Anyone want to inspect a VR6 with me in Sydney on the weekend?

[Cuprageous]

Hey Pat, have you checked out the red colour concept on Carsales that's in Essendon? I realise he's asking a lot more than the Sydney car but it's done half the Ks, has VIC rego to Oct and appears to be immaculate. Any asking price is negotiable and I reckon you could bargain it down a lot, especially if you offer him cash (always a great motivator).

Weigh that up against the additional cost of 2 x flights to Syd (maybe twice), fuel etc costs for return drive then the hassle of needing to obtain a VIC RWC (without really knowing what your mechanic may require to be fixed) then front up to VicRoads with all the paperwork to arrange the VIC rego.

After you work both scenarios out I reckon you'd have the overall cost of the two cars being about $1000 apart in which case I'd be giving the VIC car the nod as it's simply far less hassle - you don't have to fly up being uncertain whether the car is still available by the time you get to see it, let alone whether you will buy it on the spot and drive it home, put a deposit on it and fly back home then fly back up "later" to THEN drive it home, see it and be disappointed in its condition so you don't buy it then fly home, etc, etc.....

My suggestion would be to see if you can get someone from here to go check the car out for you, take some detailed pics and get a proper look at the service history of the car, then email you back all the info so you can make a decision whether to make a play for it.

What I did recently was purchase a car from an auction house in Newcastle NSW (I'm in Melb) for my daughter but I had an acquaintance from another non-car forum go check it out for me with a mechanic mate. They gave it a good going over and told me it was a steal for the going price so we bought it. I arranged for him to pick it up and then meet us at the airport so we could drive it home, which was a great way to get to know the car, which has turned out to be a gem - it's been VIC registered for 2 weeks now and although the whole process was a hassle we ended up with a much better car than what was available locally.

Lastly, if you DO go ahead and buy the car from Sydney then drive it back, be aware that as a learner driver you can only travel at 80 km/h on NSW roads. This is a very grey and contentious issue but believe me when I say I looked into it thoroughly on both car forums and government websites and this is the conclusion I came to. If you want to know why ask me and I will let you know but for now I think my post is long enough.........

[Ben J]

If it has a good service history and you keep the maintance up chances are you wont have to fork out big to keep it going. Ive been running my vr6 making $70 a week, and have spent most of that on little mods (manage to scab fuel money from parents/friends ect when im taxiing them around which is like 80% of the time). If (well when i guess, you have to be ready for it) things break the actual parts for most of the things are actually pretty cheap (like heatercore is less then 50, timing chain kits are only a couple hundred, same with clutch), its the labour that will rape your wallet. Theres a lot of information out there about how to do practically anything to the vr6, some good detailed guides on timing chains ect, so really if your willing to get stuck in, spend some hours swearing and trying to figure out wtf youve done wrong and learn a heap about your car, you can fix most of the common problems up pretty cheaply. Dont let the horror stories put you off. Do learn from peoples mistakes though (eg, if timing chains are reallly bad, dont keep driving till it slips and destroys valves ect)

I got my VR6 from Sydney aswell, id recommend printing out a few adds and taking a look at a couple if you can, incase the one you're really interested turns out to be a no go. I guess NSW->QLD is a bit further then to VIC and we spent a weekend there and did a couple other things aswell, but came home with a completely different vr6 to the one i had basically planned on getting (it was sold days before our flights where booked...)

Good luck!

[patmould93]

Hey Pat, have you checked out the red colour concept on Carsales that's in Essendon? I realise he's asking a lot more than the Sydney car but it's done half the Ks, has VIC rego to Oct and appears to be immaculate. Any asking price is negotiable and I reckon you could bargain it down a lot, especially if you offer him cash (always a great motivator).

Weigh that up against the additional cost of 2 x flights to Syd (maybe twice), fuel etc costs for return drive then the hassle of needing to obtain a VIC RWC (without really knowing what your mechanic may require to be fixed) then front up to VicRoads with all the paperwork to arrange the VIC rego.

After you work both scenarios out I reckon you'd have the overall cost of the two cars being about $1000 apart in which case I'd be giving the VIC car the nod as it's simply far less hassle - you don't have to fly up being uncertain whether the car is still available by the time you get to see it, let alone whether you will buy it on the spot and drive it home, put a deposit on it and fly back home then fly back up "later" to THEN drive it home, see it and be disappointed in its condition so you don't buy it then fly home, etc, etc.....

