Moving to Perth - Will need a car

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I hope you guys don't mind helping out a newbie. My brother's a petrolhead and posts on these forums, so I thought I'd join to ask some advice.

I've got a job in Perth, so me and the Mrs will be moving over from London next month. I'm not your typical PH poster as after 15 years of living in London I don't have a driving licence I do have my test on Monday and I'm in good shape, and I've got time for 2 more shots at it if I balls it up. I'm coming to Perth on a 457, so I understand I'll be able to use my UK licence without having to sit another Aussie test.

Being a new driver I know bugger all about cars and even less about the Aussie used car market, but I know I'm going to need a car. Unfortunately we've had to spend a load of cash renovating our house so we can rent it out, so I'm on a bit of a budget. I'll be looking for something reliable for about $5k and it has to be an auto. I've seen quite a few Japanese cars and Aussie cars in that price range, it seems as though the Japanese cars generally have a lot less km's on them. Has anyone got any tips for what type of car to look for? Any known duds etc?

Also I'd welcome any other advice on negotiating the Aussie used car market, what to look out for etc.

My bro's a car salesman for a company beginning with V, so naturally he's trying to steer me to leasing a new car from Holden I'm fairly sure that'll be an expensive option, as these used cars seem to hold their value. Also I'm not entirely sure that will be possible with no credit history and a UK licence, but I might be wrong.

Also does anyone have any recommended car rental places? We're going to have a temporary let in or around Nedlands, but we're going to need a rental car straight away to get around to view homes rentals as well as cars.

Lots of questions there and I'll appreciate any advice, and I'm looking forward to getting out to Aus

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Wow, loads of useful advice and suggestions here, cheers guys! Looks like there's plenty of options in our price range.

I'm hoping this isn't all academic, I was pretty confident about my test yesterday, but failed with 1 major (made someone slow down very slightly when I pulled out and did a left turn straight away after. I got impatient waiting for a gap in the traffic for ages, so did a bit of London driving ) and six minors I've got time for 2 more tests before we get on the plane and I've got one booked in for next Thursday.

I really hope I don't have to learn again in Aus, I'd rather not wait 6 months for a licence.

IF I pass we'll get a hire car for a bit and take our time finding our wheels.

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WeirdNeville said:

I have my WA licence despite being on a 457. No mention whatosever of P-plates, it's just a straight licence transfer. Perhaps it's because I've been driving for years. HOWEVER if you don't have your 2 years experience, I'd probably stick to driving on the UK licence! The P-plate restrictions are well worth avoiding, as are demerits on a WA licence. Points ar a fact of life here. Zero tolerance on speeding. Lots of tolerance on st driving though!

I'm around daytimes, and bored, so if you want showing around once you've landed, give me a bell and we can meet up if it suits you. I live cntrally and near the major car sales road in Perth. The road is lined with car garages and it gets cheaper the further South you go!

Bring an unlocked phone and buy a Vodafone SIM for $2 and put $30 credit on it, you're good to go.

Bring lots of UK-Aus Plug adaptors. Even better, bring 4 way UK plug boards, then bang an aussie plug on the end and you've got all your electrics good to go.


Anything else you need to know just ask. Happy to do on the ground research.

Edited by WeirdNeville on Monday 20th January 06:43

Thanks for all the help here Neville. That's a really kind offer, I'll get in touch when we land and buy you a cold one or two.

Yeah I won't have the 2 years experience required for an Aussie licence, if I have a licence at all! So it will be UK licence for 2 years, or take the Aussie tests, which I'd rather not do unless I have to.

I've already got a pile of UK plug boards ready to go. We're not bringing too much bulky stuff with us as we're storing a lot in our loft, we will have all our electronics though. Me and the wife already have unlocked phones so we're going to get some sims as soon as we land. I'm keeping my UK Three sim alive for a month or so, as data use in Aus is included in my plan.

We've finally got our flights and temp accommodation confirmed, so it's all getting a bit more real. We've tonnes and tonnes of stuff to do here before we leave, so I'm looking forward to getting on that plane for a bit of a break, even though I start work 5 days after we land.

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Bibbs said:

Wow. Made of money!

I've heard about the price of ale in Perth, and trust me that's not the reason we're going.

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MK4 Slowride said:

Get a Subaru wagon so you can go dogging.

I see that the family's found the thread I will not be setting foot in a Holden dealership.

