Saturday, Dec 17, 2005 at 01:09
If you don't have the mechanical knowledge or off road experience then I reackon you should go for a 2wd. You'll be pretty amazed what you'll be able to see and do without having to go hard core off road and in the time you have you'll have more than enough to keep you occupied. You'll have much more choice in your pricerange and are far more likely to get something that will survive the distances you're gonna do. Also, if something does go wrong, its gonna be a heck of a lot cheaper to patch it up than it will on a 4b.
Here in WA they let just about anything on the roads, there are no compulsary vehicle checks each year (RWC in the east of AU, or like a MOT in the UK). So there's a real chance of getting a complete bomb palmed off on ya.
With 4 people in the car you're gonna need an estate I reackon. Go for a commodore (vauxhall) or falcon (ford) something around 12-15 years old. You'll find they are common and easy to find bits for when something does go wrong. IMO get a 6 cylinder car for the km's you'll be doing. Also I suggest you get a car with air-con, if you're from europe (guessing from the name) then the trip will get to be a hardship bl**dy quick if you don't.
There's tons of info on the web about what to look for in a secondhand car but the basics (according to those web sites) are:
Bounce the
suspension, the car should bounce once, maybe twice but no more, and then come to rest. Drive it, it shouldn't jump out of gear (manual) if you take your foot off the accellerator suddenly, do that in each gear.
When you
test drive it make sure you do it with the windows down so you can hear any pings, knocks, rattles etc.
Check the oil colour, if its milky, there is definately a problem, but if its too clean then be suspicious too.
Check for oil leaks. Find somewhere safe and do an emergency stop in it. Once its warmed up get someone to stand behind it and give it a good rev,
check for smoke. Make sure it has enough vehicle license for the time you're gonna need it. Make sure the tyres are legal (I think its 1.5mm of tread all around, use a coin, someone here will confirm that I'm sure). Make sure the spare is good too.
Don't worry too much about rust, you're not gonna have it that long, but make sure it looks ok on the outside. Cops will stop you if it looks like a piece of cr*p and you can get a Yellow sticker which basically means you have to take it to them and they will
check it out and likely (on a $3000 car) tell you that you have to spend a fortune before you can drive it again. For a petrol car look for something with under 180,000 kms on the clock (thats a guess, hopefully someone on the
forum will give some more informed advice regarding the mileage to look for).
One other thing. Take down the engine VIN, it will be on a plate rivetted under the bonnet somewhere, and call REVS (google it) and make sure its not stolen or has money owed on it before you part with your money.
Don't be afraid to haggle, people expect a little haggling.
There's a car market in Freo every week that you might get a bargain at, but other than that and whats been mentioned there's auctions. For what you're spending you won't get a warranty at a dealer anyway so there's just as much risk and more chance of getting a bargain. You'll more likely get the best bargain from out of the paper (Sunday Times, quokka - which is also online).
Do a ton of reading about how to deal with emergencies, especially medical, and dealing with nasties. There's lots on this site that will help.
Take TONS of water (they recommend 5L per person per day) in multiple containers.
I hope you're budgeting for some accommodation and meals etc
Food wise if you allow $15 per person per day you should be fine as long as you're not expecting steak every night.
Invest in a few books. The Priceless campsites one's are bloody good and will save you some dosh on accommodation.
For what you're doing, might be worth also investing in some emergency communications, like hiring a sat phone, or at the very least picking up a cheap CDMA phone for the trip.
Also, consider going south of
Perth, its really beautiful too, much easier on you temperature wise.
Thats my (almost) completely un-informed take on it. Don't foget your camera's you're gonna have a lot of fun :-)
Tom
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