Work Travel Volunteer

There are a number of options to travel around the huge land mass of Australia and one of them is by buying a campervan, car or 4 wheel drive. To decide whether this is the right choice for you, consider these things...

• How long are you in Australia for?

As a rough guideline, anything over two to three months, buy a vehicle. Anything under this, rent a vehicle or take a tour in Australia.

• How many people are you travelling with?

If there are more than two of you, you should be better off renting or buying rather than joining a tour of Australia.

• How adventurous are you?

Many tour operators tread the same old path. Buying or renting wheels means you can get off the well worn road. On the same note, this could be the deciding factor in whether to get a 4 wheel drive or a campervan. Off-roaders do what they say on the tin - go off-road. You get to do more, see more and rough it more. How much time do you have at the start and the end of your trip? If you've got days, it's a high risk buying a vehicle. On average, it takes three to four weeks to sell a vehicle and possibly that to find one too. So, you've decided you want to buy some wheels. Now what?

If you're in WA, the "Quokka" newspaper is the definitive car sales paper. It comes out every Thursday. Other areas to search include the Internet (Drive is a good source) backpacker hostels, Gumtree and car lots.

Not everybody is a car expert but there are a few things even the most clueless car driver can look at to work out whether forking out dollars for some metal welded together would be a good idea or not...

• Check the oil is clean.
• Unscrew the radiator cap. Check the seal is clean.
• Check under the chassis for any oil leaks or suspicious drips.
• Check the bodywork for rust, including underneath. Bring a torch if you can so you can get a good look.
• Try an emergency stop. Do the brakes respond well?
• Try all the gears. Does the gearbox feel loose at all, or difficult to get into a certain gear?
• Check all the lights work.
• Check the tyres for wear. There should be at least 2mm tread. Also look for any signs of uneven wear.
• Other things you may want to have on your checklist include....

Roo bar - Not pleasant but possibly an essential if you plan to travel in rural areas. Roo bars sit in front of the radiator to protect the main body of the vehicle in case you hit a kangaroo. And yes, this is a common occurrence in Australia.

"Spotties" - Spotlights

Roof rack - For carrying all your camping gear, didges, pet kangaroos etc etc

WA registration - WAers are pretty horizontal people and their regulations for registration are easy to pass.

Converting back seats - If you buy a 4 wheel drive, see if the back seats can be converted so you can sleep in the back, and vice versa. This will make the job of selling the vehicle again far easier as you'll be able to sell to both backpackers and regular Ozzies.

Rego - How much is left. Year of vehicle and number of kms done - Old 4 wheel drives are tough so hang around for a number of years before giving up the ghost. Check with the owner to see if anything has been replaced and how much service history the vehicle has had. If it's old and looked after, it's still a better buy than a knackered new one.

When it comes to both buying and selling your vehicle check out Redbook to get a guide price on what you should be paying or selling your vehicle for.