Search the Community

Hi, has anyone experienced being ripped off by car rental companies when holidaying back in the UK? We had a particularly bad experience, we're 1409.97GBP out of pocket. I tried to reason with the company (Easirent in Manchester) to no avail. I've also tried EconomyBookings who we booked through and they won't help. It seems they prey on overseas visitors as it's harder to fight back once you're out of the country. Can anyone advise if they've successfully got their money back and by what method? Thanks Nick

So for a bit if fun and with spring here and summer just round the corner! You know you're in Perth when: 1.The best parking space is determined by shade instead of distance. 2. Hot water comes out of both taps. 3. You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron. 4. The temperature drops below 35c and you feel a little chilly. 5. You discover that in February it only takes two fingers to steer your car. 6. You discover that you can get sunburnt through your car window. 7. You develop a fear of metal car door handles. 8. You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30am. 9. Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?" 10. You realise that asphalt has a liquid state. 11. Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to prevent them from laying hard-boiled eggs. 12. The cows are giving evaporated milk. 13. The trees are whistling for the dogs. 14. While walking back barefoot to your car from the beach, you do a tightrope Act on the white lines in the carpark. 15. You catch a cold from having the aircon full blast while you sleepduring the night. 16. You pray that your train will have air-conditioning, and if it doesn't, waiting an extra 15 minutes for one is worth it! So what makes Perth different for you?!?

Hi All We are arriving in Perth next week after months of planning.... Seems the only thing we didn't consider however was how to get from our initial hotel stay for the first 3 nights in the CBD to our short-term let in Noranda! I have been looking far and wide for reasonably priced ways of getting from the CBD to Noranda with 5 (large) pieces of luggage around peak-hour; Although car hire isn't too deer, virtually all the companies require MASSIVE deposits on your credit card to hold during your hire period (which just isn't viable for us at this stage) and the thought of travelling by bus (which, according to Transperth will take us 1 hour and 4 minutes and include 1 change and 2 walks) is just overwhelming... What would you recommend? Is there a local shuttle service or taxi share service that you know of? Or perhaps local car pool'ing services we might be able to tap into? etc? Any advice/ ideas would be GREATLY received!! Many thanks in advance Mia & Charlie

Hello! We are Brits living in Texas and have been here for the last 3 years, we are now looking at moving to Perth and weighing up all the differences in costs etc. Here we lease 2 VW jetties for $250USD a month, we didn't need to pay any deposit we just needed a letter from my husbands employer. I can't see lease deals being the same in Perth and we don't fancy the novated lease option as it would put our take home pay down too much. Any advice on how to buy or lease a car on a 457 VISA with little to no costs upfront would be most appreciated. Or guidance as to how much deposit is typical when buying / leasing new car? Thanks so much in advance.

2007 Toyota Yaris for sale 117000kms recently serviced full service history manual tinted windows alloy wheels great car, very reliable and fuel efficient only $6000 Ono Call 0497867438 Check it out on: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/south-perth/cars-vans-utes/2006-toyota-yaris-hatchback/1062391171

Hi all, New to the webpages here so home this unsolicited advert isn't against the rules! My parents recently moved here and brought with them a brand new UK standard car seat that they'd bought for our wee boy to use if / when we visited the UK. Now this has been confirmed to us that it can't be used in Australia as it doesn't comply to the design rules that the have here, but it is a high quality UK / Europe child car seat that would be ideal for anyone travelling / moving to the UK or Europe... The follow is the advert summary that we put up on Gumtree... We are selling an as-new child seat for 0 - 4 years old (up to 18kg) that we brought across from the UK. This is a UK SPECIFICATION seat, and would be idea if you were looking to travel or move to the UK or Europe. The FIRST CLASS plus combines the benefits of an infant carrier and a car seat that grows with your child. It combines a rearward facing seat (birth to 13kg) and a forward facing seat (9kg - 18kg). It is is absolutely excellent condition and comes with all original items and manual. Be aware that this is a UK specification seat and as such (while completely safe and certified) is not designed to the Australian regulations - in case you would like to use here in Austalia. NB Our seat is a black with grey support frame, not burgundy as in the stock photographs. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like any further details, or to view the seat. We are looking for $175 AUD or nearest reasonable offer. Look forward to hearing from anyone interested and from taking an active part in this website! Cheers, Mark

