Initially I didn't intend to buy a vehicle quite as early as I actually did, but I fell in love and well, that is the beginning of the journey.
The two main online vehicle sales websites I used were:
It is very easy to create a profile for either of them and there are a huge number of vehicles listed on each.
In the end my preference was www.carsales.com.au.
Why: the layout and format of the web page and type of information I could see with each listing.
I was initially looking to spend anywhere between $10-20,000k to get a decent 4wdr for my planned year or more tour of aussie.
I was actually looking to buy a Toyota or Nissan, .. It wasn't until pre-purchase inspections for both a nice looking Toyota ($21k and only got a 2 star rating) and Nissan ($12k, 2 star rating) did not rate well, that I decided to be 'true to myself', this is 'my dream tour' after all... so then I began to look for a suitable Landy.... and I found one that I really liked ($10k, 3 star rating).
For the pre-purchase inspection I used Redbook:.
Their inspection reports are comprehensive with loads of pictures of absolutely everything and written details about any faults they find.
You can also phone and speak to the inspector in person (amazing).
Yes I phoned my inspector from NZ, I was assured on the areas I had concerns about and decided that I would fly over in person to do the final check myself.
If you are buying from further away than NZ that may be possible, but I had another reason to fly over...
Drama: I had transferred all my money to an Aussie bank account I had set up online via my chosen bank's website (thought I was very clever at the time), to discover that they would take my money, but I was not able to access it or use it until I visited the bank in person to prove my identity!
That caused a lot of angst I can assure you and I tried all sorts of means to have my identity verified etc etc, but in the end I had to be there in person to get my money... seems weird in this modern day and age!
So, a trip to Adelaide, visit the bank, get my money unlocked, buy a fabulous Land Rover Defender 1998 TD5 Diesel (aka sexy truck) and then enjoy 3 day holiday before returning to work to save more money for my tour beginning in 4 months time.
I was very pleased with the vehicle and there were no surprises as the pre-purchase inspection had shown me everything. I liked the feel of the vehicle and checked the areas for issues I had experienced in previous Landy's I had owned: rusty floor panels in the driving section, rust in door frames, rust around window, sloppy gear box and steering.
This one was not perfect, hence the price tag, but was pretty good for its age and mileage, and now it is my very own expedition vehicle.
Yah.
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