Buying Used Skyline

[prabir]

Hey guys, I recently moved to Canberra from overseas. I'm interested in buying a skyline, been searching online for the past few days. I was wondering if you guys could help me out by telling me the process of buying a used car. Such as insurance, registration and such. What is the procedure like? Thanks!

[Helious]

Hello Prabir and welcome to SAU...and Australia for that matter.

The procedure for buying a used car usually goes alot quicker if you have all the money on hand. Also know that just because it might look clean and detail on the outside and inside doesnt mean its in good condition. In most cases it would be best to pay for the car you are interested in to have a fuel check over. The best step on buying a used car is not to rush it, and its better to spend a little on mechanical reports then buying a car only to find you have to pay more money for repairs.

[prabir]

Thanks for all the information Helious!

Could someone give me more info on where I might find these mechanics to inspect the car. Is this the equivalent of the Road Worthy Certificate? Also, what are the steps I have to undergo to purchase the car? Do i purchase the car first, then settle the insurance and registration?

[W1ngnut]

NRMA have a mechanical inspection that you can get done, and no, it is different to the road worthy certificate. A road worthy certificate is required to be able to register the car on Australian roads, and this is achieved by booking into an approved inspection station listed on the Canberra's Motor Registry website. If the car you are looking at is interstate, you will need to go over Dickson's Motor Registry station for an identity check. If the car is modified, you will have to go over Dickson's Motor Registry station for this as well.

As for steps, if you find a car that you like, the first thing most people will do is get the VIN number from the car. They then use this number for whats known as a REVS check, this will check whether the car is still owing any monies to a bank due to an unpaid car loan etc, as once you buy a car that is under finance, you also have to then pay the finance company. The next step is to agree on a price with the person, and get your money sorted. When you are ready to pick up the car, you call an insurance agency like NRMA or AAMI etc that will give you a cover note, which basically gives you insurance on the car without paying upfront until the car is in your name (but you will pay from the day it started once it is in your name). In the ACT, you have 14 days to get the car into your name, in other words, 14 days to get your roadworthy certificate and head to a Government Shopfront to get your rego papers.

[Shell]

All the info you need is here : http://www.rego.act.gov.au/registrations/regomain.htm

How old are you? I dont know if you are aware but insurance in Aust for skylines can be very expensive and most insurance companies won't even insure them... you have to use someone such as Just Cars or Shannons. It can be thousands of dollars so you might want to look into that before you go through with the purchase of a car

[Helious]

The problem with road worthy inspections is that they can sometimes miss or not detect certain problems that a full mechanic inspection will discover. If the owner says they will get a road worthy certificate for you, tell then to send it to a specific place/business, eg. NRMA, so you dont get a dodgy WRC from one of the owners friends.

Please use the link that Shell has provided as this does have all the information you will need and more.