Buying used car advice for new drivers – tips from Sydneycars Here is our buying used car advice for anybody looking for a different car. Regardless if you are considering buying brand new or used this guide will be useful. It will have loads of links and useful tips to help you find the best car for your needs. A little background information on Sydneycars. We have been buying and selling cars and campervans here in Australia for thirty years. We have a wealth of knowledge, and our friendly team is always here to help answer your questions about buying a used car in Sydney. Contact the team today at 0421101021 and we are happy to help. Buying used car advice Top tips on buying a car in NSW One of the first places we suggest for buying used car advice is to visit the official NSW Government site. They have many useful tips and advice on buying a car in NSW. Once you have finished reading this page, you will have a good idea of the best practices when buying a used car. You can call the Sydneycars team on 0421101021 for advice and helpful tips. We are specialists in selling used cars for first-time drivers and those under twenty-five. No question is too silly or small to answer. We are here to help answer your buying used car advice questions online, by phone or at our used car depot in Sydney. Advice before buying a used car Before you even start thinking about getting a new vehicle, it is worth doing some background reading. If you are going to buy from a motor dealer, what do I need to know for example? Here are some key points for buying used car advice you will find handy to know. Check a motor dealer licence If you are thinking of buying a car from a motor dealer, here is a really good buying used car advice tip we recommend. Make sure you check they have a current motor dealer’s licence in NSW online. It is really easy to do the check and it should be the first thing you do when thinking of buying from a dealer. All you need to do the online check is the following information: Licensee Name Business Name Trading Name Licence Number Vehicle Registration Number ABN/ACN Once you have this information, then it is easy to check online. All you have to do is click on this link here Check a motor dealer licence and it will take you to the official site. Once you enter their details it will give you the following information. This way you can check if they are a legitimate motor dealer licence operator in NSW. Sydneycars Motor Dealers Licence in NSW Here is the link to the licence check for Sydneycars. Once you click on the link you will be able to read and check all the information. When you do this, you can get an idea if they are a good trader and if their licence is actually valid or expired! Below are the main points of the licence for you to check: Is the motor vehicle licence valid (will say either current or expired) Start date End date Licence number Trading name Business address Association – who is the director Compliance notes Compensation Fund Claims – has anybody claimed against the company! Condition (tip – you want to see/read “no conditions” here) Buying used car advice; call Shaun at 0421101021 for friendly advice and tips Check the vehicle registration Here is a top tip when you are looking to buy a used car advice. Always check the vehicle registration! This step is an absolute no-brainer, and we strongly recommend that anyone buying a used car in NSW must check the vehicle’s registration. One positive thing to note is the NSW government has made it easy to do online. You can check a vehicle’s official registration details online; it is also free! Below is a list of the information NSW will supply you when you apply for free vehicle registration: the registration expiry date whether the registration is suspended or cancelled any registration restrictions any registration concessions (additional charges that might apply when transferred to a new owner) the Compulsory Third Party insurer and policy expiry date. Has the car been written off in the past? Another useful buying used car advice tip is to check if the vehicle has been written off. You can get additional information about any vehicle you consider buying for a small fee. This information could save you thousands of wasted dollars and will answer questions such as: Has the vehicle been written off anywhere in Australia since 2004? Is the car or vehicle stolen? The number plate of the vehicle reported stolen if the engine registration number has been reported stolen The vehicle’s past use – has it ever been registered as a taxi Date of the vehicle’s first registration date in NSW Thinking of buying from a private seller? Check this link on the Personal Property Securities Register website to find out if there is any finance owing on the vehicle you are thinking of buying. To check registration, enter the NSW registration plate Yes, paying for these extra checks costs money, but it will save you thousands of dollars if you find out the car is stolen you are trying to buy! Here is the link to check a vehicle’s official NSW Registration check for a vehicle. Does the vehicle have any outstanding finance on it? When you think about buying a car, you need to do a couple of essential checks. One helpful advice on buying a used car is to check for any outstanding finance on the vehicle. You can check the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). This database is a national online register and will tell you if there is any outstanding finance on the vehicle. Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) We have all heard the stories of people buying a nightmare-used car! Therefore, by using a service such as PPRS, you can quickly check if the vehicle you’re buying is recorded as debt-free, stolen or written off. The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) enables you to search for any outstanding finance or security interests in personal property such as cars, boats or artworks. The Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) administers the PPSR. An official PPSR check will tell you all the information you need to avoid buying a used car with money owing on the vehicle. This buying used car advice can help avoid the risks of buying a used car. This is a must-do check if you are thinking about buying from a private seller. Note a licenced car dealer will have already done this check for you. When you do a PPSR online search, it will tell you if the car you’re about to buy has a “security interest recorded against it”. What does a “security interest” mean? If it says the car or vehicle has a “security interest” on the vehicle, then the car could have money owing on it. If this is the case, then the vehicle could be repossessed from you even though you’ve paid for it in full! Useful links about buying a used car advice These are more useful links for buying used car advice here in NSW. Note that this page is a work-in-process document at the moment and over the coming weeks, we will add more helpful information. Here are some useful links to read up about buying used car advice here in NSW. Order a vehicle history report Report suspected odometer tampering Check the Personal Property Securities Register Check prohibited vehicles for provisional P1 and P2 drivers Check prohibited vehicles for provisional P1 and P2 drivers When you are learning to drive or thinking about buying a used car, then images of Ferraris and Mercedes may come to mind! However, as a learner driver in Australia, you are restricted to what kind of vehicles you can legally drive on the roads. In NSW, both P1 and P2 provisional licence holders are officially banned from driving high-performance vehicles. You might be asking what is considered a high-powered vehicle. Below are the official requirements for P1 and P2 provisional licence holders. You must not have a vehicle that has the following attributes: Power to tare mass ratio of greater than 130 kW per tonne Modified engines that need to be approved by an engineer Any other vehicles that are classified as high performance. Engines with eight or more Cylinders Not allowed to drive turbocharged or supercharged engines (excluding diesel vehicles) Notes about P1 and P2 licence holders All P1 provisional licence holders after 4 September 2010 must not drive a high-powered vehicle if they are under twenty-five years old. Here is a definition of a high-powered vehicle, including engines of eight or more cylinders. In addition to this, vehicles with turbocharged or supercharged engines (excluding diesel-powered vehicles) can not be driven. Any vehicle that has been modified to increase engine performance is banned as well. This is not allowed if your vehicle has a high power-to-weight ratio. Note that if you are older than twenty-five years, then these restrictions do not apply. However, for buying a used car, advice for a new learner to have a very high-powered vehicle as your first car is not a great idea! It’s easy for a P1 or P2 provisional licence holder to check if you’re allowed to drive a certain vehicle. There is a simple online form, and you can check this online using the NSW vehicle checker. If you are unsure about P1 or P2 plates and what used car you can buy, contact Sydneycars. We are here to offer advice and help you make the right choice without making a costly mistake. Vehicle inspection and insurance advice The second part of this buying used car advice page is all about vehicle inspections and insurance advice. You are welcome to call the team on 0421101021 for more information. Let’s now turn our attention to eSafety checks, which used to be known as Pink Slips. eSafety checks (pink slips) – what are they? This question about what exactly an eSafety or Pink Slip is always comes up. Many people contact the Sydneycars team asking for advice on buying a used car, and they always mention what an eSafety check is. An eSafety Check (Pink Slip) verifies vehicle is safe for the road An eSafety inspection (also known as a Pink Slip) is a document that accesses your vehicle and checks to ensure it is safe and ready for the road. Most vehicles older than five years will need eSafety inspection Most light vehicles older than five years will now require an eSafety (pink Slip) check before registering the vehicle in NSW. Once your vehicle has passed the eSafety (Pink Slip) inspection, the mechanic at an authorised centre will send the report to “Transport for NSW” automatically. Vehicle fails eSafety (Pink Slip) – you