaper than in QLD.

Whenever I'm looking for cars, the better deals are usually in QLD, VIC & ocassionally WA.
I'm also surprised you can't get what you want in QLD.

[fatjoez]

hey just an update

found a better option

97,000km
50% + tread left tires
2007 year model

same spec: sunroof, tints, satellite nav, leather, black out/in, spoiler

2007 LEXUS IS250 SPORTS GSE20R Cars For Sale in NSW - carsales.com.au - carsales.com.au

thinking of going for it

[Speed]

So your coming to Sydney then...