Buying without an inspection

[MovieDude]

Do you think it is safe to buy without getting, say, RAC to check the car over if it is still under manufacturer's warranty and has less than average mileage?

[scotty1991]

Yeah, but take it for a test drive

[gareth_oau]

manufacturers warranty doesnt cover a damaged chassis from a crash?

clutch and brakes arent covered by manufacturers warranty.

get it inspected (and not by the RAC). its $100 well spent

[DionM]

Warranty doesn't cover abuse; only failures. Thus if the car has been abused or neglected by the previous owner, RAC inspection may pick that up; but a warranty won't fix it.

[POLARBEAR666]

i sold my 11 second subaru to a guy in eastern states and he bought it sight unseen. I just signed a sale agreement that said the car had all the mods listed below and was in good working order. He sent the cash direct deposit and I put the car on the car transporter with all the papers hidden under the carpet for him to pull out on the other side.

The thing is, that kind of transaction only worked cause he said he read all my posts on the subaru forum and could see that I had not mentioned any faults and that I was extremely stocked with the cars 400hp@wheels about 2 months before selling it due to going overseas for a year.

Also, I am totally honest and would not cheat someone out of an air freshener if I said it had one.

I would not buy a car sight unseen from someone else though as most people have a very loose sense of right and wrong.

[Maverick]

I wouldn't buy the car without a report from a specialist on that car.

There are so many ways that people can abuse cars that can affect the warranty that you want to make sure that you're not buying something that's been hacked to pieces by someone modding the car without spending any money.

If the car has had mods done correctly it's a different story.

[MovieDude]

I wouldn't buy the car without a report from a specialist on that car.

Who can give that kind of report?

[gareth_oau]

you havent specified what sort of car you are talking about.

if its a VAG, then get Brian from Quattro Motors in Vic Park

[MovieDude]

An R32. Will consider giving them a ring next week.

[tinto]

I believe it is well worth spending the inspection $ with Brian @ Quattros.

The RAC overlooked some fairly significant engine-related stuff on the Prado I bought, so I wouldn't use them for that purpose again.

[gareth_oau]

in case you havent considered it, perhaps spread your wings and look a bit further. I bought my S3 in Qld and had it inspected over ther, then freighted over.

Perth only represents around 10% of the market, and so picing can sometimes be at a premium. there's another 90% in the east waiting to be considered.

Cost of bringing a car over, for example is around $1400 from Qld to Perth

[MovieDude]

That's a good point though I didn't realise that Perth represented 10%! Other than car transportation costs there would be vehicle license registration too right?

[gareth_oau]

you have the rego cancelled over there, and the car brought over here unlicensed, then re-register from scatch here.

theres a few things like getting a 48 hour permit to drive it unregistered, and taking it over the pits.

But when it goes over the pits, you pay registration and stamp duty which is the same as if you bought a WA car and tranferred the license.

Total extra cost is maybe $200 at most, plus some of your time.

Also, if you are planning on doing it, take your car over the pits at Kelmscott, you can actually book a time and there are no rediculously long queues.

My S3 is modded with a louder exhaust etc. the whole process took around 20 minutes, and I got a nice big tick in the box from the inspector!

[MovieDude]

There would be an inspection fee too right?
If I were to ask for an expert to inspect the car I want to buy what is the process? Do I make an appointment to see the car with the expert or do I see it alone and arrange for the expert to come back with me if I like it enough to proceed? The latter leaves a window of opportunity for another buyer.

[gareth_oau]

when I brought my car over, my cost was $367.

that included:

permit to drive to the pits ($13)
pits inspection ($85)
12 months rego ($257)
2 x license plates ($12)

you will also need to pay stamp duty

http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/licensing/yourvehicle/1382.asp

which is roughly 5% of the vehicle cost, but you will need to pay this same amount whether its a WA vehicle or brought in from ES.

therefore, your total additional cost of buying a car from ES transport plus licensing, so allow around $1700.

This is potentially offset by perhaps getting a better, cheaper car from ES and definitely a bigger range to choose from.

Also note, you probably need to buy sight-unseen, and rely on an independent inspector's opinion (which i reliably did).

also, even if the ES car has many months rego left, you still must license here before you drive it, otherwise you dont have third party insurance in place. but you can return the ES plates to the ES licensing division and get a partial refund for unused registration.

buying ex east isnt for everyone, but i bought a forum-member's car, and I was highly confident I got a good one, and 18 months later, I still think i made an excellent choice.