2500 miles in a car I just bought, in another country ..
Poll: 2500 miles in a car I just bought, in another country ..
Total Members Polled: 61
Discussion
So earlier this year one of my nephews was getting married and asked if he could use my classic car for his wedding. It hadn’t run in over a decade and the wedding was 200 miles away but ignoring these minor issues and the 35 PHers who declared me insane for trying (THREAD HERE) , the old girl made it to Devon and back in one piece and looked fabulous at the wedding.
But I have more than one nephew and another one is getting married next year in Adelaide, I’ve never visited my brother and his family in Oz but I have loudly declared on many occasions that when his younger son gets married, I will be there. So I’m fairly committed
.
So the plan was set that I would fly over with my Mum who has done the trip a few times but at 85 would like some company and we would spend a couple weeks with the Adelaide family and enjoy the wedding.
This is where it started to go astray.
We were looking at the direct flights from Heathrow to Perth as an easy way to do the trip, once in Australia it is just a short 3-4 hour hop over to Adelaide on a connecting flight!
But this isn’t a trip I’m likely to do often so I would like to see a bit of the real country and a plan was hatched that’s as cunning as a koala
.
Why not fly into Perth and boot Mum on a plane to Adelaide where my brother can pick her up and then I spend a couple of weeks doing a road trip? Passing through the wine regions of WA, and then along the southern coast, through the Nullarbor Wilderness Reserve and then on to the scenic Eyre Peninsula and finally to Adelaide in time see the clan and enjoy the wedding.
Doesn’t look as bad when you draw it on a map like that, until you put something familiar for a sense of scale
It’s a total of about 2100 miles so I reckon on about 2500 by the time I’ve done a bit of time running round Adelaide once I get there.
So the obvious way of doing it is to hire a car, I would need it for around a month and there would of course be a fee for dropping it off, but that still looked like a no-brainer. Until I realised the costs
.
Something AWD would be ideal but certainly an SUV of some kind for comfort is the preference, there’s plenty available but they are coming in at $6000 or more like $7500 with proper insurance and breakdown cover so roughly £4k to rent a f
king car 
.
Obviously this leads me to the inevitable joke that I want to rent the damn thing, not buy it, and that led me to Autotrader.com.au………..
There’s so many options!
Cheap n cheerful -
https://www.autotrader.com.au/car/15242236/hyundai...
Or 3.6L of flat 6 Subaru goodness……..
https://www.autotrader.com.au/car/15078422/subaru/...
and many many more!
I’ve had a look at insurance and with breakdown cover it looks like less than $100 for a month, I would have to register it to a WA address which should be ok as I have (yet another) nephew in Perth that I was going to drop in on for a night anyway, I could then re-register it in SA at my brothers address and leave it for him to flog after I leave
.
Effectively I would have 24 hours to land in Perth, buy a car and make it legal but there seems to be a chunk of choices available, it would be a 15 year old with six figures on the clock but that just means it’s well run in doesn’t it?
.
So place your votes gents, am I crazy or is this exactly how roadtrips should be adventured?
TLDR: I’m considering flying to Australia, buying a car when I land, then driving it 2000 miles to my destination.
But I have more than one nephew and another one is getting married next year in Adelaide, I’ve never visited my brother and his family in Oz but I have loudly declared on many occasions that when his younger son gets married, I will be there. So I’m fairly committed
.So the plan was set that I would fly over with my Mum who has done the trip a few times but at 85 would like some company and we would spend a couple weeks with the Adelaide family and enjoy the wedding.
This is where it started to go astray.
We were looking at the direct flights from Heathrow to Perth as an easy way to do the trip, once in Australia it is just a short 3-4 hour hop over to Adelaide on a connecting flight!
But this isn’t a trip I’m likely to do often so I would like to see a bit of the real country and a plan was hatched that’s as cunning as a koala
. Why not fly into Perth and boot Mum on a plane to Adelaide where my brother can pick her up and then I spend a couple of weeks doing a road trip? Passing through the wine regions of WA, and then along the southern coast, through the Nullarbor Wilderness Reserve and then on to the scenic Eyre Peninsula and finally to Adelaide in time see the clan and enjoy the wedding.
Doesn’t look as bad when you draw it on a map like that, until you put something familiar for a sense of scale
It’s a total of about 2100 miles so I reckon on about 2500 by the time I’ve done a bit of time running round Adelaide once I get there.
So the obvious way of doing it is to hire a car, I would need it for around a month and there would of course be a fee for dropping it off, but that still looked like a no-brainer. Until I realised the costs
.Something AWD would be ideal but certainly an SUV of some kind for comfort is the preference, there’s plenty available but they are coming in at $6000 or more like $7500 with proper insurance and breakdown cover so roughly £4k to rent a f
king car .Obviously this leads me to the inevitable joke that I want to rent the damn thing, not buy it, and that led me to Autotrader.com.au………..
There’s so many options!
Cheap n cheerful -
https://www.autotrader.com.au/car/15242236/hyundai...
