In reality if you don’t want to spend a fortune on rental cars, this should be one task to cross off the list as soon as possible. You might be surprised but the average waiting time for new cars across all makes and models in Australia stands at 32 days. New models that are ‘ex-stock’ are becoming increasingly rare and with lead times approaching 9 months for certain mainstream models from Europe, it’s important to be aware that you’ll probably either have to accept a waiting period like this or at the very least compromise on certain aspects of your wish-list to get a car that’s in stock.

At Private Fleet, time and time again we hear stories of how new residents from overseas, having arrived in Australia and settled in or a couple of weeks, they then decide they are ready to go car shopping. After a couple of weekends test-driving and haggling at car yards, the decision is finally made and they agree to place a deposit down and order that car. Trouble is, it’s only then, that the actual car waiting period start. This means that some people have therefore been forced to hire a car for 8 weeks and more before taking possession of their new vehicle. Eight weeks for a decent family car can add up to several thousand dollars in rental fees – dead money.

The solution? Order the car well in advance – before you even arrive! That’s right – this is guaranteed to save you serious money even before you start to think about negotiating. Plus it means one less thing to worry about in the first weeks in your new country.

So how do you do this? Simply, follow these guidelines

1. Research available cars in Australia. Read our new car reviews and visit the major car websites for inspiration (eg Drive and MYNRMA). Don’t be afraid to try brands that you may not necessarily be familiar with if they come well recommended by Australian drivers.
2. Test-drive. No, you don’t need to fly over to test-drive but you should be able to find something close to equivalent in your country of origin. Remember to check name variations so you can work out your Holdens from your GM’s, Vauxhalls and Opels!
3. Organise pricing and delivery. Contacting car dealers from the area in which you plan to live could be an option but don’t be too disappointed if email after email goes unanswered. “Old school’ car dealers generally prefer to negotiate face to face rather than phone or email – let alone when you’re in another country! Of course, this is where Private Fleet can help.
4. Order. To order a vehicle, it should be as simple as a deposit on your credit card (you generally should not have to pay the full amount until delivery). This should secure the order and the pricing, then you’ll need to follow up with certain ID documents to effect registration (no, you don’t need an Australian licence to register a new car). Private Fleet can assist with this as well.
5. Delivery. This should be as close to your arrival date as possible to minimize money wasted on rental vehicles. In the past, we’ve even delivered client’s cars to the airport!

Remember, if this all seems too hard, please feel free to get in touch and have a ‘local’ wokring for you to take care of everything.