Get a lift
Planet Carpool
Drive your own
Buy and sell backpacker cars at HolidayCarClub.com
backpacker cars in australia
no offer for you in the ride board? need a car? here some advice for car buyers about cheap cars!
older cars (10 years and more) in australia are quite cheap, and of course you are more flexible with a car than with planes, buses or public transport. if you buy a van, 4WD or a larger 2WD you can spend the night in your car without to set up a tent or pay money for a hostel or caravan park, or try to find more people for your trip and share costs for petrol, food and driving. on the other hand, a car can be quite expensive sometimes, for example if you need a tow in the middle of nowhere, some repairs or have to extend your rego. registration ("rego") is the australian state government tax allowing you to drive on the roads, each state having differing costs - in the region of $600-$800 annually. check out the australian government website about registration & licences for more detailed information about this topic.
its a good idea to buy a car only if you not travel alone, otherwise all this costs may be to expensive for a single traveler.
places to buy your car:
worst place to buy a car in australia is sydney, just because everything is more expensive in sydney than somewhere else :) also, most cars in sydney come with a new south wales rego, which is the most expensive rego you can get in australia.
most travelers prefer a western australia rego because its easy to extend via internet and the cheapest rego in australia. its also a good point to mention if you want to sell your car later. thats why you should go to perth, prices for used cars are much cheaper than anywhere else and you have a wide range of cars. you can check out hostel notice boards, classifieds, try some used car dealers or visit the fremantle car market every weekend. take care if you buy a car private, because you dont get any warranty in this case! its a good idea to pay a car mechanic 30,-$ so that he can check it before you decide to buy it.
find the right car for you
you can buy a station wagon, that has plenty of room for two people and uses less fuel than a campervan. ford falcons are quite common and not a bad choice at all. the engines are 3.9 liter, 6 cylinder ('89 EA), capable of easily cruising at 100km/h, up to a top speed of 180km/h and beyond with a 5-speed manual (illegal at most states :) ). air conditioning and automatic transmissions are most common, but manuals are also available. manual transmission is of course more economical, but some automatics have cruise control which is an advantage if you drive long distances. spare parts are in abundance, quite cheap to buy and they are easy to work on. try to get a EB if you can, the most EA engine leak oil, or at least more than engines in EB or later models.
if you travel a lot its a good idea to buy a car witch can also run on lpg (fill up your car for only 30,-$), even if its more expensive when you buy it.
vans offer more space, sometimes even enough to life in for a few weeks if you can get a campervan.
a 4WD id the most expensive choice, but gives you the freedom to explore and break down in the middle of nowhere. most 4wds need more fuel than station wagons and spare parts are also more expensive, but you can explore almost every national park - some parks only have dirt roads, which you should avoid with most station wagons or vans.
car thefts and petrol sniffers
more than 80.000 cars are stolen each year in australia. it dosnt happens only to expensive cars, backpacker cars are also on top of the list because there is often some useful stuff inside, and they can sell it very cheap to other travelers. it dosnt matters if you lock you car or not, thefts normally just smash the window to get in, or just drive against the next tree and sniff the petrol. see also NRMA Car theft ratings for more information.
please note that you get nothing from your basic third party insurance if you car is stolen or damaged by fire or accidents, but you can buy an extra car insurance for this case.
its a good idea to buy a car with an immobilizer, take out the battery if you leave the car outside or ask a car mechanic which relays you have to pull out to disable the ignition. big cities and northern territory is a very hot area for car thefts, so try to use "secure parking" places in this areas, even if it is quite expensive. never leave any important stuff (flight tickets, mp3 player, camera etc.) in your car! buy a steering wheel lock bar and ALWAYS use it!
here is some basic advice to secure your car.
the other natural enemies of your car are kangaroos and wallabies. you cant see them during the day, but they all come out around dusk and dawn, so dont drive at night and be very careful in the early morning. you can get a tow bar fitted for about 200,-$ at most cars.
travellers auto barn
i meet 8 people with a car from travellers autobarn in australia, but i couldnt find anyone who would buy a car again from this company. use your favorite search engine to find some customer comments. here is a backpacker forum with a topic about Travellers Auto Barn, but you will find more if you look around a bit.
see also Buying A Used Car for more info.