Or 3.6L of flat 6 Subaru goodness……..
https://www.autotrader.com.au/car/15078422/subaru/...
and many many more!
I’ve had a look at insurance and with breakdown cover it looks like less than $100 for a month, I would have to register it to a WA address which should be ok as I have (yet another) nephew in Perth that I was going to drop in on for a night anyway, I could then re-register it in SA at my brothers address and leave it for him to flog after I leave
.Effectively I would have 24 hours to land in Perth, buy a car and make it legal but there seems to be a chunk of choices available, it would be a 15 year old with six figures on the clock but that just means it’s well run in doesn’t it?
.So place your votes gents, am I crazy or is this exactly how roadtrips should be adventured?
TLDR: I’m considering flying to Australia, buying a car when I land, then driving it 2000 miles to my destination.
- Mods, if you could leave this in here as general car interest thing for a day or two please before moving it over to the travel section that would be great
I like the idea of an adventure.
I'd want to check carefully and run it by some knowledgeable locals the legality of car ownership, registration, tax and insurance in (the relevant states in) Oz, because the motoring police over there aren't known for their sense of humour (just ask Sir Lewis).
I'd likely be looking for something Japanese for reliablity, or perhaps a local market only Holden or Ford for serviceability. Someone on here had an LS-powered wagon that sounded quite fun. Look for something with a half-decent history and accept that it'll be an adventure. Your route is by the coast, so less risk than crossing the outback.
Bottom line, if the legal side is clear then yeah, sounds fun.
Do you need to own the car? Wouldn't it be easier for an Aussie resident to buy, own and insure the car?
Also couldn't an aussie resident buy the car in advance, so it could be tested a bit?
But either way, its not something id do. Done big roadtrips, never considered buying a car for it. Had a car for 5 weeks / 5000 miles round USA, cost £900 if I remember correctly, with all the perks of a new car with breakdown cover.
Also couldn't an aussie resident buy the car in advance, so it could be tested a bit?
But either way, its not something id do. Done big roadtrips, never considered buying a car for it. Had a car for 5 weeks / 5000 miles round USA, cost £900 if I remember correctly, with all the perks of a new car with breakdown cover.
Legalities look very simple, surprisingly. Definitely thinking Japanese/Korean.
No real benefit to having a local own it and I would want to take a look at it first, no harm in getting the Perth nephew to take a look first though if possible
If I could do it on rental for £900 weeks wouldn’t be having this conversation
Would love to ship the car over and it should be one of the Adelaide nephews that ends up with it to keep it in the family, but trusting it for that many miles is a stretch even for my automotive sense of adventure and there may be a few UK trips to do yet before I’m ready to hand it over!
Jeremy, great choice of car for the task
No real benefit to having a local own it and I would want to take a look at it first, no harm in getting the Perth nephew to take a look first though if possible
If I could do it on rental for £900 weeks wouldn’t be having this conversation
Would love to ship the car over and it should be one of the Adelaide nephews that ends up with it to keep it in the family, but trusting it for that many miles is a stretch even for my automotive sense of adventure and there may be a few UK trips to do yet before I’m ready to hand it over!
Jeremy, great choice of car for the task
Totally gets my vote.
My son has just returned from a year allegedly studying in Tasmania.
While he was there he bought a 15 year old Hyundai Accident (I think that’s how you spell it) for 4 thousand Aussie dollars, which is roughly £2k. OZ$700 for a year’s insurance for a 21 year old.
He had me on the phone while he held it next to the running motor and walked me round the car before he bought it - which was a pretty long distance review!
He put nearly 15k miles on it in that year - Taz is bigger than I thought in that it’s about 400 miles by 200miles, and he was off surfing, diving, skiing, rock climbing, etc all over the place across the whole year.
He also fitted in a car ferry trip across to Adelaide and then up the coast to Brisbane during their summer. He spent a month or so doing a bit of bar work/ door duty in a bar in Sydney while staying with cousins and a month in NZ spending his wages.
Anyway, it ran flawlessly, despite him not opening the bonnet after he bought it, he sold it on for 3.5k to a new incoming international student after his year so a grand “hire” cost of 500 Oz $ plus two tyres and a lot of petrol. Not bad.
My son has just returned from a year allegedly studying in Tasmania.
While he was there he bought a 15 year old Hyundai Accident (I think that’s how you spell it) for 4 thousand Aussie dollars, which is roughly £2k. OZ$700 for a year’s insurance for a 21 year old.
He had me on the phone while he held it next to the running motor and walked me round the car before he bought it - which was a pretty long distance review!
He put nearly 15k miles on it in that year - Taz is bigger than I thought in that it’s about 400 miles by 200miles, and he was off surfing, diving, skiing, rock climbing, etc all over the place across the whole year.
He also fitted in a car ferry trip across to Adelaide and then up the coast to Brisbane during their summer. He spent a month or so doing a bit of bar work/ door duty in a bar in Sydney while staying with cousins and a month in NZ spending his wages.
