Author: Matt and Danielle
17 July 2023
Driving a lap around Australia is the most incredible thing we have ever done. Living in a van as you drive an awesome road trip is by far the best way to see Australia. It gives you a freedom that is unlike anything else. When you live and travel in your own van you have the ability to stay somewhere you love for longer, or leave if you're not quite feeling it. It's the ultimate adventure and completely unique to you.
While it truly is an incredible life, there may be one small obstacle you are facing before you can make your dream a reality. How do you actually buy a campervan in Australia? Having bought a camper van, driven a lap around Australia, and sold it again...we think we can offer some advice on that.
Here is our backpacker's guide to buying a car or campervan in Australia.
You don't necessarily need to buy a van as there are some great campervan hire companies that could save you a lot of hassle. Ultimately we would advise it comes down to how long you will be staying in Australia. If you want to do the classic East Coast Australia Roadtrip in 3 or 4 weeks then definitely look to rent. If you want to take on more of a challenge, such as a complete lap of Australia, then it is going to be much cheaper to buy a campervan. And when we say much, we mean it!
Renting a campervan in Australia can be expensive. On the other hand, buying a campervan can be complicated and time-consuming. Buying our campervan took around 1 month, and then it took roughly the same amount of time to sell it. If you only have 3 months to explore then you don't want to spend 2/3 of your time buying and selling a van!
There are a bunch of campervan rental companies in Australia. Having not rented a campervan before we can't vouch for any company in particular, however, the vans we saw the most were:
Some companies, such as Travellers Autobarn, can offer a service where you buy one of their older campervans to travel Australia. Then they will actually buy it back off you when you have finished your trip. This is more expensive than buying one from somewhere like Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, but cheaper than renting one for months on end.
If you are not looking to hire a campervan and you have set your heart on buying one instead, then here are our top tips for buying and selling a campervan in Australia.
Whether you're a backpacker on an adventure, or a local Aussie looking to see more of your country. There is no question that the best way to travel around Australia is in a campervan. So, where do you start when trying to buy a vehicle in Australia?
The good news is that the backpacker car market in Australia is huge! There are a lot of campervans for sale and only a few popular places where people usually sell them. Facebook Marketplace is where we found our Toyota Hiace. The other place people use is Gumtree. Facebook is definitely the number one site if you're looking to buy a campervan, but you can find great deals on Gumtree if you're in a position to act fast. We recommend setting up alerts on your phone and joining some groups for people selling a campervan or motorhome in Australia. Also, filter listings for the newest added every day to see the latest vehicles.
There are a few different options for the type of van you may consider for your road trip across Australia. We went for the classic Toyota Hiace. This is seen as the most reliable van because they can often do 3 or 4 times the mileage of other brands. Their engines are known to be fantastic, and you want something reliable for when you get to the more remote parts of Australia. In Western Australia, it can be 500km between petrol stations!
Our Toyota Hiace wasn't a high-top, which was fine for Danielle. As someone over 6ft, I struggled to sit upright in the van at times. We did have a super long wheelbase which was great because it meant our van was longer than others and gave us more storage space. Some other popular brands are the Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter. They're much larger and more expensive, but still reliable. If you're looking at rarer models then be aware that it can be tough to find spare parts if you did need to get anything repaired or replaced.
We created a list of must-haves that we weren't willing to compromise on when we started planning to buy a van. We were going to be spending a year in Australia and driving a lap around the whole country. Our van had to be fully converted already, with everything we may need for driving a lap around Australia in a campervan.
Our used campervan had to have:
Creating this list made it so much easier to filter through the campervans that were available. Then we could start filtering through the ones that were suitable and in our price range.
We mentioned the RWC above, which is a roadworthiness certificate. If you're from the UK then this is basically like an M.O.T.
If you are purchasing a vehicle in Australia we highly recommend buying one with an active RWC, especially if you're buying privately. The last thing you want is to spend all your hard-earned money on something that is going to give you problems. You want to be spending your time in Australia seeing all the epic places, not stuck somewhere with an old van sitting in a mechanic's yard the whole time.
If someone doesn't have or refuses to get, an RWC then take that as a red flag. There is likely a reason they don't want to get it... because they know there are problems!
Different states can have different rules when it comes to RWCs. When you are purchasing a campervan in Australia always make sure to check what the relevant rules are to that specific state.
It can be annoying because the law in Australia can change from state to state. This is definitely something you will want to consider when buying a vehicle. These laws mean that you will have a few hoops to jump through when it comes to buying a campervan in Australia.
We bought and sold our Toyota Hiace in Victoria. We had to pay stamp duty on the purchase, which we had no idea about beforehand, and our RWC was only valid for 30 days when we were trying to sell it. An RWC can last longer in other states, which makes it slightly easier to sell.
We registered our van with Vic Roads, which is specific to Victoria. The previous owner filled out a transfer form (which you will need to do if you sell it later down the line), and then we had to go into a Vic Roads site so they could sign off the paperwork...and the van was ours!
When you're buying a used vehicle it can be tough to make sure you're not buying someone else's problem. Even if the person who wants to sell the campervan looks trustworthy, there are a few things you can do to limit your chances of buying a dog.
1 - Only buy a vehicle with a valid RWC
2 - Only consider vehicles with full and valid service history
3 - Take it for a good test drive
4 - Ask lots and lots of questions
5 - Never act on impulse
If you want to be extra cautious then you can even pay to get a mechanic to check things over for you. When buying privately you can never be too cautious.
When driving in Australia it is the law that the vehicle be registered. If you do not get your campervan or car registered then you can be subject to very hefty fines. In Victoria, you do this with Vic Roads, and the rego lasts for 12 months. If the vehicle still has a valid rego when you buy it then you need to issue a transfer with Vic Roads (or the relevant state provider) within 14 days of buying your vehicle. Failure to do this can result in a fine.
We cannot stress enough the importance of having great car insurance, and breakdown cover. Australia is huge! The terrain is constantly changing and if you're going to be on a long road trip then you are going to add some serious km's to your clock. Anything can happen during that time, so be as prepared as possible. We took our insurance with AXA, and thankfully never needed to use it. The coverage was extensive, and it was a great price.
Our breakdown cover was with RAC and we couldn't recommend them more! We had an issue with our starter motor near Perth and they took the vehicle, put us up in a great hotel in Perth for a few days (up to the value of $1000 per night) took the vehicle to their nearest site and had everything fixed within 2 days. It cost very little compared to the cost of everything they managed to sort for us with this one claim.
When your road trip around Australia comes to an end and you want to sell your campervan or motorhome then there are a few things you need. We sold our van in Victoria, so make sure to read up on the laws for other states if you're elsewhere.
The mechanic that we booked our RWC with insisted we needed a gas safety check and an electrical safety check. This wasn't actually correct. If you have a larger motorhome with fixed gas lines and fixed power outlets then you do need these checks. Our little Hiace had no fixed lines and no fixed power outlets so we didn't actually need them. Our mechanic still insisted we did, so we gave him evidence that a plumber advised we did not. Even the electrician who came for the electric tests said we didn't need one, but he gave us the certificate to help us get the RWC faster.
It caused us quite a headache trying to figure out what we needed and didn't. Once you have your RWC completed by a mechanic (which can take a number of weeks when you factor in any work that may need to be done for it to pass) the process for selling is the same as when you bought the vehicle. Take the money, fill out the forms and hand over the keys.
If you're considering buying a campervan in Australia then we hope this guide helps. Australia is such an incredible country, and we loved our time there. We hope your trip is as EPIC as ours!
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