WeirdNeville said:

Plus when you've just moved here and have nothing more to your name than an offer of employment and a passport with the stamp still dripping, you either get laughed out of the showroom or bent over the finance managers desk.

Any update OP? Got your UK licence yet??

I was just thinking... you'll need it in hand when you arrive to rent a car... And they take a while to come back from the DVLA.

Sorry for not updating, I've been mad busy. Just got the house in good shape to put on the rental market and my wife doesn't want a leaving party, so we're out every night saying goodbye to folks. Does anyone know any good AA meetings in Perth?

I thought I had a test last Thursday, but I got the dates muddled. It's now on Tuesday afternoon. The licence turnaround has been worrying me slightly. I'm going to have to get it sent over sharpish if/when it arrives. It's inconvenient, but not the end of the world, as I'm staying 5 mins walk away from where I'm working and there seems to be pretty good public transport round there.

WeirdNeville said:

I dunno, with the Aussie dollar tanking, we're almost down to London Prices.

This is brilliant timing for me I'm holding off transferring any cash until the last minute.

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I passed the test Hopefully DVLA will be quick with getting the licence out to me. I've got 13 days for it to arrive.

I'll go back over all the advice on cars on here when I get a minute that isn't filled with admin and handing over my job here.

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WeirdNeville said:

Good work! That must be a load off.

Hope the organisation goes smoothly, it's certainly frantic. Let us know when you land and come up for air!

It was a massive relieve and my license arrived a few days ago, so I'm all good to go

Our shipping crate arrives tomorrow morning and I've only just realised I need to do an inventory of all items in it That'll be an early start tomorrow AM.

We fly out tomorrow evening, and work have me doing a conference on Thursday. I'm going to be completely fked for that.

I'll let you know when we get a bit more sorted and maybe meet and discuss bangers etc!

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Pommygranite said:

Make sure anything with dirt on it gets cleaned before you pack it -shoes, golf clubs, Hoover etc. customs love charging for a good clean...

Cheers we're up to speed on all that. EVERYBODY I know watches some Aussie customs TV program that I've never seen, so London seems to be full of 'experts' on all this stuff!

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Thought I'd update as we've been here just under 2 weeks now. The Jet Lag was a killer, especially with working on the 2nd day and even more so when I combined it with giving up smoking, glad I did though as it seems that no-one smokes here and it'd be a massive hassle to go out for a cig at work.

Anyway, I've got stuck in at work, done a full week and we've found somewhere to live, we get the keys to a little house in Subiaco on Friday. Our temp accommodation is a bit rubbish, so I'm looking forward to it. We couldn't find a furnished place, so we're having to buy everything, I've been more or less living on Gumtree and getting to know Perth driving around to fetch bits and bobs.

Because of the extra spends on the house the car budget decreased to $3k I found out I have to drive for work, there are meetings all over the shop, so I was in a rush to get a car, but I've managed to get one of your Aussie gas guzzlers in the shape of a White 2004 Magna with 175k on the clock. It came with a service log book with regular services and real stamps in it and nothing obviously wrong with it. It's got a bit more grunt than I'm used to, and I reckon this thing is going to drink fuel like it's going out of fashion. I'm happy with it as I saw others more expensive than mine with all sorts obviously wrong with them. I reckon I got stiffed on insurance though. It needs a service now, does anyone know any good places near Subi or in or around town? Or shall I take it to the place it's been done at for ages?

Neville - Cheers for the recommendation of the Magna for that price range, it seems to be a buyers car, also cheers for the bayswater rental recommendation. I used them all last week, and those Corollas are good value for money. When we eventually get settled and I'm not spending every spare minute sorting st out I'll get you that beer.

My Mrs is dying in this weather, but it's not bothering me too much as most of the time I'm in an air-conditioned office. Looks like it's cooling down a bit at the weekend, which is good timing for us moving in.

Pommygranite said:

mapped said:

Cheers we're up to speed on all that. EVERYBODY I know watches some Aussie customs TV program that I've never seen, so London seems to be full of 'experts' on all this stuff!

I'm actually talking about the stuff you're shipping - fancy paying for a full clean for the whole consignment?!

I made sure everything was as clean as it could get. The only things I'm slightly worried about are a couple of rugs. Stuff arrives next month, so fingers crossed it'll be OK

EDIT - Oh and my Mrs just got that job she applied for in the UK, so we're all sorted for the big stuff

Edited by mapped on Wednesday 5th March 08:18