What changes hands in Byron Bay
Buying from another traveller
Byron Bay draws 2 million tourists a year, backpackers among them. If you're buying a car from someone moving on, look it up on NSW's online rego check first: it shows the expiry date and whether the rego is suspended or cancelled.
Plates from another state
If the car's on another state's rego and you want it registered in NSW, it needs a blue slip, which lasts 42 days from the inspection. Line up the registration for soon after.
Money owing
NSW points buyers to the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), which shows whether money is owed on a car. A car bought with a debt on it could be repossessed, even though the debt isn't yours.
No dealer guarantee
Buying privately in NSW, you're not covered by the Australian Consumer Law or the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act. A recent pink slip only means the car passed its rego safety check.
Sand and salt
Cars that spend their days parked at Wategos, Belongil or Tallow pick up salt underneath. Rust in the structure is on an inspector's list, so look early.
Before you hand over the money
You can
- Run the rego check and note the expiry date.
- Search the PPSR for money owing.
- Check the VIN on the car matches the one on the registration papers.
- Lift the mats and look in the boot for damp, stains or rust.
Leave to the mechanic
- A pre-purchase inspection of the engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension.
- The pink slip or blue slip: only an AIS station can do those.
- Any rust repairs in the car's structure.
Slips with nobody looking
If someone offers a pink slip without seeing the car, walk away. Since January 2026, Transport for NSW has audited 570 slip providers and cancelled 127 licences over slips issued sight unseen.
What we'd do
Buying a traveller's car, we'd run the rego check and the PPSR search before going to look, then have a mechanic go over it before paying. Selling one, we'd get the pink slip while the rego still has time on it, because the first thing a buyer asks about is the rego.