When searching for a car there are many websites, newspaper articles, brochures and auctions that you can visit. I started looking in the local papers in the classifieds as it had many cars, both antique and used cars for sale. The ads listed information needed, although I did find that it wasn’t as informative as some of the websites can be. With the internet more information can be supplied as costs are less and a picture can also be added. You can view past history records and services along with further detail on engine specifics and features.
Along with these two options is the auction. Many people now days are opting to get a specialist to look at overseas auctions and get the cars brought over for them. This works well if you are in the market for a top quality car (such as a Porsche or Ferrari) as these are significantly cheaper in the overseas markets due to their regulations on ‘safe’ cars. However the prices of these cars are still high and the added cost of transport to bring the car to the country again raises the costs. So unfortunately this was not an option for the assignment.
Roadside sales like all other current markets, have their advantages and disadvantages, one advantage is you can inspect the car yourself and see what is faulty, rusted or illegal. This is handy if you know what you are looking for. However if you are unaware of what makes a car faulty or illegal you can easily ring up your local RACQ and get them to come along with you and inspect the car. It is always a good option to have the car inspected, but if you no the basics you can eliminate some cars without the cost of the inspection. A disadvantage is that it is hard to tell if all information provided is true. Fake road worthies and other such documents are getting easier and easier to acquire so again an inspection MUST be done by professionals.
Probably the safer option in buying a car is through a dealership or company. Private sales which are one on one are riskier as it is uncertain as to what extent the car is inspected etc. although private sales may be cheaper (due to no sales fees) better inspections and the quality of cars is going to better through companies and dealers as they have more to lose for a faulty car. Along with that insurance of the cars being thoroughly checked, you can also be sure there wile b no insurance attachments that owners have forgotten to leave out, and the chance of you being left with debts and other payments in your name is very minimal.
Current Advertisements:
Attached is 5 current advertisements labelled appendix 1 through to appendix 5. Three of these advertisements are from the internet site, . The other two are from the ‘Courier Classifieds’ Monday 12th May.
The average price of my vehicles is $ 4040 showing that all my cars are in the appropriate costing bracket.
Vehicle Inspection:
Vehicle inspections can be done by RACQ to help you check the condition of a car. During the inspection the following things are checked,
lights,
brakes,
windscreen wipers,
indicators,
steering wheel,
seat belts,
seats,
boot space and its condition
engine,
rust,
paint etc.
We were given a run through of these details when RACQ representatives came to our school in the first term.
Purchase Costs:
The purchase price of the car is not the only costs we have to look at when buying a car. Stamp duty, registration transfer fees and pre-purchase/roadworthy costs are also important and unavoidable costs. Stamp duty for cars in Queensland is 2% of the market value for that car as stated on the website . The stamp duty for my car is $70
Registration transfer fees in Queensland is about $15, along with this fee Queenslanders also pay a $17 plate charge for new registrations. This information can also be found on the above website.
As we are all year 12 students, we are able to use the RACQ ‘Free2Go’ plan which allows 17 year olds and all Queensland year 12 students 12 months free RACQ membership. Students are able to use this offer even if they are yet to own a car. This helps if you’re looking as you can join and use them for car inspections. This membership also gives you free roadside assistance for any car you drive, youth discounts at local businesses and there are no strings attached for young teenagers to worry about.
Insurance:
There are many different insurance options available for people. The two most common are Full Comprehensive and Third Party Fire and Theft. Full comprehensive covers you for
Full comprehensive insurance is a voluntary insurance of motor vehicles, which covers material damages on vehicles and objects in and on that vehicle from the following risks:
car accident,
thunder stroke,
explosion,
fall or impact of an object,
storm, hail, avalanche,
fall of an aircraft,
demonstrations,
malicious acts, deceptions or robbery and recalcitrance of third parties.
As mentioned we needed to find the best and most suitable insurance for our car.
There are many sites and brochures as well as company’s you can contact to find out about estimates for all insurance types for any car. I decided to look on the net for these as it allows quick access to many companies and their features.
For my car I have chosen to have only Third Party Fire and theft, as I feel that due to the coast and the age of my car, Full comprehensive would be an invalid cost. I looked at many different companies for my insurance, attached is 3 quotes under my name and 3 quotes under my dad. The businesses I have chosen as my three examples are AAMI, RACQ and Budget.
I found that although it didn’t make a big difference to the cost of third party, putting the insurance under my dad and having myself as the main and youngest driver the cost was less. In the end I decided to go with RACQ, because even though it was slightly more expensive under my name, it allows me to use the free2go membership. While looking for insurance I discovered that while a person may be a good driver and their car in good condition, any modifications done to that car can have a great impact on businesses assisting them with insurance. Many companies will not insure a car with modifications or changes done to it at all.
You can see this in the estimates below from RACQ and AAMI and BUDGET. (Appendix 6 through to appendix 8)
After sales Support/Costs
After purchasing the car there are many factors that need to be looked at. The question is not just whether a person can afford a car but as to whether they can afford to keep a car running. RACQ membership is only free for one year, refuelling you car, maintenance and registrations never stop.
Registration in Queensland as stated on the website is $315.25. This is a yearly cost which needs to be taken into account. Fuel has been on average around 80c over the last few weeks, and cars usually need to be refuelled around once every week. RACQ membership as mentioned is only free for the first 12 months, after this it costs half price for the next two years. After this the regular price applies which can vary depending on the type of membership you chose. There are three RACQ levels, the ‘club care’ ‘plus care’ and ‘ultra care’. Prices do vary which can be seen attached labelled 9, with eligibility, local benefits and travel benefits. Regular maintenance costs and servicing charges can vary with each visit. They must be done regularly to make sure the engine is carefully looked after. For my car a estimate of about $130 for service charges is standard, this needs to be done about every 5000kms.
Unfortunately my car does not come with a warranty as it is an old car. However I do feel that due to my costing and the price of my car I can defiantly afford to buy and insure this car. With the left over money I can get registration and afford to fuel my car. Maintenance costs can be high so the left over money can also be put towards any expenses I may come across early on.