My suggestion would be to see if you can get someone from here to go check the car out for you, take some detailed pics and get a proper look at the service history of the car, then email you back all the info so you can make a decision whether to make a play for it.

What I did recently was purchase a car from an auction house in Newcastle NSW (I'm in Melb) for my daughter but I had an acquaintance from another non-car forum go check it out for me with a mechanic mate. They gave it a good going over and told me it was a steal for the going price so we bought it. I arranged for him to pick it up and then meet us at the airport so we could drive it home, which was a great way to get to know the car, which has turned out to be a gem - it's been VIC registered for 2 weeks now and although the whole process was a hassle we ended up with a much better car than what was available locally.

Lastly, if you DO go ahead and buy the car from Sydney then drive it back, be aware that as a learner driver you can only travel at 80 km/h on NSW roads. This is a very grey and contentious issue but believe me when I say I looked into it thoroughly on both car forums and government websites and this is the conclusion I came to. If you want to know why ask me and I will let you know but for now I think my post is long enough.........

Hey,

Yeah I've had a look, but it is 10 grand. I've managed to get Mum to pay for the flight up and if we drive it down, fuel on the way back, so it'll only be costing $6500 plus the 30 bucks to transfer rego and whatever it is to get number plates. This will rape my bank account but I should cash in at my 18th in June so I should be able to afford any repairs or whatever.

I've already booked the flights anyway so I might as well go and have a look. I'm not going to be driving it much at all until I'm 18 and at that stage I will have enough money if anything breaks.

The 80kmh thing is ridiculous but I'll probably get Mum to drive it most of the way out of NSW anyway if we get it.

Thanks for the advice I'll take that on board.

Also, I see you're in Croydon, do you ever see anyone running around at Springfield Reserve on Mt Dandenong Rd in gridiron pads and helmets? haha I play there a fair bit

[patmould93]

I'll reply to the other ones after school... lunch just finished

[patmould93]

No worries.

Well if you don't, you can always find me on here (: and that would be muchly appreciated!
Mostly want to get a VR to show up my mates. One has a 1986 VL Calais and the other a '97 Nissan Bluebird SSS and I want to give them a run for their money (:<

yeah you'd want to be showing them up, especially the VL calais... Is the calais dumped on 22 inch chrome rims? haha

If it has a good service history and you keep the maintance up chances are you wont have to fork out big to keep it going. Ive been running my vr6 making $70 a week, and have spent most of that on little mods (manage to scab fuel money from parents/friends ect when im taxiing them around which is like 80% of the time). If (well when i guess, you have to be ready for it) things break the actual parts for most of the things are actually pretty cheap (like heatercore is less then 50, timing chain kits are only a couple hundred, same with clutch), its the labour that will rape your wallet. Theres a lot of information out there about how to do practically anything to the vr6, some good detailed guides on timing chains ect, so really if your willing to get stuck in, spend some hours swearing and trying to figure out wtf youve done wrong and learn a heap about your car, you can fix most of the common problems up pretty cheaply. Dont let the horror stories put you off. Do learn from peoples mistakes though (eg, if timing chains are reallly bad, dont keep driving till it slips and destroys valves ect)

I got my VR6 from Sydney aswell, id recommend printing out a few adds and taking a look at a couple if you can, incase the one you're really interested turns out to be a no go. I guess NSW->QLD is a bit further then to VIC and we spent a weekend there and did a couple other things aswell, but came home with a completely different vr6 to the one i had basically planned on getting (it was sold days before our flights where booked...)

Good luck!

Thanks man,

Yeah I don't know how confident I'd be at doing all that myself, I'd probably be pretty **** but if worst comes to worst and I run out of money then that might be the go, I've got a few contacts and my best mate and his dad have a ridiculous amount of tools and stuff. You bought yours when it had done just under 100,000km from memory yeah? I just don't know how common it is for the clutch and timing chain job to be done around 150,000km, but thats what cicca was saying happened to his one when he bought it within a few months.

