Buying a Car Interstate

The car you want is in another state. The seller will not hold it for three weeks. Here is the whole sequence, in the order that protects you.

Before you send any money

Non-negotiable checks

PPSR check. A few dollars. Tells you whether there is finance owing, whether it has been written off, and whether it is reported stolen. A car with money owing can be repossessed from you after you have paid for it.
Pre-purchase inspection. State motoring clubs and independent inspectors do these Australia-wide. It costs a fraction of what a bad purchase costs.
Verify the VIN on the car matches the paperwork and the PPSR result.
Confirm the seller owns it. Name on the registration should match the person you are paying.

Paying safely

Bank transfer to an account in the seller’s name. Not a third party, not a “family member’s” account.
Never pay a deposit to hold a car you have had no independent eyes on. This is the most common way people lose money in interstate purchases.
Be wary of any seller who will not do a video call showing the car and their face. It costs them nothing and it is the cheapest fraud filter available.

The transport condition report doubles as protection. When our driver collects, they photograph the vehicle in the seller’s driveway before it moves: a dated, third-party record by someone with no stake in the sale. If what arrives does not match what we photographed, you have documentation. Buyers regularly tell us this was the thing that let them commit.

The order to do it in

Agree the price subject to inspection
Run the PPSR check
Book the pre-purchase inspection
Pay, once both come back clean
Book transport. Give us the seller’s address and phone number, and we deal with them directly
Arrange your own comprehensive insurance from the date of purchase
On arrival, get the inspection your state requires and transfer registration

Registration and stamp duty

You pay stamp duty to your state, on the purchase price or market value. There is no penalty for having bought interstate. It is the same duty you would have paid buying locally.

The inspection requirement is set by your destination state and varies a lot: a NSW Blue Slip, a Victorian roadworthy, a Queensland safety certificate. Victoria’s is the toughest by a clear margin, so on an older car budget for the possibility of repair work.

If it does not run

Plenty of online purchases turn out to be less mobile than advertised. Not a problem. Tell us before the driver is dispatched and we send a truck set up to winch.

Before you send any money

Non-negotiable checks

Paying safely

The order to do it in

Registration and stamp duty

If it does not run

Find out what your move actually costs.