Buyer Knowledge Base
Learn how to buy a used car safely
Buying a used car privately in Australia means taking on risks that are invisible from the driver’s seat. These guides explain money owing, write-offs, stolen records, and transfer paperwork without industry jargon or sales spin.
What can go wrong
The ways a used car costs somebody more than they paid.
What can go wrong
Money owing on a car: how a buyer loses both the car and the cash
The lender's claim follows the car, not the seller. Repossession after a private sale is legal, and there is one search that stops it.
6 min read
What can go wrong
Repairable or statutory: what a written-off car actually means
One category can be repaired and re-registered. The other can never go back on the road in most states. Buyers are routinely sold the difference.
7 min read
What can go wrong
How to check whether a car is stolen before you buy it in Australia
If the car turns out to be stolen, police return it to its owner. You lose the car and the money, and the seller is long gone.
5 min read
What can go wrong
How to check if a car has been in an accident in Australia
Minor repairs never reach a government register, but write-offs and structural repairs do. Here is how to find out before you buy.
6 min read
What can go wrong
Used car scams in Australia: 6 red flags private buyers must spot
From PayID deposit traps to stolen car rebirthing and secret finance debt, here are the 6 used car scams targeting Australian private vehicle buyers.
8 min read
What can go wrong
Flood and hail damaged cars in Australia: spotting storm write-offs
Severe weather leaves thousands of flood and hail cars on the market. Here is how water immersion rots electronics and how official WOVR codes protect you.
7 min read
What can go wrong
The PPSR search shows money owing: what to do next
Finance on the certificate is not the end of the deal. Paying before it is cleared usually is.
5 min read
The checks
What official Australian registers hold, and what they do not.
The checks
Where to find the VIN, and why it beats the number plate
Plates change. The VIN does not. It is stamped into the vehicle, and every serious check runs against it rather than the registration.
5 min read
The checks
What a PPSR check is, and what it does not cover
It is the one document that gives a private buyer legal protection. It is also narrower than most people assume.
6 min read
The checks
REVS check vs PPSR: what replaced REVS in Australia?
State REVS registers were retired in 2012 and unified into the national PPSR. Here is how to check vehicle finance debt today by rego plate or VIN.
5 min read
The checks
Free state rego check vs a full car history report: what each shows
Free state rego checks only confirm whether a plate is valid. They do not search PPSR debt, national stolen databases, or interstate write-offs.
5 min read
The checks
Australian VIN decoder: how to read a 17-digit VIN and verify specs
Every character in a 17-digit VIN reveals critical factory specs. Here is how to decode manufacturer origin, model year, engine size, and towing limits.
7 min read
The checks
Can you do a PPSR check without the VIN?
The protection comes from searching by serial number. Starting from the plate still gets you there.
4 min read
Before you buy
Inspections, paperwork, and the day of purchase.
Before you buy
Buying privately: what to do on the day you go and look
Most of what goes wrong is decided before the test drive. An order of operations for the day itself.
8 min read
Before you buy
Car service history, odometer checks and previous owners in Australia
Australia has no central service logbook database, and privacy laws protect owner names. Here is how to verify mileage and maintenance legitimately.
6 min read
Before you buy
How to transfer car ownership privately in Australia: state guide
The exact paperwork, roadworthy rules, notice of disposal, and stamp duty calculations required to legally transfer car registration across Australian states.
7 min read
Before you buy
Cooling-off periods and used car buyer rights: private vs dealer
Private car sales in Australia have zero cooling-off period and no statutory warranty. Here is what consumer law covers and how to protect yourself.
6 min read
Before you buy
Buying a car on Facebook Marketplace: the checks to run first
Most listing scams fall apart against three checks, and two of them cost nothing.
5 min read
Before you buy
Buying a used car from another state: the checks that matter
Your state's free rego check cannot see a car registered in another one. A national search can.
5 min read
Check the car you are actually looking at
Every guide here ends in the same place: run the check against the vehicle in front of you, before money moves.