[cicca_294]

I just don't know how common it is for the clutch and timing chain job to be done around 150,000km, but thats what cicca was saying happened to his one when he bought it within a few months.

what i said was when the clutch goes, you'd be crazy not to do the chains and other stuff, and thats where the money comes into it

[patmould93]

what i said was when the clutch goes, you'd be crazy not to do the chains and other stuff, and thats where the money comes into it

hahaha yeah that's what I meant... So what did you end up having to do from when you bought yours until now just out of interest? Oh well I'm just going to go look at it anyway, if it seems all good there then I'll get it, if not I won't, and if I have to cop the clutch/timing chain combo and if I have no money, looks like I'll be borrowing a terrible looking, terrible to drive base model late 2001 corolla wagon with hubcaps from my parents for a while until I get the money at least it's a low budget solution

[drucejnr]

yeah you'd want to be showing them up, especially the VL calais... Is the calais dumped on 22 inch chrome rims? haha

Bahahaha, I wish mate! He bought it about 4 months ago but has only installed a new muffler/exhaust last week but it sounds awesome! He's going to be doing some engine mods very soon (swapping the piston heads to RB25's from RB30's for "better compression") but we reckon it'll be a waste cause it'll feel pretty much the same.

plus, the VR being 120kg lighter and having 14 more kilowatts, I'd smash the thing.

[patmould93]

sounds like one of those guys ohhh commodore drivers...

[drucejnr]

can I just ask, you say you might not purchase the VR6... is the price the issue?
Like, I know it's the Colour Concept edition but imo, I really don't think paying 6500$ for it is a deal. That's pretty pricey. I'd offer him no more than 6k...

[patmould93]

Nah the price isn't really, I mean, it's right up the top of my budget but the bloke has owned it for 10 years, heater core replaced, only done 151,000km and he seems really legit, car looks very clean, and of course the colour concept is amazing . At the same time I've got my mum coming along who is really good at negotiating so we'll see what happens, but I think 6.5 pretty good. Anyway I'm not going to reply for a while because I should be doing homework, oh I can't wait until year 12 is over...

[drucejnr]

Haha, I know exactly what you mean! Just finished with my English tutor. Half yearly essay on thursday!
Can't wait till it's all over!

[Cuprageous]

Hey,

Yeah I've had a look, but it is 10 grand. I've managed to get Mum to pay for the flight up and if we drive it down, fuel on the way back, so it'll only be costing $6500 plus the 30 bucks to transfer rego and whatever it is to get number plates. This will rape my bank account but I should cash in at my 18th in June so I should be able to afford any repairs or whatever.

Dude, you'll be up for a LOT more than $30!!!!! Here's the process (and costs) involved in buying a NSW vehicle and getting it registered in VIC:

1/ Ensure you get paperwork showing the person selling the car is the owner. An old rego renewal is fine.

2/ They may provide a "pink slip", which is not required as it is only relevant in NSW, but ensure they provide you with a receipt of sale as VicRoads need this

3/ Buy that REVS Certificate to prevent repossession if there is money owning on the vehicle

4/ Drive car back home

5/ Get Victorian RWC - costs varies but is about 1 hour labour plus the required repairs, so say $100 minumum.

6/ Make an appointment with VicRoads for inspection - you need to go to a VicRoads centre and take all the paperwork mentioned above as well as the NSW number plates, confirm with the person you speak with when you phone to book.
Costs will be as follows:

TAC Charge and Rego about $624
Plate fee of $30.60 or $90.60 if you want slimline plates
Motor Vehicle Duty ($8 per $200 vehicle value or part thereof) of $264.

So all up you'll be spending just under $920 at VicRoads.
Stamp Duty((yeap, sometimes you wont even need to bring the car in, all you have to bring is the paper-work, RWC, plates, sticker. just ask the person on the phone)

7/ Hand over NSW plates to VicRoads and get a pink "Number Plates Receipt" from them.

8/ Post a COPY of the receipt to the NSW RTA to get a pro rata refund for the outstanding NSW rego. THe will post back a cheque - I have no idea exactly WHAT they refund as I'm still waiting for mine to come back.

I'm not wanting to burst your bubble, but this is stuff you need to know so you go in with both eyes open rather than get a nasty surprise at the end of it when the car ends up costing $1500 or so more than the purchase price.

With VicRoads, make sure you call them up ASAP after getting the RWC to book an appointment - I had to wait 2 weeks for a date/time that suited me where I fully expected it would only be a couple of days.

Feel free to ask me any other questions regarding the process as it's still pretty fresh in my mind and it may help others as well.

[Cuprageous]

Nah the price isn't really, I mean, it's right up the top of my budget but the bloke has owned it for 10 years, heater core replaced, only done 151,000km and he seems really legit, car looks very clean, and of course the colour concept is amazing . At the same time I've got my mum coming along who is really good at negotiating so we'll see what happens, but I think 6.5 pretty good....

