There are several reasons why you may be looking at buying a car from interstate - it could be cheaper than purchasing locally or you could be after a very specific vehicle that you've found out of town. But after you have made the purchase, how do you get your car to you? And what things should you consider when buying a car from interstate?

Buying a Car from Interstate

The most important thing when buying a car from interstate is to ensure that the car is in good working condition and that you have bought it off a reputable company or person. 

It can be worrying to purchase a car without seeing it first but the good news is that if you are buying from a used-car dealership, the law states that the dealership must provide a three-month/5000km warranty as long as the car you’re buying has less than 160,000km on the odometer and is less than 10 years old. 

If you are buying a new car interstate, it also may be worth the effort to contact a local dealership to see if they can match the price.

If you are buying a car interstate through an auction or through a private sale, it's always a good idea to either inspect the car first or get someone to do an inspection on your behalf. Make sure that it's not stolen through the Personal Property Securities Register.

There are also inspection services that you can use. They will inspect the car on your behalf, generally for around the $300 mark. Check companies like the NRMA in NSW and ACT, the RACV in Victoria, RACQ in Queensland. 

Costs of Buying a Car from Interstate 

• Purchase Price
• Rego Fees
• Sales Tax
• Inspection and Emissions Testings
• Insurance 
• Transport Fees  
• Travel Costs (if you plan on picking up the car yourself) 

How to Transport a Car from Interstate

Once you've confirmed that all is well and have handled the vehicle rego and insurance, it's time to decide how you'll get your car from A to B. You generally have three options here:

You can drive it home yourself. This may require you to fly to the car's location, take a taxi or Uber to the dealership and then drive in your new car and head home. If this is the case, you'll need to factor in things like flight costs, taxi fees and accomodation and fuel if you've got a long drive ahead of you.

You can hire someone to drive it for you. There are people who can do the drive for you but you will need to be aware of factors like insurance and paying for their accomodation, fuel and time.  

You can use a car transport company. Car transport is probably one of the more affordable options, especially if you need to ship your car a long distance. Driving from Cairns to Melbourne, for example, is going to set you back at least $500 in fuel (most likely more) and you'll also need to consider toll fees along the way. The drive will take you anywhere from 3 to 5 days so you'll also need accomodation and food during this time, as well as the cost to fly to the car in the first place. It can all add up. 

Using a car transport company means that your car is picked up from the dealership, placed on a truck (either in an open or enclosed transport), secured and driven to your destination. As the owner of the car, you don't need to worry about paying for fuel, insurance or anything else. The car transport will provide you with a quote for pickup and delivery and that's all you need to pay. 

If you are going this route when buying a car from interstate, take the time to compare car transport companies first. Best Rated Transport is a free online comparison platform so you can compare car transport across Australia, whether you need car transport from VIC to NSW, car transport from WA to VIC, car transport from QLD to VIC or any other location. Best Rated Transport also specialises in regional and remote car transport as well as multiple car transport requirements. 

Start your quote now (it's free to compare) and find your best rate from a trusted car transport company in Australia.