Driving in Australia is a great activity which, not surprisingly, requires a car. This article discusses some ideas for acquiring a car in Australia if you don't already have one.
Buy or rent?
A very rough rule of thumb can be:
Less than 3 weeks: Don't even think about buying a car.
Above 3 Months: It will most definitely be better to buy.
Tips for renting in Australia
Who can rent?
You can rent a car in Australia if:
You're the holder of a valid drivers' licence. Licences not in English additionally need an international driving permit (usually issued by motor clubs). Legally after 6 months in Australia you need to get a local licence. The rental car company won't check, but you won't be driving legally in case of an accident.
Some vehicle hire companies require the driver to be over the age of 25. Other companies have lower minimum age requirements, such as 18 or 21, and may require a large surcharge, and reduced insurance. Travel insurance with vehicle cover may be essential.
Features to look for
Air conditioning (it is safe to assume that every rental from one of the majors will have airconditioning fitted in Australia).
Manual or Auto. The very cheapest small car rentals can have a manual transmission (a "stick shift"). If you can't drive one - check.
What insurance included in the price?
Is 24-hour Roadside assistance offered?
Safety features
Fuel economy - it is straightforward to hire a hybrid in any capital city.
Maps, and itineraries.
Pick up and drop off points
Travel support in the areas you will be visiting.
Restrictions on area. Some cheaper rentals restrict you to the metro area. Many Queensland rentals prohibit north of the Daintree River.
Restrictions on roads. Some rentals prohibit driving on gravel roads. Others allow any legal road.
Saving Money
A number of rental companies specialise in providing 2-3 year old vehicles which are offered at substantially less cost than new ones. These can sometimes be pre-booked on the internet and collected from close to international airports. There is really little difference to hiring new vehicles from major rental companies.
Understand the full insurance cost. Often travel insurance can work out cheaper than paying the excess reduction insurance at the time of rental. If you already have travel insurance, make sure you don't pay for extra insurance that your travel insurance already offers.
One-way rentals fees vary significantly between companies and between points.
Pickup up or returning cars to airports often incurs an additional charge, often calculated as a percentage of the entire rental.
Cars rented from capital cities commonly have unlimited mileage. Cars rented outside capital cities rarely do,
Campervans
Instead of a car you could also chose a campervan becuase of the flexibility that these sorts of vehicles have. Some campers offer:
Double beds
Additional seating
Gas cooker, fridge, and water tank
MP3/CD/DVD player + free DVDs
Additional storage space.
Apart from the actual campervan specifications some companies offer extra support while traveling. Some of the things you should factor into a decision for a campervan company are:
When looking for a campervan you may like to compare a custom designed one to an ordinary motorhome
Tips for buying
Many of these tips are true regardless of where you are looking to buy a car, but there are a few concerns specific to cars in Australia that you should be aware of.
Primarily, remember that Australia is not one country when it comes to car buying - each state has different registration and road rules. For instance, in Victoria a car cannot be sold without a roadworthy certificate, and the test is very strict which can cause problems with older cars. However, no regular roadworthy is required so cars can be driven for many years by the same owner with no testing. South Australia, on the other hand, requires no roadworthy for ownership change. For most states you need to be in the state concerned with a local address (can be a hotel or hostel) to get the car registered in your name, so if you are buying an out-of-state car think about how far you will have to drive to get the papers change, and whether you are going that way anyway.
Don't buy a car you have not test driven yourself for at least around the block. If you are too scared to drive it, ask the seller to take you on a short ride and tell him what you would like him to do: brake sharp, accelerate fast, etc.
Don't buy a car (either from a garage or private person) if you do not have at least some basic knowledge of cars and know what to look for.
Don't buy a car from a dealer unless he is specialised in providing for backpackers and has a good reputation (ask him for feedback from his customers and check the Internet).
Don't buy a car that is leaking any fluid (black=engine oil/brake fluid, brown=engine oil/brake fluid, red=gearbox, green=radiator or other.), has an oily looking engine head or rust on important parts of the chassis such as the door areas, or near the suspensions.
Don't buy a car that has problems with the gearbox (automatic or manual) - this type of repair can be very expensive. Don't buy the argument that you will have to use overdrive or use neutral position when parking.
Don't buy a car that doesn't stop (SHARP!) when you want it to stop. Check all the car lights with the help of a friend. Choose a car with a "roobar" ("KangaROO-bar," also known as a "bull bar") and spots (also known as "Spot Lights") if you are going to be driving in rural or remote areas. Be aware that 'roo bars' will not save your vehicle from much damage if you hit a roo and that the best way to avoid this danger is to avoid driving at dusk/night.
Avoid buying a car that has not at least 3 months of registration left - you might end up having to rush into a territory where you do not want to go at that time just in order to extend the registration and have a safety inspection ($$$$)- or have trouble selling the car!
Do buy a car that can easily be fixed in the outback or in a small town (Commodore, Falcon, Landcruiser, or Patrol - some suggest the older the better).
Consider a car with a buy back guarantee. But be careful; some companies will make you have the car inspected before they buy it back or will only give you a verbal agreement, and for older cars this guarantee can hike the price up to unrealistic levels.
Try to get Western Australian registration - they are easy to extend just over the telephone without a safety inspection. BUT remember that this means the car hasn't had a safety inspection in forever and could be a real wreck.
