A mobile roadworthy certificate, or a station with a workshop?
Queensland's Find an AIS search can filter the list to stations that do mobile inspections, and to those issuing electronic certificates. A mobile inspection saves you the drive. A station with its own workshop is the stronger pick if you think something will fail, because the repair and the recheck can happen in one place.
Ask which kind of business it is when they call. The department warns that its search relies on third-party information, so it's worth confirming what the station offers.
What Rockhampton sellers run into
Which side of the river
Rockhampton is split by the Fitzroy, with two bridges for road traffic. A car with a fault you already know about is better inspected on its own side than driven across town, so give the suburb where it's actually parked.
Utes off cattle properties
Rockhampton calls itself the Beef Capital of Australia, and the livestock exchange at Gracemere is one of the largest in the country. Utes that work properties out along the Capricorn Highway take a beating on tyres, suspension and steering, and those are all on the inspection list.
Flood-affected cars
In early 2011 the Fitzroy surrounded the western half of the city, peaking at 9.2 metres, and the 1918 flood reached 10.11 metres. RACQ says water can contaminate a flooded car's fuel and oil and leave corrosion in wiring plugs and connectors. A safety certificate isn't designed to find that.
Cars from the Capricorn Coast
Yeppoon, the main centre of the coast east of the city, is growing fast. A car that lives near the beach hides its salt under the sills and round the wheel arches, and body rust or damage is on Queensland's list.
The Queensland rule in a few lines
A private seller's certificate lasts 2 months or 2,000 km from the date of issue, whichever runs out first, and covers one transfer. You don't need one to advertise, but you must have a current one before the car changes hands, other than to a dealer. The department says the inspection isn't a full mechanical one; buyers wanting that can ask for a pre-purchase inspection. The rest is on safety certificates in Queensland.
Our take
We'd fix the faults we already knew of, wash the car, and get the certificate in the week it's advertised. If buyers were coming from Gladstone or further, we'd have them view the car at home rather than driving it to them, so most of the 2,000 km is still there at the handover.