Pete Burke, the owner and founder of Traveller's Auto Barn, shares his extensive knowledge and experience about driving in Australia and making the most of your road trip.
There are a
1000 guidebooks dedicated to driving around Australia, but most, if not all,
are written for people with big budgets who are planning an extended tour around
Australia in a big expensive 4WD, or some kind of large motor home or RV.
However, this
guide assumes that you are on a very limited budget, are a first time visitor
to Australia,
and may not even own a car in your home country. That being said, attempting to
drive around Australia
in an old Ford Falcon or some clapped out old campervan is definitely a
challenge. So, I’ve provided a few
pointers that may keep you (and your wallet) safe.
In this first installment of the roadtrip tip series, I will explore the different vehicle
options available to roadtrippers and how to choose the right wheels for your
trip. We will also explore budgeting for your vehicle, reselling, and driving
expectations.
Choosing the Right Car
Small manual
diesel cars are very popular in Europe…but, if that’s what you are looking for
in Australia,
you are…WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Why are small manual cars popular in Europe? Because taxes are very high on larger cars,
because fuel is very expensive, and because the streets are very narrow…
But, you are in
Australia
now. There is no significant tax difference between an old 4 cylinder car and a
large 6 cylinder car. Fuel is approx ½ the price that it is in Europe and there
is plenty of wide open space in Australia.
The result? BIG cars are popular.
My advice? Buy a car suited to the journey ahead. So, what is the journey ahead?
- Are you a couple lazily cruising the East Coast? If you answered
yes, then buying a van would be an acceptable risk.
- Are you 3 mates travelling either the East or West
Coast and the Red Centre?
Go for an
Aussie made 6 cylinder wagon.
- Do you want to go off-roading on Fraser Island? Rent a 4WD for
the week.
Let me break it
down for you.
Wagons, Vans and 4WDs
4WD’s
Do you need a
4WD to drive around Australia?
To get to Uluru (Ayer’s Rock)? To make it to Kakadu? My answer? You don’t need
one, and you won’t want one. A single tyre for a 4WD costs about $200 as well
as the fuel consumption being much higher compared with a wagon or van. Oh, and
if it breaks down, not to worry, just give the mechanic your left leg as
payment.
That being
said, driving a 4WD around Australia
is FANTASTIC fun. When a 4WD is your chosen method of transport, you will need
a bigger budget, more extensive research, and a bit thicker skin…as there may
be times when you ask yourself ‘what have I done!?’.
My advice for
first timers? In those places where a 4WD would be brilliant (such as Fraser Island,
Cape York, Uluru, Broome) - rent one for a few
days. Like I’ve always said: go mental, it’s a rental!
So, that leaves
two choices for your great Aussie roadtrip (assuming you’ve opted to keep your
left leg): a van or a wagon. Let’s compare your options.
Vans
- Come in a multitude of differing
makes and models
- Have smaller engines
- Nearly always have high kms (note: 200,000kms
on a car in Australia
is nothing)
- Are less reliable than wagons
- Are not easily repaired everywhere (plus,
parts and labour are always much more expensive when paying for repairs)
Wagons
- Are robust and reliable (esp. Ford
and Holden)
- Are relatively inexpensive to buy
- Are easily repaired on the cheap
all over the country
- Will carry 5 people, luggage and
camping gear without stressing their big, lazy engines.
Vans will
struggle, if you load them down. When you consider that many vans have been souped
up to convert them into campervans (including the kitchen sink), and then you
add anything more than 2 people and their luggage, you are dramatically
increasing your chances of blowing up your engine at some point.
On a much more
positive note, a van will save you anywhere from $40 to $100 per night on
accommodation (although you can sleep in a wagon, most people don’t). With
these huge savings, the risk involved in buying a van is easily balanced out. Nevertheless,
if you were thinking of buying a van for only 2 months AND then the engine blew
up, the accommodation savings will be gone!
So in a
nutshell, couples travelling for 6 months or more should definitely buy a van. Mates
planning on picking up along the way should opt for the wagon.
In all of my
reasoning, I am clearly making a contingency for the worst case scenario. If
you plan to have a breakdown, if you budget for a breakdown, but then you don’t
have one…pop the champagne! However, it is unreasonable and naive to expect to
drive around Australia
in an old car and not have to have some sort of mechanical issue...but, of
course we can all hope.
A word of the
wise. There is also a fine line between getting you car ready for the roadtrip
ahead and over planning. No matter how
much money you spend on your car and in preparing your car, never rule out the
unexpected.
Expectations
Expectations.
For me, mindset is the key to a successful roadtrip.
Success is not
driving around Australia
without a breakdown - that’s pure bloody luck. Success is not buying a car for
$2000 and selling it for $2500 - that’s a bonus.
Success is
buying a car, driving 10-20,000kms around Australia, having a few breakdowns,
spending a little on repairs and selling the car in under a week.
Buying a car
for how much you ask? Spending how much for repairs? Selling it for what? Well,
how long is a piece of string?
But the real
answer is this:
If you do all
the above, add your accommodation costs, and the sum is equal to or less than
the combined cost of the other option of accommodation costs plus bus, plane,
train, tour and rental costs…then you are a winner!! (This assumes that there
are more than two people on your roadtrip).
Something to
think about: What option returns the greatest economic benefit?
A.)The
couple that spends 2-3 weeks trying to sell the car they bought for $4000, and
eventually selling it for $1500 OR
B.)The
couple that sells the car they bought for $4000 in 5 minutes for $1000, and
spends the next 2-3 weeks in a REAL job?
Answer?
Even if the
couple of Option A sell their car for $4000, but it takes 2-3 weeks, I believe
that the couple of Option B is still miles ahead (pun intended).
Selling your
car at the end of your trip is underpaid hard work. This is where having a
guaranteed buyback can be great insurance.
In conclusion,
if your expectations are to buy a car for $2000, drive around Australia, absorb
no repair costs, and then make quick profit at the end of your trip - good
luck, you’ll probably be disappointed. Now we’ve all heard of someone who has
done just this, but for every one who summits Everest there’s 100’s who don’t.
On the flip side, if your expectation simply is to drive around Australia, and
to do so more cheaply than hopping the bus – then you most likely won’t be let
down, as you this a much more achievable goal.
Stay tuned…
So now you know
what your vehicle options are. You’re ready to get out there, find that perfect
set of wheels, and explore Australia.
In my next installment we will discuss driving safety in Australia and
what to avoid doing once you get on the road.
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