by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

Sydney is a unique and beautiful city. When it became my home 18 years ago, I felt quite overwhelmed by its size and, of course, the left side driving rules. Initially I thought I'd let my husband deal with the driving, but after three months it became obvious that he wouldn't be able to be the only official driver in our family with two children.

Getting from A to B in Sydney can be a real nightmare for anyone, particularly those new to this city of more than 4 million people, spread on 12,145 square kilometres, divided into more than 300 suburbs. Living in Sydney requires not only regular travel from home to work and back, but you also want to visit some of the 70 plus harbour and ocean beaches, national parks, picnic areas, do your shopping, drive kids to school and Saturday activities, etc. One thing is for sure - you do need a car in Sydney and most Sydneysiders are dependent on their car. It is not unusual for a family with two children to have two cars.

We were lucky enough to have a couple of friends who helped us with buying our first car and introducing us to all the driving rules and general stuff one needs to know. But I often thought that if we had to do it on our own, or even worse, if I had to do it with my limited knowledge and expertise about cars - I'd probably still be riding on a bus. Questions like: Can you drive with your international driver's license and for how long? Do you have to take another test? How do you choose between hundreds and hundreds of car dealers? Are they 'newcomer friendly' or if you don't know much about the local market will you be taken advantage of? What are some general questions to ask when buying a second hand car? Who organizes insurance? Are there any independent support services available? Do you buy a new car or a second hand car? Is price negotiable and how much?

The following will hopefully answer some of your questions and also give you a direction on where to go and look for more information when deciding to purchase a car in Sydney.

General information on cars and driving

When moving to Sydney, you can decide to import a car, however, this could be a very expensive exercise unless the car is of a special value or is rare and you can't bear to part with it. In addition to paying a shipping cost, you will also have to pay import duty. Much cheaper option is to buy a car upon arrival.

Australians drive on the left hand side of the road. When migrating to Australia as a permanent resident visa holder, you are allowed to drive with a valid driver's licence from another country (in English or with an official translation) for the first three months of arrival. After the three months, if you want to continue to drive, you will need to obtain the appropriate Australian driver's licence in your state of residence, which will usually require you to pass a knowledge test, a practical driving test, and an eyesight test. You must check the conditions with your local road and traffic authority, as conditions may vary from state to state.