Can't quite believe we've only been here just over a week! Here's a bit of a rundown on what we've managed to get done so far... we've sorted bank accounts, savings accounts etc, enrolled with Medicare, visited my new place of work I start at on Tuesday, sorted out phone contracts, registered with Centrelink, bought laptop, printer GPS and car, sorted out health insurance, car insurance and breakdown insurance, met up with some fellow Perth Poms and family friends, visited a local childcare centre, bought car seats for the girls, visited the doctors and sorted out the girls' catch up vaccinations, viewed a few rental houses around Kingsley/Greenwood, sorted out a part time job for my hubby in Swan Valley (he's taking 6 months off full time to settle the girls) and done a lot of sightseeing (Hillarys Boat Harbour, Pinnaroo Valley Park, Whiteman Park, Swan Valley, Mullaloo Beach)... oh and we've drank our fair share of good coffee and wine... We already feel at home here and absolutely love watching the girls enjoy the outdoors way of life here. They have settled in pretty well so far too. All in all a fantastic first week!

FANTASTIC first car, or economical run around for the city. - 169,189 kilometres. - VERY economical for petrol - I will miss how infrequently I visit the petrol station! - Manual, 5 gears. Front wheel drive. - 4 cyl, 1.8L engine. - 2 door, coupe model. - The car has a sports exhaust that purrs when you accelerate and a spoiler, with tinted windows. - This car also has a great audio system, with CD player. - Freezing cold air con for summer, but toasty heater for those cold winter mornings. - Registered until 27th June. Drives really smoothly, I'll be sad to see it go! Looking for $4,000, negotiable. If you're interested to go on a test drive or to find out more PM me

Hi guys, after a year and half we r going back to Europe where we have a job offer. So we need to sell our nice car : Only 90,200 Km Automatic A.C. Full service history Cruise control, tinted windows Interiors in very good condition Wheels in good condition No smoker owner Rego expiry : 30-5-2014 Price 6,400 ono We bought it at Lane Ford Mandurah when it was 78,000 km and used it only for 15 months. We live in Albany but we can arrange a trip to Perth during weekend if anyone is interested.

Hey guys, I am a 24 year old girl looking for Regional Work in WA. I am a hard worker and willing to give all types of farm work/fruit picking etc. I have a degree in Social Care and have taken part in a number of different farming activities over the years!! I am available immediately and have my own car so transport is not an issue. Please let me know if you have anything available. Thanks, Carol

(With a sad face!), I am selling my wonderful wagon wheels! Come and check out this 2000 Mitsubishi Magna Sedan this week - Plenty of power - 4 Litre - Automatic transmission - Cool Air Con - Power steering - CD Player - Huge boot space - Tow Bar and integrated lighting A great deal at $3,500, with even some REGO included (June 2013). The Magna is very clean and I've looked after it well. There are a few scratches and dings --- I can only presume the previous owner had a fight with a shopping trolley! Over the past 18months of owning the car, it has caused me no problems. You'll be pleased to know I am a non-smoking owner so no funky smells!!! For the lucky new owner, I'll even throw in a free sun visor (a whopper saving of $5) Feel free to call or text me to arrange a viewing. Don't be disheartened if I don't answer first time...... I'll get back to you ASAP! Contact info: Fiona BY PM FOR DETAILS

Small family hatchback for sale. Would ideally suit anyone arrving in Perth who needs a quick solution to your transportation needs. This much loved family hatchback is a great runner and is very economical. Feel free to look at our ad on gumtree: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/mindarie/cars-vans-utes/2008-holden-tk-barina-hatchback-needs-a-new-home-/1016325771 Feel free to give PM for further details.