I agree with Druce - don't pay anywhere near $6500. I don't know of anyone who advertises a car for the exact price they want, nearly everyone inflates it because they expect to be bargained down. Regardless of the situation I reckon you could get it for around $5500 - just don't tell him you've from VIC and give him a lowball offer and say you have cash to buy the car right away. A big wad of bank notes often has a strange effect on the seller......

As with any purchase that is a decent sum of money, keep emotion out of it and most importantly be prepared to WALK AWAY. Make sure you give him your phone number first "just in case he changes his mind" but certainly get in your car and drive away.

Private car sales are nearly always a buyers game because it's a major hassle trying to sell, so the seller may be easily swayed by the lure of a quick cash sale......

[patmould93]

Dude, you'll be up for a LOT more than $30!!!!! Here's the process (and costs) involved in buying a NSW vehicle and getting it registered in VIC:

1/ Ensure you get paperwork showing the person selling the car is the owner. An old rego renewal is fine.

2/ They may provide a "pink slip", which is not required as it is only relevant in NSW, but ensure they provide you with a receipt of sale as VicRoads need this

3/ Buy that REVS Certificate to prevent repossession if there is money owning on the vehicle

4/ Drive car back home

5/ Get Victorian RWC - costs varies but is about 1 hour labour plus the required repairs, so say $100 minumum.

6/ Make an appointment with VicRoads for inspection - you need to go to a VicRoads centre and take all the paperwork mentioned above as well as the NSW number plates, confirm with the person you speak with when you phone to book.
Costs will be as follows:

TAC Charge and Rego about $624
Plate fee of $30.60 or $90.60 if you want slimline plates
Motor Vehicle Duty ($8 per $200 vehicle value or part thereof) of $264.

So all up you'll be spending just under $920 at VicRoads.
Stamp Duty((yeap, sometimes you wont even need to bring the car in, all you have to bring is the paper-work, RWC, plates, sticker. just ask the person on the phone)

7/ Hand over NSW plates to VicRoads and get a pink "Number Plates Receipt" from them.

8/ Post a COPY of the receipt to the NSW RTA to get a pro rata refund for the outstanding NSW rego. THe will post back a cheque - I have no idea exactly WHAT they refund as I'm still waiting for mine to come back.

I'm not wanting to burst your bubble, but this is stuff you need to know so you go in with both eyes open rather than get a nasty surprise at the end of it when the car ends up costing $1500 or so more than the purchase price.

With VicRoads, make sure you call them up ASAP after getting the RWC to book an appointment - I had to wait 2 weeks for a date/time that suited me where I fully expected it would only be a couple of days.

Feel free to ask me any other questions regarding the process as it's still pretty fresh in my mind and it may help others as well.

Hang on,

I called yesterday vicroads and they said there's just a $32 transfer of registration, and anyway if I do have to pay the $624 of rego, this guy has it registered in NSW until March 2012, a full year. I'm assuming that the refund would be similar to the rego cost here but I don't really know. And yeah I forgot to mention the stamp duty and plates. The guy has a RWC in NSW (for what that's worth... not a whole lot I hear, but it gives an idea that not much has to be fixed at all, if anything).

Waiting the two weeks for the RWC shouldn't be too bad for me though because I've still got to wait 3 months until I get my P's. So if you take into account the refund (which I don't know how much is worth but I'm assuming it's a decent amount considering a full years worth of rego), then it doesn't look so bad.

I agree with Druce - don't pay anywhere near $6500. I don't know of anyone who advertises a car for the exact price they want, nearly everyone inflates it because they expect to be bargained down. Regardless of the situation I reckon you could get it for around $5500 - just don't tell him you've from VIC and give him a lowball offer and say you have cash to buy the car right away. A big wad of bank notes often has a strange effect on the seller......

As with any purchase that is a decent sum of money, keep emotion out of it and most importantly be prepared to WALK AWAY. Make sure you give him your phone number first "just in case he changes his mind" but certainly get in your car and drive away.

Private car sales are nearly always a buyers game because it's a major hassle trying to sell, so the seller may be easily swayed by the lure of a quick cash sale......

That's really interesting actually... Mum is really good with that kind of stuff so I'm sure she'll help me out, but we'll give the negotiating a shot. I'm surprised about the whole wad of cash thing!

Really grateful for the advice and I'd be happy to hear of any other techniques get that price down.