Finding a Car

Some form of private transport is pretty much a necessity in Canberra, because for a city of only 300,000, it is extraordinarily spread out. For some hardy souls, bicycles are the way to go - and there is a superb network of bicycle paths. But most people will want some sort of car.

The range of cars here is pretty much the same as in the rest of the World (though the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon are very Australian - family size six-cylinder cars are a big part of the market here). You probably won't find anything registerable for under about $2,000 - and that will be a twenty year old klunker. At the other end, the sky's the limit - but for many overseas students, you may find that the same model costs around 20% more here than at home. You can get some idea of the range of prices by looking at the Canberra Times motoring section

Registration and compulsory "third party" insurance will work out around $500 per year, but you'll probably want to add in "comprehensive" insurance that will cover damage to your own and others' cars. Maintenance costs are probably similar to costs in your homeland. Petrol currently is around 80c/litre; a popular alternative here is liquified petroleum gas, which is only 33c/litre, but if the car doesn't have this option, it costs around $2,000 to fit.

If you are going to buy a car, you should seriously consider joining the National Roads and Motorists Association (the local equivalent of the AA or AAA)

There are a number of sources of cars:

Commercial dealers - who are required, in most circumstances, to offer a warranty
There are usually 3 or 4 pages of ads for cars in the Saturday Canberra Times (see above) - a private purchase is likely to work out cheaper, but you won't get a warranty on the car
An unusual option in Canberra is the government car auctions, which dispose of the government car fleet when the cars reach the age, around 2-3 years, where the government no longer wants them. The prices are usually good - after all, this is where many of the dealers get their cars from. But you need to know exactly what you're looking for, and what the right price is; it's only of use if you're looking for a relatively new car; and you get no warranty.

And one other point: if you're buying a car, do consult the Register of Encumbered Vehicles (REVS) service - there's a small charge, but you then get a guarantee that you won't suffer a loss if the vehicle turns out to be legally encumbered in some way.

Email: gradstud@cs.adfa.edu.au

19/11/1996