Guide to buying a car

The following guide is taken from 'The Virgin Travellers' Handbook' by Tom Griffiths, Founder of gapyear.com.

Click here >> to see this book

Why do you want it?

When you think of travelling cheaply around a country, or in my case, around the continent of Oz, you don’t automatically think of spending several hundred $$$$$’s on buying a car. I certainly didn’t! It was only over a few beers and a chat about everyone’s disastrous organised tour experiences, that I realised it was an option that could work out cheaper in the long run than coach journeys and flights - It was the best decision we made!

So ask yourself :

- How far do you want to go in it?
- Do you need to sleep in it? i.e. do you need a camper van
- Are you going to need something that doesn’t break down?
- Can you afford to get a banger? i.e. you can repair it yourself
- Can you afford to cut your losses (if it dies), sell it for scrap and still get to where you need to go?
- How much do you really know about cars? - if it rattles and the engine is hot, would you know what to do? There is no room out there for smart arses, as if you pretend that you’re a hot shot, and you’re not, it’s going to cost you a fortune.

Something worth doing...

Try, if you can, to work out your costs. Compare how much it will cost to buy and run a car, taking into account selling it in the end and, if you’re lucky, saving on accommodation costs by sleeping in it. Compare to bussing and flying around, paying for accommodation, camping and any other savings you think you may make. You’ll probably find that it’ll work out the same or even cheaper.

If you combine this saving with the fact that you have complete freedom - in OZ we were able to drive to all the places everyone else went on buses...and stay there when they all had to go home i.e. being able to watch the sunset over Ayers Rock...it may prove the best decision you’ll ever make. You have complete freedom in and around the country, getting out to unreachable areas etc. Living out of the car is a great laugh, as is picking up other backpackers and heading off to see things. If you are clever, you can make the car pay for itself, or at least keep yourself in beers when you get to the campsite at the other end.

What type of car?

If you want to sleep in it...

 Camper
 Stationwagon / estate

I drove round Australia in a Volvo Estate (stationwagon). Myself and Dalit slept in the back (with the seats down!)... it was dead comfy and flatter than the ground, and the lads camped outside...with the surf board and windsurfer on the roof! It worked really well... we’d arrive at some gorgeous unspoilt beach somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the west coast of Oz, chuck a ground sheet down, empty the boot onto the roof, crack open a couple of beers, and chill. The next morning you’d have a whole bath to yourself, shared only with a school of dolphin and a few multi-coloured fish in their coral reef jacuzzi in the corner!

If you don’t want to sleep in it/have a tent...

 Saloon - make sure it has a big boot/trunk
 Soft top - let’s face it, you shouldn’t be backpacking

Petrol or diesel?

Some cars are more expensive to run than others in different countries. However, diesel is cheaper than petrol in most places and can take you further for your cash. There is less performance in a diesel engine, but to be honest, that shouldn’t concern you here.

Automatic or manual?

If you’re going to attempt to do maintenance yourself, don’t get an automatic as you’ll never be able to take any of it apart. If something goes wrong, you won’t be able to see what it is (unless it’s something obvious like the wheel falling off!) If you’re going long distances you won’t be changing gear all that often anyway.

The make?

Get a well known make, so you can pick up parts anywhere. Breakers yards are also more likely to have the second hand bits you need, saving you a fortune. If there is a good list of dealers (which is hopefully in the car), then any make will do (we drove a Swedish car around Oz - not the smartest thing to do - but we had a list of dealers and so were fine when it conked out in Darwin!) So, make sure you acquire from somewhere a list of dealers specific to your car’s make... their names, addresses, phone numbers etc. Failing that, you can always find a them in the phonebook.

Does size matter?

Actually, no, it doesn't... should please a few of you out there!!

Larger cars are more expensive to run (petrol, oil, insurance etc.), but you can fit more people in to help you pay for it. If you are travelling long distances, you might want to pay a bit extra to have a bit more room to spread out. Remember that you’re travelling with all your (and your companions') worldly possessions, so make sure it has a roof rack. Personally I go for a big one every time! If you are going to use it as your house, go for a mansion, not a shed.

Where to look

Backpackers noticeboard

In most hostels there will always be a good noticeboard of everything for sale from cars to airline tickets. Usually the cars sold there are old bangers, but despite having six million miles on the clock (many have seven!!), they will have been round the continent several times, and by the law of averages, are likely to be able to do it again! Beware of hardened dealers who sell cars they can't get rid of in the backpacking network. If you buy one of these and it dies, you'll lose your money. If they don't look like a backpacker, don't trust them.

What backpackers will tell you:

-What it takes to run and where they've been in it.
-Places to stay and things to see on the way.
-About paperwork you'll need.

What they won't tell you:

-If they've had a bit of a 'bump'.
-Where to go if it breaks down, as it'll sound like it already has.
-If bits don't work.
-If the maximum speed you can go before the door falls off and you're left with just the steering wheel and half the gear stick in your hand is 45mph!!!
-If it isn't road worthy.
-That it'll go round the block on the test drive, but no further.

Local Paper/notice boards at supermarkets etc.

These will obviously be sold by 'locals'. The advantage is that you can go and see the car at their house so you know where they live. However, with home advantage, they are in a better position to pull a fast one on you. They may well be a bit more expensive, but then you know that their ass hasn't been hauled round the country 58 times and that they have been treated well. If it has had one owner, who uses it to take the kids to school, you're laughing! However, bear in mind that a friend of mine in Ipswich gets his girlfriend to sell his cars for him dressed up nicely and in a polite/timid voice gets her to say things like:

"Well, I only drive it on the odd occasion to get my legs waxed in town. I'm frightened of going fast, so I don't know what its acceleration is like... etc. etc. etc."

Used car auctions

Where people turn up to a huge field, put a note in the front windscreen and flog their motor. Every Tom, Dick and Harry will try to rip you off, so be careful.

There are also the genuine car auctions where you can get really cheap cars, quite often cars which dealers haven't sold, private cars, bankruptcies etc. The thing is, you really need to know what you're looking at, or have someone there who does. You can pick up a real beauty here if you're lucky. It might be worth you paying a local mechanic a few quid to come along with you - you could pay him say $30 to come with you, on the understanding that if you get a good one you'll give him $50 (or something like that), you may well end up with a car for $200 which is worth $800, which you can sell later for more than you bought it for.

The best idea is to ask the locals if the auctions are any good and where the best place is to buy a cheap car. If the guy you go to has the same surname as the person you've just asked, and you're in the Deep South of America, watch out!