If you live in certain states and want to sell an older car on the open market, you will want to make it as attractive as possible to a prospective buyer. In this case, you may be looking to cut out as much of the red tape as possible. However, if you haven't done this before, you may want to consider taking the vehicle for a technical inspection before you even advertise it for sale. What is involved in this process?
Requiring A Certificate Of Roadworthiness
Most states or territories require a certificate of inspection to accompany a vehicle if it is of a certain age. For example, in the ACT, this is six years, and any new owner will not be able to register the vehicle in their name if they do not have the certificate in place. In local lingo, this is known as a "rego" (pronounced"redge-o"), and as a seller, you can certainly take care of this before you even meet the buyer. If you do not, the buyer has to schedule the inspection themselves and pick up the certificate before they can go to the registration authority.
Items Up For Inspection
During a roadworthiness inspection, the technician will check to see that primary components meet a certain standard and that the vehicle is effectively safe for use on public roads. They'll look at the suspension, steering and braking systems and the tires and wheels for signs of any defect. All the lights and reflectors must be present, working and unobstructed as necessary; also, your windscreen should be largely free of cracks or chips. The inspector will also take a look at the condition of the seats and seat belts from a safety point of view.
Limitations Of The Certificate
Just remember that the certificate of inspection will not assert that the car is mechanically sound or that any subsidiary systems or accessories (not related to safety) are okay. So, this document is not a "guarantee" of any sort, and the buyer should conduct their own investigation to see if the vehicle is acceptable.
Scheduling A Rego Inspection
If you want to make life as easy as possible for a buyer, you should handle the rego inspection yourself. Book the vehicle into a facility that is licensed to handle these checks just before you plan to advertise the car for sale. You will then be able to get the certificate and can streamline the process accordingly.
Share10 August 2022
It's easy to get overlooked when you head into get your car serviced if you are a woman. I have found the trick to getting the auto repairers to take me seriously is to do some research beforehand and look at what the log book says they need to replace this service. I wish I had started doing it earlier because it's also helping me trouble shoot repair issues and I'm saving myself a lot of time and stress this way. I'm keeping track of everything I have learned on this blog so I can share it with other new drivers and help them understand their auto service requirements as well.