Snowball2 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Ok so my partner & myself are moving to Townsville QLD in November. I have a job waiting for me but my partner hasn’t got anything lined up yet. She works in admin. Work are covering the cost of my shipping container. Initially I had planned to bring my car, but I’ve discovered that the model (Citroen C1) was never sold in Oz. I’m thinking it will be impossible to get parts or sell it on so have decided that I probably won’t take it. What are people’s opinions on this? If I don’t take the car, I’ll have to rent one for a couple of weeks then buy one asap. How easy/hard is this in terms of documentation/paperwork etc? Cars seem very expensive and I can only afford something 7-9 years old, whereas my current car is not even 3 years old with low mileage. Any advice/suggestions are welcome! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 45 minutes ago, Snowball2 said: Ok so my partner & myself are moving to Townsville QLD in November. I have a job waiting for me but my partner hasn’t got anything lined up yet. She works in admin. Work are covering the cost of my shipping container. Initially I had planned to bring my car, but I’ve discovered that the model (Citroen C1) was never sold in Oz. I’m thinking it will be impossible to get parts or sell it on so have decided that I probably won’t take it. What are people’s opinions on this? If I don’t take the car, I’ll have to rent one for a couple of weeks then buy one asap. How easy/hard is this in terms of documentation/paperwork etc? Cars seem very expensive and I can only afford something 7-9 years old, whereas my current car is not even 3 years old with low mileage. Any advice/suggestions are welcome! Thanks. Many places here refuse to service Citroen’s and I can understand why. Probably best to sell it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Snowball2 said: Ok so my partner & myself are moving to Townsville QLD in November. I have a job waiting for me but my partner hasn’t got anything lined up yet. She works in admin. Work are covering the cost of my shipping container. Initially I had planned to bring my car, but I’ve discovered that the model (Citroen C1) was never sold in Oz. I’m thinking it will be impossible to get parts or sell it on so have decided that I probably won’t take it. What are people’s opinions on this? If I don’t take the car, I’ll have to rent one for a couple of weeks then buy one asap. How easy/hard is this in terms of documentation/paperwork etc? Cars seem very expensive and I can only afford something 7-9 years old, whereas my current car is not even 3 years old with low mileage. Any advice/suggestions are welcome! Thanks. Cars seem to last longer in Oz, it’s quite usual to have cars that are several years old. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 It's very rare that it's worth taking the car, even one that's sold here. The costs of shipping and getting it approved for Australian roads are just too expensive. Buying a car is not difficult. The only thing I'd advise is not to take a lease, even if the rates are attractive. I'm sure you're planning to stay for the long term, but then all new arrivals are (otherwise they wouldn't get this far!), and yet every year, we see people having to head home before their car lease is up, and it's a nightmare to sort out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveandKirsty Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) Yes little point in bringing a car across - too expensive to consider on a number of levels, unless it is something rare or classic. Yes, purchasing a car is expensive in Australia (or rather, perhaps too cheap in the the UK?) but as noted above, vehicles appear to last longer in Australia and often have less km's on the clock too. Also as a tip, do not purchase a car via one of the car sale websites in Australia, which has become the thing to do in the UK a lot more. There are lot of hidden dangers with it all. There are various second hand car dealers in every town and just as with the UK and elsewhere, dealerships have trade ins for sale and those would be a first point of call, even if it is purchasing something to get you going. We don't intend on keeping our 2010 Mazda 2 and 2011 Ford Fiesta for very long but they are suiting as just fine for now. Edited August 18, 2019 by SteveandKirsty 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Second hand cars are more expensive here but many marques are cheaper new. New car prices are comparable especially the Asian brands like Hyundai, Toyota and Mazda. BMW, Audi are expensive. Not a lot of Citroen’s around. We did ship one of our cars, an Audi TT convertible which are hideously expensive here. Was worth it as we enjoy driving it. But we won’t make money on it. Mechanics laugh at the rusty underside, a result of a few bad winters in the UK! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliQ Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 9 hours ago, Snowball2 said: Ok so my partner & myself are moving to Townsville QLD in November. I have a job waiting for me but my partner hasn’t got anything lined up yet. She works in admin. Work are covering the cost of my shipping container. Initially I had planned to bring my car, but I’ve discovered that the model (Citroen C1) was never sold in Oz. I’m thinking it will be impossible to get parts or sell it on so have decided that I probably won’t take it. What are people’s opinions on this? If I don’t take the car, I’ll have to rent one for a couple of weeks then buy one asap. How easy/hard is this in terms of documentation/paperwork etc? Cars seem very expensive and I can only afford something 7-9 years old, whereas my current car is not even 3 years old with low mileage. Any advice/suggestions are welcome! Thanks. Having recently returned to the UK from Australia, cars here in the UK are super expensive compared to Australia, it’s quite a shock. When purchasing our new car here a couple of months back it nearly made me cry ! You will be pleasantly surprised at the cost of new cars in Australia, there are always deals on as well, you will have fun buying a new car over there ! Google new car dealers in Australia, you will see the prices and models available there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, Snowball2 said: I’ve discovered that the model (Citroen C1) was never sold in Oz. I’m thinking it will be impossible to get parts or sell it on so have decided that I probably won’t take it. What are people’s opinions on this? A wise decision. Parts for European models which are sold here can be very expensive and, for any model not sold here, you'll have to wait for a special order from overseas. (This from experience as the spouse of a dedicated Renault and Peugeot nerd...but he didn't like to make life easy. ) Edited August 18, 2019 by Skani 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowball2 Posted August 18, 2019 Author Share Posted August 18, 2019 Thanks very much everyone, really helpful. I’ll sell it here before I leave. