Virtual Mechanic

In the month of October, author Darren Gow-Brown will be releasing the following titles.
Buying A Car online Video available to download october 2009
Basic Car Maintenance CD Rom available to download october 2009
Other video’s will also become available online in the coming months

This means for the price of a Latte you can learn how not to buy a lemon….

  
Buying a Second Hand Vehicle  

Are you buying your dream car or a financial nightmare?

Purchasing a vehicle can be a big investment.
If you purchase a vehicle that has money owing or has been recorded as stolen, you risk the vehicle being repossessed.

VicRoads VSR is designed to provide financial security to potential vehicle buyers and financial lenders.

For just $7.50 you can obtain a VSR certificate which provides legal protection against repossession by a financier.
The certificate will also indicate whether the vehicle has been stolen.
The VSR certificate is only valid if the vehicle is purchased within 24 hours of its issue.

What the VSR can tell you

When you make a VSR enquiry, you are able to check whether:

there is finance recorded against the vehicle; and
whether the vehicle has been reported stolen.
Which vehicles does the VSR include?

Cars
Motorcycles
Trucks & Buses
Trailers & Caravans
Agricultural Machinery & Implements
What information do I need to make a VSR enquiry

Before you make a VSR enquiry, you need to obtain all the following information from the vehicle:

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or chassis number if the vehicle is manufactured before 1989, and
registration rumber and state of registration; and
engine number
It is important that you sight these details from the vehicle and not from any documents that the seller might offer.
If you are having trouble finding these numbers on the vehicle ask at a service station or contact the vehicle manufacturer.

Before calling VSR you should confirm that these numbers match those on the vehicle’s registration certificate.

How do I make a VSR enquiry?

You can request a VSR certificate by –

Calling VicRoads on 13 1171
Visiting maxi on the Internet at www.maxi.com.au
Using a maxi Kiosk situated at various locations across Victoria.
Method of Payment

Payment can be made by using either your VISA Card, Master Card or Bank Card.
Alternatively you can send a cheque or money order made payable to

Vehicle Securities Register, PO Box 2446, KEW VIC 3101.

A VSR Certificate will be mailed to you within two working days.

For further information please telephone VicRoads on 13 11 71 between Monday and Saturday 8:30am to 5:00pm

For Interstate Callers Ring 1800 814 762
If you have any suspicions about the ownership of the car, it may be a good idea to check with the Stolen Vehicles Squad to make sure the car has
not been reported as stolen. The telephone number is (03) 9865 2462.

State Name Telephone No Information Required
Victroria Vehicles Securities Register 13 1171 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or chassis number if the vehicle is manufactured before 1989, and
Registration rumber 
State of registration;
Engine number
 
NSW, ACT &NT Register of Encumbered Vehicles (02) 9600 0022 Registration number,
Engine number,
Chassis number
Make
Model number
 
QLD Register of Encumbered Vehicles (07) 3246 1599 Registration number,
Engine number
Chassis number
 
SA Vehicles Securities Register 131 084 Registration number,
Engine number
 
WA Register of Encumbered Vehicles (09) 222 0711 Registration number,
Engine number
Chassis number
 
TAS Transport Department Motor Registry (03) 62 335201 Registration number

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Recently have you noticed that when you shop around at different suppliers or stations that some times you seem to get more per km. Well I have decided to conduct a simple test over the next month. My plan is to choose the major fuel outlets to see if I can get more per km  or if they are all the same. Now don’t let me do all the hard work, if you wish to participate join me and offer your experience.

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Buyer beware of the latest scam when buying a vehicle in Australia.

This is how it works.

A person will advertise a vehicle for sale in Melbourne, Sydney, or anywhere in Australia,
they will only use a mobile phone number, but they don’t actually own the vehicle to sell.
They will travel interstate and hire a late model vehicle and re-register the vehicle in the state they are selling the vehicle with new plates, and therefore the vehicle will show no record of any prior ownership, therefore its seems like its impossible to determine a fraudulent sale.

But wait it gets worse, they then hang around for a while to retrieve the vehicle in question and return the vehicle interstate to the hire car company with the original plates.
This makes it almost impossible for the police to locate the vehicle, because the vehicle doesn’t actually exist, in the state it was purchased for cash.

The loser is the person who paid cash, and responded to a cheaper then normal price, as well as ringing a mobile number only.

So you think how would you protect yourself from this activity?

1.Don’t purchase a vehicle from only a mobile phone number
2.Get the name and address with a landline number and ring it the next day
3.Ring the vehicle security register in your state and get that certificate send out
4.Try to pay by bank cheque

Finally its always safer to purchase a vehicle from a dealer, don’t you think.

I was shocked to hear about this but not surprised because not all states are communicating with one another, this it makes it very easy to create such a scam as this one.

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