Buying a car in Australia.

You used to go into the office on the relevant state and do the transfer.
It's been years so you can probably do it on line now
Different states have different rules regarding roadworthyness and annual testing. WA and SA didn't used to have any form of roadworthyness check before registration.

Checking insurance costs might be an idea first - everywhere I've had the same crazy idea, the cost of insurance, having no insurance history in that country, has been eye-wateringly expensive!

There are insurance companies who insure cars for backpackers. That will cost around 50 AUD per month. The mandatory insurance comes with the green slip (REGO).


I know Australia is quite a large country. But this time we'll be going mainly for Summernats. And then whilst being there, have a little roadtrip to the Bathurst motor museum, mount panorama and getting a glimpse of the Targa Tasmanië route. It's all just down the road!

From New Zealand, Australia is the big Island to the West.

I need a memory upgrade!

Would love a VN Commodore or a BA falcon.
But it's just what I come up with. As long as it's Australian made.

QLD is probably the easiest for rego.
Our RWC is pretty lax, and once you've got one, as long as you keep it paid on time, you never need another!
Pretty sure all other states require a check every year like a MoT.
Rego renewals can be done online, but owner transfer and new rego will need to be done in person at the Transport Department.
Owner transfer comes with a set fee to keep Karen in a job, plus a percentage of the total sale cost of the car, so get your friend to sell it to you for a smaller amount on paper if you can.
Rego for a 6 or 8 cylinder car is about $980 a year in QLD. You can do half years, and I think they've broken it down to quarterly now too.
If you're buying a registered car they will need to provide a roadworthy as part of the transfer, which somewhat removes the issue that cars never get checked over here.


Couldn't really answer on insurance as I've never had to check for that sort of situation, but you could probably see what you're in for just filling in the estimate forms on Suncorp, RACQ, AAMI, etc.

Can't really answer for other states, but sounds like you'll be mostly stuck in NSW anyway.

FYI, registered and insured in any state will allow you to drive wherever, in case you were wondering.

I know of a yellow BA XR6 turbo sedan that's about to be re-registered, but I'm not sure if the plan is to drive it for a while, and I think the previous owner has first buy back rights.

Personally I don't think he'll drive it much, as his mildly modded FG G6ET is way more fun haha.

You should be able to, I used to buy a vehicle in Victoria get an unregistered vehicle permit in the Vic roads office and be off to register it in Mount Gambier, South Aus the same day.

Be aware in NSW you also have to pay a percentage of whatever the car cost to RMT within 2 weeks of buying it.

Pretty sure in WA the car needs an inspection when you buy it but nothing else after that if you keep it registered.