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 32 minutes ago, Snowball2 said: Thanks very much everyone, really helpful. I’ll sell it here before I leave. Smart move. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safarichick Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Welcome to Townsville, we've been here nearly two years. We did bring our BMW over, cost us in the region of $8k then just over a year later part of Townsville flooded and along with our house, we lost two cars. If you buy private, please do your checks to make sure it has no finance on it etc and also look at getting contents insurance as soon as you have a house as you'll be arriving at the start of the wet season. A few people I know got caught out in the floods where they had no insurance and lost a lot. If you need any help, message away 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowball2 Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share Posted August 20, 2019 Thanks! I do have some questions about Townsville so I’ll message as soon as I’m able (think I’m restricted atm because I’m new). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 On 19/08/2019 at 12:31, safarichick said: Welcome to Townsville, we've been here nearly two years. We did bring our BMW over, cost us in the region of $8k then just over a year later part of Townsville flooded and along with our house, we lost two cars. If you buy private, please do your checks to make sure it has no finance on it etc and also look at getting contents insurance as soon as you have a house as you'll be arriving at the start of the wet season. A few people I know got caught out in the floods where they had no insurance and lost a lot. If you need any help, message away Sorry to hear the floods caught you out. Where in Townsville do you live? We had a house in West End. My son in Douglas and one in Annandale. Thankfully their houses were saved but the youngest decided to go out in his car of all things to help people the night the dam wall was opened and ended up stranded on the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Snowball2 said: Thanks! I do have some questions about Townsville so I’ll message as soon as I’m able (think I’m restricted atm because I’m new). @Snowball2 you need to have posted so many times before the pm system is enabled. This prevents people coming on to spam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safarichick Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 10 hours ago, The Pom Queen said: Sorry to hear the floods caught you out. Where in Townsville do you live? We had a house in West End. My son in Douglas and one in Annandale. Thankfully their houses were saved but the youngest decided to go out in his car of all things to help people the night the dam wall was opened and ended up stranded on the roof. Rosslea, on the golf course. Idalia got a battering also. How kind of your son to go and help others, even though he got caught up in it. Hope he was able to claim on insurance for his car. That night the dam gates open was horrendous, it was like a Tsunami effect. Our house would have just escaped with water in the garage I reckon if the gates hadn't been opened fully but hey ho after 4.5 stressful wait for insurance to finally settle on my builder's quote instead of the ridiculous quote the insurance builder put in, my house should be ready to move back into early October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 I like Townsville a lot. I've worked there lots of times, spent a brilliant day on a long weekend holiday on Magnetic Island. Hired a motorbike for the day and it's got to be one of the best kept secrets how nice it is. Good call not to bring the car. I would go for a second hand X-trail or equivalent. Bit of room and 4 wheel drive is always an advantage for a bit of off road or beach driving. I have a 2005 X-trail that's done 240,000 kms and it's still going strong. Don't be too worried about the age of vehicles here. No rust to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said: No rust to worry about. Wouldn’t be too sure on that I’ve seen plenty with rust damage especially where the stone chips hit on the bonnet. ‘Paint fading is another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 2 hours ago, Paul1Perth said: I like Townsville a lot. I've worked there lots of times, spent a brilliant day on a long weekend holiday on Magnetic Island. Hired a motorbike for the day and it's got to be one of the best kept secrets how nice it is. Never got over to Magnetic, regret it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 6 hours ago, safarichick said: Rosslea, on the golf course. Idalia got a battering also. How kind of your son to go and help others, even though he got caught up in it. Hope he was able to claim on insurance for his car. That night the dam gates open was horrendous, it was like a Tsunami effect. Our house would have just escaped with water in the garage I reckon if the gates hadn't been opened fully but hey ho after 4.5 stressful wait for insurance to finally settle on my builder's quote instead of the ridiculous quote the insurance builder put in, my house should be ready to move back into early October. Sorry to hear that, yes you will have been hit bad. Every time there is a natural disaster in FNQ tradies fly up from Brisbane or interstate with their inflated quotes to get the jobs. I hate it, to me they are vultures praying on the vulnerable. Their excuse is that the home owners doesn’t pay it’s the insurance companies. What they don’t realise is that building and contents insurance in somewhere like Cairns can be around $3,000 - $15,000 a year (that’s not a misprint). We got ours down to $3,000 I think it was but the excess was ridiculous off the top of my head I think it was $5,000. So with a lot of prices like that, a lot can’t afford insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 22 minutes ago, The Pom Queen said: Wouldn’t be too sure on that I’ve seen plenty with rust damage especially where the stone chips hit on the bonnet. ‘Paint fading is another. Paint fade and rust chips you can live with. I had cars in the UK that looked fine but if you lifted the mat up you would see the road. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 23 minutes ago, The Pom Queen said: Never got over to Magnetic, regret it now. It's great TPQ and pretty cheap and quick on the ferry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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