Which Car to Buy?

This is the stage where you have to make some serious decisions about what you need in a car.First priority is to work out how much room you need.Are you going to sleep in the vehicle?How many people will be doing the trip with you ?Remembering that if you have several people on the trip with you this can substantially reduce costs for everyone involved.If you are travelling for an extended period of time you will be carrying a substantial amount of gear,especially if you are camping.The next priority is whether or not fuel economy is important or not.A fuel efficient vehicle may be able to save you thousands of dollars in fuel costs.On the other hand you may be sharing the costs with others so the fuel costs will be less significant. If you are serious about touring in the most remote regions then you may entertain the thought of buying a four wheel drive vehicle.Buying a four wheel drive opens up a huge number of opportunities to visit areas rarely seen by all but the most intrepid travellers.Huge areas of Australia can only be accessed safely by four wheel drive so if you really want to see the country it is probably the only way to go.There are however numerous pitfalls to be overcome.Firstly there is the cost.Four wheel drives are more expensive to buy and operate.A reliable four wheel drive in good condition,suitable for serious off road driving could cost at least $6000.Vehicles going for much cheaper than this would probably not be up to the rigors of the outback.Good tyres cost at least $200 each and you will need at least two good spare tyres.It is not uncommon to get two flat tyres in a single day.This has happened to me twice!Four wheel drive vehicles are not known for there fuel efficiency,and off road can use 2 or 3 times the fuel of a normal car.If you are stuck in remote regions in the case of a breakdown or emergency you may be on your own so you need to be prepared and self reliant.Emergency help may be literally a thousand kilometres away.In remote areas you may not see other people for days.This means having a flying doctor high frequency radio and vehicle recovery gear such as winches,tow ropes as well as a first aid kit.

Another popular option for travellers are camper vans.A lot of people rent these for short periods of time but for the serious traveller renting over an extended period of time can work out very expensive.Many budget travellers choose to buy campervans and this can work out to be economical as it reduces the cost of accomadation.There are many types of campervans available in Australia, ranging from the Volkswagen Combi to the numerous types of Japanese manufactured vans like Toyotas and Nissans.Prices can vary from $2000 up depending on condition.

Since your going to the trouble of buying a car to travel in Australia I’II have to make the assumption that you are going to stay here and travel at least three months,and possibly more than 12 months.This poses are real challenge when you consider the quality of the road surface and the climatic extremes you will probably encounter.All this in a car your probably going to outlay $2500,and you don’t get much of a car for $2500. When speaking to some American tourists in Australia about travelling by car they invariably comment about how expensive cars are here.And yes, compared to the States you don’t get much of a car here for less than $5000.People from parts of Europe may however, differ in opinion. The same could be said about the cost of fuel.This however is more complex as the fuel prices in Australia tend to be quite volatile,as well as being subject to varying tax levels between the states.In remote areas you can expect to pay anything up to $1+ per litre,and in the major centres it may be between 60 cents and 80 cents depending on which state you are in.Diesel, whilst being a popular option for commercial vehicles,trucks and four wheel drives is not very popular for passenger vehicles as it is in Europe.L.P.G.(Liquid Petroleum Gas) is more popular for passenger vehicles, and especially taxis.Many cars with larger capacity engines use LPG as it offers considerable savings over petrol,being available for as little as 25 cents per litre in some cities,however as you move away from the major centres the savings deminish,as does the availability.LPG may not be available in remote areas and may not differ signifigantly with the price of petrol.Generally Queensland has the lowest taxes on fuel,even though the fuel comes from Bass Strait,Victoria.There are three types of petrol available in Australia. "Super" which is a high octane leaded fuel, "Unleaded" which is a lower octane rated fuel made for cars with catalytic converters.And "Premium Unleaded" which is a higher octane rated fuel suitable for performance cars fitted with catalytic converters.Laws introduced in June 1986 make it compulsory for all vehicles built or imported into Australia to run on unleaded fuel.Generally speaking cars built before this date run on Super grade fuel.Some earlier cars can run on unleaded but it is probably wise to avoid this,as there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that engine damage may occur.