Buying used car advice for new drivers – tips from Sydneycars Here is our buying used car advice for anybody looking to get a different car. Regardless if you are thinking about buying brand new or used this guide will come in handy. 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 the last 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. Top tips and advice 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 loads of useful top 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 the age of twenty-five. No question is too silly or small to answer. We are here to help answer your buying use car advice questions online, 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) Check the vehicle registration Here is a top tip when you are looking for buying used car advice. Always check the vehicle registration! This step is an absolute no-brainer and we strongly recommend anything buying a used car in NSW needs to check the registration of the vehicle. 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 and it is free as well! 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. For a small fee, you can get additional information about any vehicle you are thinking of buying. This information could save you thousands of wasted dollars and will answer questions such as: Has the vehicle has 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 past use – has it ever been registered as a taxi Date of the vehicle 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 NSW registration plate Yes, it does cost money to pay for these extra checks, but will save you thousands of dollars if you find out the car is actually stolen you are trying to buy! Here is the link to check the official NSW Registration check for a vehicle. Does the vehicle have any outstanding finance on it? When you are thinking about buying a car, there are a couple of essential checks you need to do. One useful bit of buying used car advice is to check if there is any outstanding finance on the vehicle. You can do this by checking 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 involved in 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 More useful links for anybody looking for buying used car advice here in NSW. Note, this page is a work in process document at the moment and over the coming weeks, we will add more useful information. For now, 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 here in Australia, you are restricted to what kind of vehicles you can legally drive on the roads. In NSW both P1 provisional licence holders 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 and this includes 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. If your vehicle has a high power-to-weight ratio this is not allowed either. Note, if you are older than twenty-five years, then these restrictions do not apply. However in terms of buying use car advice for a new learner having 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 of anything about P1 or P2 plates and what used car you can buy, then contact Sydneycars. We are here to offer advice and help you might the right choice without making a costly mistake. Vehicle inspection and insurance advice This second of this buying used car advice page is all about vehicle inspections and insurance advice. You are more than 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 is an eSafety or Pink Slip is one that always comes up. We get many people contacting the Sydneycars team asking for buying used car advice, 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 The majority of 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 the fourteen (14) day period, then the report will expire. At this point, 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 has failed the eSafety (Pink Slip) check and you fix all the problems listed 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 eSafety (Pink Slips) official page on the NSW website. More 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 is out of date or incorrect on their site, then Sydneycars disclaims all responsibility and all liability. This will include without limitation, liability in negligence for all expenses, losses, damages and costs which you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way. Contact Sydneycars for more advice or ask a question There is a lot of information on this webpage about buying used car advice. Therefore if you are not sure about anything or want us to answer any questions about buying a used car in Sydney, then contact Sydneycars on 0421101021. Our team is here to answer any questions you have. You are more than welcome to pop down to our depot and test drive some of our fantastic used cars for sale at our depot in Sydney.