Contact the Office Of Fair Trading for the state you are in to perform a REVS (Register of Encumbered Vehicle Service) check to ensure there is no money owing on the car you plan to buy, as if there is, you will inherit that debt from the previous owner. This can be done on the internet and is well worth the 30 dollars or so it costs. You can also spot clocked or stolen cars this way.
Rental companies
<!-- NB! alphabetic order, and PLEASE DO NOT list anything twice - thanks! -->
Campervan
(''those suffixed'' '''*''' ''also rent cars''):
Apollo [http://www.apollocamper.com] '''*'''
Britz [http://www.britz.com.au] '''*'''
Camper Travel [http://www.campertravel.com.au]
car hire brisbane [http://www.suncoastcarrentals.com]
car hire gold coast [http://www.selectrentacar.com.au]
<listing name="GoVans" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.govans.com.au" hours="" price="">a small company who will deliver to Airport locations.</listing>
Find A Camper Australia [http://www.findacamperaustralia.com]
Hippie Campers [http://www.hippiecamper.com]
Kea [http://au.keacampers.com]
Maui [http://www.maui.com.au] '''*'''
Travellers Auto Barn [http://www.travellers-autobarn.com.au] '''*'''
<listing name="Spaceships" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="1300 132 469" email="" fax="" url="http://www.spaceshipsrentals.com.au/" hours="" price="">Custom made fully featured camper vans in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney to arrange your campervan hire in Australia.</listing>
Wicked Campers [http://www.wickedcampers.com.au]
<listing name="Camperman" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.campermanaustralia.com.au" hours="business hours only (despite what reservation system says regarding confirmed time)" price=""></listing>
Car hire
All Age Car Rentals ? [http://www.surfersparadiserentalcars.com]
Andy_fs Auto Rentals [http://www.andysautorental.com.au] & Brisbane bus hire Brisbane bus hire [http://www.andysautorental.com.au] - located in Brisbane
Ace Rental Cars [http://www.acerentals.com.au]
Alpha Car Hire [http://www.alphacarhire.com.au]
Apex [http://www.apexrentacar.com.au]
<!-- Apollo Car Rentals - see "Primarily campervan hire" section, immediately above -->
<listing name="Avis" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.avis.com.au" hours="" price=""></listing>*
Brisbane Rent A Car [http://www.brisbanerentacar.com.au]
<listing name="Budget" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.budget.com.au" hours="" price=""></listing>
Commodore Car Rentals ? [http://www.goldcoasthirecar.com]
East Coast Car Rentals [http://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au]
<listing name="Europcar" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.europcar.com.au" hours="" price=""></listing>
Gold Coast Car Hire [http://www.goldcoastcarhire.com]
Four Wheel Drive Hire Service [http://www.4wdhire.com.au]
<listing name="Hertz" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.hertz.com.au" hours="" price=""></listing>
Kanga Car & Moped Hire ? [http://www.surfersparadisehirecar.com]
Prestige Hire [http://www.prestigehire.com.au]
Roadway Rent A Car [http://www.roadwayrentacar.com.au]
RMS Travelcar [http://www.rmstravelcars.com.au]
Surfers Paradise Car Hire [http://www.surfersparadisecarhire.com]
Sydney Minibus Hire [http://www.minibushiresydney.com.au]
<listing name="Thrifty" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.thrifty.com.au" hours="" price=""></listing>
Travel Car Center [http://www.travelcar.com.au]
<!-- NB! alphabetic order, and PLEASE DO NOT list anything twice - thanks! -->
Rental aggregator websites
<!-- NB! alphabetic order, please -->
123-camper.com (www.australien-neuseeland.com) [http://www.australien-neuseeland.com/australien-camper/au_category.php?LANG=e] - located in Germany; site also available in German [http://www.australien-neuseeland.com/australien-camper/au_category.php?LANG=g]
Australia Touring [http://www.australia-campervans.com] - no address or 'phone number; site also available in German [http://www.australien-wohnmobile.de]
Bargain Wheels [http://www.bargainwheels.com.au] - based in Brisbane, servicing Australia and New Zeland since 2001.
carhire.com.au [http://www.carhire.com.au] & VroomVroomVroom [http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au] - both use the same Brisbane PO box address
Discovery Carhire [http://www.discovery-carhire.com.au] & rentnewcars.com.au [http://www.rentnewcars.com.au] - both use the same Brisbane PO box address
DIY Car Hire [http://www.diycarhire.com.au] - based in Brisbane. Online since 2003.
Drivenow [http://www.drivenow.com.au] <!-- drivelater.com.au is exact same & is "...a division of DriveNow Pty Ltd" --> - uses a Melbourne PO box address
Ezhirecar[http://www.ezhirecar.com.au] - no address or 'phone number
Find A Camper Australia [http://www.findacamperaustralia.com]
MotorhomesandCars.com [http://www.motorhomesandcars.com/car-motorhome-rental-australia.aspx] - no address; New Zealand based; "worldwide rentals"; Australia phone number
oodles.com [http://oodles.com] - uses a Melbourne PO box address
Salamanda Travel [http://www.salamandatravel.com] & subsidiary selfdriveshop.com [http://www.selfdriveshop.com] - located in Brisbane
Used vehicle sales websites
travellers-carmarket.com [http://www.travellers-carmarket.com]
travellerscarmarket.com [http://www.travellerscarmarket.com]
vanexchange.com.au [http://www.vanexchange.com.au]
See also
Driving in Australia
Driving in New Zealand
Renting a motorhome in New Zealand