have 14 days to repair faults Unfortunately, if your car or vehicle fails the eSafety (Pink Slip) inspection, you will be officially issued a “Repairs Needed Report”. The report will state you have fourteen (14) days to fix all the repairs. If you have not repaired the problems after fourteen (14) days, the report will expire. You will need to pay for a completely new eSafety (Pink Slip) test again. If the vehicle fails, a follow-up check is required If your vehicle fails the eSafety (Pink Slip) check and you fix all the problems in the report, you can move to the next stage. Once all repairs are fixed, a follow-up check will need to be booked in. Tip – return to the same eSafety check station = no charge Here is one great buying used car advice to do with eSafety (Pink Slips) failures. If you return to the same eSafety (Pink Slip) station that initially failed the vehicle, they will not charge you for the re-test. Notes: Trailers that weigh less than 251 kilograms and caravans with a tare weight of less than 411kg do not require an eSafety check. For more information, check the NSW website’s eSafety (Pink Slips) official page. Authorised unregistered vehicle inspections (known as a blue slip) A “Blue Slip” is the name for an Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection report. The Blue Slip will confirm that an unregistered vehicle is classified as safe and complies with the design and identity standards in the state of NSW. All unregistered vehicles need a Blue Slip before they can be registered. You will need a “blue slip inspection if your light vehicle is unregistered. This Blue Slip must be booked before registering the vehicle in NSW. Here is a list of the situations when you will need to get a “Blue Slip” before being able to register a vehicle in NSW: Car is originally from overseas and imported into NSW Registration expired more than three months ago Vehicle purchased or has interstate plates and now needs registering in NSW Any vehicle that has no number plates will need a “Blue Slip” Vehicle written-off, but now has been repaired and will need to be approved for re-registration Significant changes to the vehicle that need amendments to the registration records because something major has changed, such as a new engine Problems vehicles with defect notices issued and thus will need repairing before being able to be registered “Blue Slip” sent automatically to Transport for NSW When you take your vehicle for an Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection (Blue Slip), the garage will send the report to Transport for NSW. It will be held on file and valid for forty-two (42) days. Note: All Customers must bring the original hard copy of the Authorised Unregistered Inspection (Blue Slip) report to register their vehicle when visiting the service centre. Useful links about vehicle inspections and insurance Here are some useful links about vehicle inspections and insurance to read up on. Authorised unregistered vehicle inspections (blue slips) Find an authorised safety check/inspection station Vehicle Identification Inspection Unit (VIIU) Book a VIIU inspection for a written-off vehicle Modified and non-standard vehicle inspections Find a VSCCS or VSCCS J&P licensed certifier Use the Green Slip Price Check Registering your vehicle Submit a notice of disposal for a vehicle Use the vehicle registration calculator Check motor vehicle stamp duty Register a brand new vehicle Transfer a vehicle registration Register an interstate vehicle Register a Special Mobility Vehicle Apply to register a personally imported vehicle Apply for an apprentice vehicle registration rebate On the road Getting a NSW driver licence NSW Road Rules Sign up for an Online Services (myRTA.com) account Check fuel prices Report a fuel price mismatch Sydney Motorways toll calculator Open an E-Toll Account Change the vehicle details on an E-Toll Account Apply for an ERider pass Apply for a number plate Order a personalised or custom number plates Change the details of your vehicle Change the details on a vehicle’s registration Check a motor vehicle repairer licence Related links and documents Below are some more related links and documents for anybody looking for buying used car advice online. Buying a car – ASIC Car insurance for young drivers ASIC’s MoneySmart Cars app Buyer’s guide to used car safety ratings 2018-19 – PDF Car buyers guide – PDF NOTE: All these links are from reputable sources such as the NSW official government website. If, however, the information on their site is out of date or incorrect, then Sydneycars disclaims all responsibility and all liability. This will include, without limitation, liability in negligence for all expenses, losses, damages, and costs you might incur due to the information being inaccurate or incomplete. Contact Sydneycars for more advice or ask a question The Sydneycars webpage has a lot of information about buying used car advice. Therefore, if you are unsure about anything or want us to answer any questions about buying a used car in Sydney, contact Sydneycars at 0421101021. Our team is here to answer any questions you have. You are welcome to visit our depot and test drive some of our fantastic used cars for sale in Sydney.