Hi I thought I'd mention this experience to maybe save any other new arrivals pain. Migrating is tough enough without the hassle that we have had with the car that we purchased. We bought the car and since September 4th we have had it in our possession for 5 days in total due to multiple breakdowns. That's 5 days out of 56!!! I have been told by the dealer that they "don't know how things are done in the UK, but they don't do refunds". I don't want to bore people with the detail, but my diary of events is below if you want a look. I am speaking to consumer protection as not only am I concerned that the car won't break down, but I'm worried that it is unsafe. If the head lights weren't checked and the car can randomly decided to limit speed to 20 or 15kph then I don't want to put my children in it. ...and this wasn't a cheap 'banger' - it was a 115K kms Volvo. Still, the dealership is not willing to refund despite numerous requests and the car being consistently problematic. My advice to anyone is to be tough at the point of sale and state that you want the option to return the car should it turn out to be a complete lemon (ie, multiple serious faults). If they believe the car is a good car they should have no problem with this. ============================================================================= Late August: View the car and agree to sale once UK funds clear. There is a condition of sale that the rear seat that won't latch in position is fixed before collection. September 4th: Buy the car which immediately displays a gearbox fault on the way home from the car showroom. Independent specialist suspects pre-existence of fault since the car had fresh transmission fluid - ie it appeared someone had already tried to fix the fault. Also, the rear seat has not been fixed as promised. September 5th: Returned the car to the dealership. Late September: Previously difficult to operate ignition barrel fails and has to be replaced - meaning multiple sets of keys are required to manually open and start the car. October 9th : I'm told the car is ready for collection. I ask about the seat latch - and it still isn't fixed. The car is returned to workshop. October 16th: I pick the car up car after it has been worked on for over a month. It is dirty and has less fuel in it when it went. October 17th: Car displays intermittent indicator fault: safety issue. October 18th: I discover that when driving in the dark the headlights do not point at the road ahead. A serious safety issue obviously not checked pre delivery. October 20th: Car develops an engine fault and breaks down with my family on board. While talking to the dealership from the side of the road I am asked if I "need to discuss this now as there are people waiting to see me". I am able to restart it and return it to the dealership's nominated repairer. October 27th: I pick the car up car again. October 28th: After driving just a few KMs (only had the car overnight) the car displays a 'performance reduced' message and will not exceed 20kph after turning onto a busy road - with my family on board this was pretty scary - and dangerous. The car then refuses to start for 20 minutes. After a successful restart it allows us to get off the busy road before again failing and limiting us to 15kph for the journey home. Once home, I returned to the locked, unoccupied car to find the cabin fans running at full speed and they would not turn off until I had inserted the ignition key (fans were set to 'off' once ignition was on). October 29th: I am unwilling to drive the car at 15kph through the city so the car is collected by the repairer who is upset with me for not dealing with him directly as he has been given a tough time by the dealer. Compounded by various unreturned emails and phone calls I decide to pursue consumer protection for a resolution.

Thousands of cars to select from but use these tips below:- 1. autotrader.com.au - look for a car you like (suv or whatever) get a rough idea of its price from that. 2. go to the dealerships, plenty in Perth, in fact, never seen so many in all of my life. 3. RAC will do a check on any car for you for $250 and make sure it is mechanically sound. 4. Now, if you like the car, you can stipulate that, purchase is pending good report from RAC 5. Finance - Stipulate, purchase is pending good interest rates coming back from finance company (we never done this but should have!!) 6. Whilst in the garage, use link below to, there and then, price the car you are looking at. Use this as the basis for your negotiation and even show the salesman it. 7. They will ask you for $500 deposit So, make sure you go through all the above first, for I don't fancy trying to get the deposit back, as they will resist big time. 8. Cars are more expensive here than in the UK, so be prepared! 9 If you dont know anything about cars, take someone who does with you. 10. Check paint work of car, check car seams and gaps in panels. Make sure no overspray anywhere (bumpers, window rubbers etc) as sure sign of crash damage. All panels line up correctly, interior is spotless, no wear and tear on pedals etc. Don't be embarrassed to go right through the car. Its your money!! 11. Best of luck. www.redbookasiapacific.com/valtool/index.php?dlrid=25

Can anybody give me ball park figures for the cost of a container be it 20 Ft or 40Ft. Is it based on both weight and size or size alone? Would consider car from UK but package allows transport and insurance up to $20K. How/where does this fit in? Your help most appreciated Thanks Hossman

Hi everyone We are about to move back to the UK after a fantastic year in Perth with my husbands work. When we moved over last February we rented an unfurnished house and so bought lots of new furniture and household items that we are now looking to sell. This includes beds, sofas, TVs, bookshelves, washing machine, kids toys and much more, including a car. If you are interested in purchasing anything please contact me and I will send you all the details, pictures and prices. I have everything on a pdf but it is too big to attach to this post but I can email you it. Kind regards, Amanda

Hi Just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce ourselves to you all. We are Jade (32), Levi (14) and Millie (11). We've not been to Australia before but I have just been offered a job yesterday, the company will be organising the 457 visa. Hoping to be on a flight between boxing day and early jan so we can spend Xmas with the family here and I have a few of weeks to find accomodation and hopefully get the kids enrolled in school in the first week of the school term then start work! We are looking at NOR suburbs- 3 bed houses. Looking around Duncraig areas- any advice on suburbs gratefully received. We will be on a budget but don't want to be too far from the beach. My main luxury here is my car- the company said I won't need a car and this would help reduce the set up costs massively- I have heard that the transport links tothe CBD are good, but any info on the more local transport would be great. Many thanks