Anyway, it ran flawlessly, despite him not opening the bonnet after he bought it, he sold it on for 3.5k to a new incoming international student after his year so a grand “hire” cost of 500 Oz $ plus two tyres and a lot of petrol. Not bad.
Steve H said:
Would love to ship the car over and it should be one of the Adelaide nephews that ends up with it to keep it in the family, but trusting it for that many miles is a stretch even for my automotive sense of adventure and there may be a few UK trips to do yet before I m ready to hand it over!
You're just making excuses now!! (Joking, ish, obviously. But it would be cool. And ship it home. AI suggests roro costs are <£2k...)
Buy an Outback 3.6 and you won't go wrong. Very smooth and comfortable for cruising a long and will cope with any dirt tracks or unsealed roads you are likely to encounter with ease. They are very reliable and in the unlikely event that something goes wrong they are so common over there that parts and knowledgeable people will be easy to find.
We did a 3,000km, 4 week road trip in ours down the east coast, along the bottom to Adelaide then across the outback back to Brisbane. That incuded cutting in to the Blue Mountains and down to Canberra in the snow which was a bit surreal as we had been in summer clothes in Brisbane only a week earlier.
Just do it. You'll have a fantastic time.
We did a 3,000km, 4 week road trip in ours down the east coast, along the bottom to Adelaide then across the outback back to Brisbane. That incuded cutting in to the Blue Mountains and down to Canberra in the snow which was a bit surreal as we had been in summer clothes in Brisbane only a week earlier.
Just do it. You'll have a fantastic time.
Carsales is a better site than Autotrader
Something typically Australian would be the way to go - Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon for a real Aussie experience.
I have the same plan btw - but I live here and would be buying something I want to keep.
Something typically Australian would be the way to go - Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon for a real Aussie experience.
I have the same plan btw - but I live here and would be buying something I want to keep.
Edited by Jader1973 on Thursday 13th August 21:53
Edited by Jader1973 on Thursday 13th August 21:54
WA is a bit of a strange place with regards to the prices of second-hand vehicles. Anything which is not a total commodity is firmly in the "I know what I've got" territory. Especially on "formal" internet sources like Autotrader or Carsales. I'd look on Facebook marketplace.
I'd probably look at a Ford Fairlane or Holden Statesman for that type of trip as they're built for it. They're very much cheaper than the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore as they're for a more mature audience. You'll get effortless wafting and ice cold air conditioning to boot. They'll use a bit of juice around town but once you're on the highway they are pretty economical.
Alternately, something small and Japanese like a Honda Jazz. Bring noise-cancelling headphones as the road noise on the highway will be deafening....
I'd probably look at a Ford Fairlane or Holden Statesman for that type of trip as they're built for it. They're very much cheaper than the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore as they're for a more mature audience. You'll get effortless wafting and ice cold air conditioning to boot. They'll use a bit of juice around town but once you're on the highway they are pretty economical.
Alternately, something small and Japanese like a Honda Jazz. Bring noise-cancelling headphones as the road noise on the highway will be deafening....
Edited by rodericb on Friday 14th August 00:25
I’ll take a look at Carsales, thanks. Probably would avoid FB as I will be fairly time limited on the purchase so ideally I’d like to get on the plane with a handful of prospects lined up and contact made to check that they are ready to drive away in. I think the best way of doing that is going to be with car lots rather than private sales.
A Holden would be great, another aussie experience, I’ll take a look at that
Definitely won’t be a Jazz, I’m looking for a bit of barge comfort one way or another!
Does anyone know if prices vary a lot state to state?
A Holden would be great, another aussie experience, I’ll take a look at that
Definitely won’t be a Jazz, I’m looking for a bit of barge comfort one way or another!
Does anyone know if prices vary a lot state to state?
Rob’s LWB suggestion is a good idea…however given it’s a once in a lifetime trip, and you should go full Aussie, I’d suggest a Ute (which is LWB). For example:
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2008-hold...
Being a Holden you wouldn’t lose much, if anything on it.
No need to re-reg it in SA, just cancel the WA reg and sell it unregistered. Re-reg would mean an MOT (a RWC here) which could cost money.
I did a trip from Melbourne to Brisbane and back earlier this year. This thread might provide some idea of what to expect https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Don’t rush it, take plenty of breaks, and try and avoid driving at night so you avoid Skippy.
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2008-hold...
Being a Holden you wouldn’t lose much, if anything on it.
No need to re-reg it in SA, just cancel the WA reg and sell it unregistered. Re-reg would mean an MOT (a RWC here) which could cost money.
I did a trip from Melbourne to Brisbane and back earlier this year. This thread might provide some idea of what to expect https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Don’t rush it, take plenty of breaks, and try and avoid driving at night so you avoid Skippy.
After reading the other "standing 2 decades 400m" thread Steve H all the best with your searching but like others have said Jap/Korean gets my vote too for the reliability alone 
............... however my heart says something V8 powered Chevy LS etc but thats just me being daft I presume rot wont be an issue either then?
............... however my heart says something V8 powered Chevy LS etc but thats just me being daft I presume rot wont be an issue either then? Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff