Hi fellow travellers. I'm looking to hit the road full time and plan to buy a motorhome. Does anyone know which state is the cheapest for stamp duty, registration and ongoing costs. I know Victoria does not require the laborious annual roadworthy checks which is great as I'd not want to drive half way across the country just to renew my rego as I always ensure my vehicle is mechanically sound and safe. Having a home on wheels and being able to go anywhere I'd like to is such a free feeling. Doing it on a budget is a necessity. Any information you have will be greatly appreciated. I know I can find the information by investigating the various websites in each state or territory but it's always nicer to connect with other travellers. Travel safe Peta.
Not sure about other states, or which is the cheapest
What I know about Western Australia is as follows
Caravans are cheap to register and about a quarter of the price of a cars
Motorhomes are registered as a recreation vehicle, and about half the price of a car
For example
My 6 cylinder car about $1,000
My Motorhome of just under 4,000 kg about $500
In WA you can re-register and pay over the internet, without any inspection of the vehicle
But
This must be on their register to advise you by email, and not post mail, that the rego is due
I was in South Australia and did not realise that my rego was due, until I returned to WA
I shudder to think what the insurance would have said, if I had a prang on the Nullabor, in a technically unregistered vehicle
You might want to think about all the things that require an address then weigh up costs and conveniences after you have that list. Things that spring to mind,
voting (if you are inclined), rego, driver's licence, car insurance, property (contents) insurance health insurance, roadside assistance, NP park passes. All of these are affected by postcodes to some extent. Some have direct effect on cost, some have added benefits to state residents, some are affected by any benefit cards you hold (like NP park passes in some states). All can change over time, so don't rely solely on rego cost right now.
Thank you Dabbler, you are certainly correct and fortunately Ive managed to get all of those incidentals nicely taken care off. Having access to an address in many parts of our great country has provided me with the opportunity to leave all of the routine parts of life sitting against a permanent address while maintaining a Post Office Box to capture and snail mail. My objective is to be able to travel indefinitely without the handicap of the annual hassle of a roadworthy inspection, which in my mind is an inconvenient added cost. Id be very happy to receive a registration (and CTP if necessary) via email and just pay it online. Vehicle insurance will fall into the same category if I can manage to find out which one of our great states is run the most efficiently and therefore will not be relying on the greying nomads to prop them up. At this stage the only jurisdiction Ive crooked off is the ACT as everything is expensive there and costs are still rising. Travel Safe. Peta
