Best Ways to Sell a Car in Australia While You're Living Abroad

When you're away from home, it can be difficult to sell your car. Many people want to see the car, touch it and take it for a test drive. If you're living in another country while your car is in Australia, you're going to have to work creatively to sell your vehicle.
 

Family Members

You can ask a family member to sell the vehicle in your absence. They would have the keys to the vehicle and the ability to meet with potential buyers to let them look at the vehicle. Before leaving the country, you'll have to sign the title, so when your family member finds a potential buyer, the paperwork can be completed. Sometimes, potential buyers want to talk to the previous owner of the vehicle. In cases like this, you could set up a time to meet with the buyer on Skype to discuss the car in detail. 
 

Broker

If you don't have family that can sell the car for you, you can contract with a car broker who will sell your car for you. A good broker will be able to sell your car without any additional work from you, but the broker will ask for a fee. They're putting a lot of work into selling your vehicle from advertising to being available for appointments and test drives. You want to be sure that the fee makes sense for the vehicle and amount of work involved though. 
 

Dealer Sales

Options to consider when selling a car are bringing your car to a dealer before you leave the country. With a dealer sale as opposed to a private sale, you're losing some money on the process. While the dealer won't give you as much as a private sale would, you'll be able to sell it quickly before you begin travelling overseas. There are definitely trade-offs that occur with a dealer sale, but you can leave with money in your pocket to purchase a vehicle in your new location. 
 

Buying a Car in Your New Location

When you start living abroad, you're worried about having a place to sleep at night. After that consideration is met, you'll need to think about how you'll commute to work, home and shopping. While public transportation in some parts of the world is the only way to travel, in other areas, you'll need a vehicle. That means buying a car. 
 

Research

You'll have the same problems in various parts of the world that you'd have at home, which is finding out the average price of the car and knowing your rights as a consumer. In areas of Europe, there are protections for consumers while other countries have no protection. You'll need to research your rights before making a purchase. 
 

Taxes

The taxes in many countries can be extreme, and many car dealers want to charge you more money by insisting on loans and financial services. You'll need to figure out how to get the dealer to accept cash, or learn the details of loans in that area of the country. It often helps to bring someone who you trust that is a native of the country. 
 

Insurance and License

As with almost all countries, you'll need to have insurance on your vehicle before you can drive it on the road. The legal requirements for each country will vary, so research is the best way to find out what's required in your new country. While some areas don't require a new license, you might live in a country that doesn't transfer license information. You'll need to find out how long you can drive on your current license before having to get a new one.

Before going overseas, you should decide ways to sell your car that will get you the most money. A private sale will net you more cash than selling to a dealer, but it can create more of a hassle. The money can be used to purchase a car in your new country. Make sure you've researched the requirements of owning a vehicle there.