Why the seller's safety certificate isn't enough
A Queensland safety certificate looks at basic safety items such as tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, rust or body damage, the windscreen and lights. The state transport department says plainly that it isn't a full mechanical inspection, and points buyers to a motoring group for one.
A pre-purchase inspection goes past the safety list: how the engine starts and runs, the cooling system, the gearbox, the electrics, and how the car behaves on a road test. It's done for you, the buyer, not for the person selling.
Buying privately or from a dealer in Queensland
| Private seller | Licensed dealer | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling-off period | None | 1 business day, and you can have the car independently inspected without giving it up |
| Statutory warranty | None | For certain cars. Under 160,000 km and built no more than 10 years before the sale: 3 months or the first 5,000 km |
| If something goes wrong later | No claim for compensation | A clear title guarantee, plus the warranty if it applies |
| The safety certificate handed over | Current for 2 months or 2,000 km | Current for 3 months or 1,000 km |
Buying a used car on the Gold Coast
Coastal cars
Salt spray makes steel rust faster, so a car that has lived by the surf or the canals deserves a proper look underneath: floor, sills, brake lines, suspension mounts and exhaust. Ask for it to go on a hoist rather than be checked at the kerb.
Utes and four-wheel drives that towed the boat
Towing works the gearbox, clutch and cooling system harder. Ask the seller what the car towed and how often, look for a tow bar, and ask the mechanic to pay close attention to the gearbox on the road test.
A car on NSW plates
Tweed Heads sits just over the border, so a car for sale nearby may well be NSW-registered. If you'll garage it on the Gold Coast, Queensland says you must register it here, and moving rego across from another state needs a Queensland safety certificate.
Cars from up the range
Years of climbs to Springbrook or Tamborine Mountain and the descents back down can wear brakes and cooling parts harder than the odometer alone suggests. Mention it if you know that's where the car lived.
Checks to do yourself before the inspection
- A Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) search showing no money owing.
- Whether it's on Queensland's written-off register, which lists written-off vehicles under 15 years old.
- That the plate, construction date, VIN and engine number on the registration certificate match the car.
- The service book, and whether the stamps line up with the kilometres.
- That the seller will hand over a current safety certificate at the sale.
If it were our money
We'd make any offer subject to an inspection, and ask the seller not to start the car before the mechanic gets there, so they hear it start cold. On a private sale there's no cooling-off and no statutory warranty to fall back on, so the inspection is the protection.