You’ve decided it’s time to sell your car. After years of faithful service, you’ve finally outgrown your pride and joy. Perhaps the family has grown larger or maybe you just want something a little more recent (in which case check out some of the best options on the market).
In Queensland, there are a few safety and legal requirements you need to complete during a vehicle sale. Before deciding how you want to sell your car, it’s to be aware of these under the state’s transport law.
This article will take you through this and help you understand the types of documentation you might need when offloading a used car.
Queensland Roadworthy Certificate (RWC)
It is essential to get a used car tested for roadworthiness before you can sell it, transfer ownership, re-register or transfer your registration to another state. The RWC will act as your proof that your registered car is safe enough to drive on public roads.
Selling A Registered Car
You must get your car inspected by an approved inspection station (AIS) if the car is registered. From 1 September 2021, the seller is required to obtain a RWC from an AIS before disposing of the car. This means, you can advertise your car without the certificate, but once you have a buyer, you will need to get the car certified before you can transfer the vehicle to their name.
Selling an Unregistered Car
You can sell a car in Queensland without a RWC if the car is unregistered. When you find a buyer, you will need to create a paper trail for the sale. This can be a simple contract or receipt of sale, and must contain the following details:
- Signatures from you and the person buying
- The vehicle identification number (VIN), chassis number, or the engine number
- The make and model of the vehicle
- The date of the sale
Repairing the Car Before Selling
What happens if your car has issues, and you need to sell? This can come up for several reasons. You may have known about the damages before deciding to sell or discovered it during the vehicle inspection process.
Selling Without Damages
Meet with a qualified mechanic to assess any issues and get a quote for the repair work that will be essential to pass the safety inspection. The RWC inspection covers the basic components, including:
- Tyres
- Brakes
- Steering
- Suspension
- Body rust or damage
- Windscreen
- Lights
Communicate clearly with the mechanic that these are the only components you want to fix. They might try to upsell you but only consider repairs that increase the car’s value for a better sale price.
Selling With Damages
You might find that after the mechanic assesses your vehicle, the repairs will not be worth it as they would not be recuperated in the sale price. In this case, you are better off selling your car ‘as is’ to an auto dealer, auto parts dismantler or selling it privately as an unregistered vehicle.
There are many buyers out there who will be interested in the parts or restoring the car. Be sure to have the paperwork on the past and required repair work and why the car is not considered safe for driving on public roads.
Alternative Option To Avoid All The Paperwork
Car Dealership
If you are looking to avoid the hassle of going through a safety check or want to avoid a potentially lengthy selling process, you might want to consider a Brisbane car buyer to get you the price you want. Get in touch with us now and we can take care of all the above paperwork for you.
When selling a car through us, we will only need three documents from you:
- Copy of your driver’s licence
- Copy of the car’s registration certificate
- Signed vendor’s statement
There are no hidden fees with us, no paperwork charges or credit card charges. We do not charge you anything, in fact, we will only be paying you!
Selling your car privately can be time-consuming while selling your car online can be costly. We are one of Brisbane’s most established car sales specialists and have built up a large network over the years. Our buying process will provide you with a quick and easy experience. It all starts with requesting a quote or giving us a call.
