Buying a car in lockdown: Everything you need to know about remote inspections, click and collect, home delivery and more

Despite the challenges most of us are facing at the moment, many of us still need to, or at least want to buy a car.

You might have a baby on the way, a dog that’s outgrown your current car, a lease that’s about to expire, or need some solid retail therapy after plans for The Big Trip to Europe evaporated. 

Can I buy a car during lockdown?

The short answer is, yes. As long as dealerships are permitted to trade, or logistics companies are still permitted to deliver vehicles, you will still be able to buy a car. 

But as we’re all experiencing, the definition of ‘lockdown’ is very fluid, so it’s important to check the specific restrictions for your area or where the car you’re buying is located at any given time and ensure your actions are mindful of everybody’s wellbeing. 

Based on the restrictions in Sydney and Melbourne at the time of publishing, there's plenty of safe ways for all types of car purchases. 

Buying a car in lockdown

As long as dealerships are permitted to trade, you will still be able to buy a car. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

We spoke to a number of dealers this week, representing metropolitan and rural areas, which sell new cars, used cars and classic cars. 

While traditional visits to the showroom or dealer yard are not currently permitted, these dealers have embraced technology, and in many ways boosted buyer convenience, to enable the car buying process to happen remotely and safely. It's also important to note that service departments currently remain open.

It’s rare that any used car isn’t advertised online via the likes of Autotrader or Gumtree these days, but numerous car brands have also launched online car purchasing options for new cars in recent times, but delivery is still generally handled by local dealers.

It’s common for these dealers to create short videos of all cars in stock, which show all significant details and once shared, they allow interested buyers to get up close and personal with a particular car without leaving their home. It’s also fair to assume live video chats are possible, but none of the dealers we spoke to had received such a request to-date.

You’ll find most, if not all dealers are happy to organise test drive opportunities delivered to your home within a safe and reasonable distance, with all loan paperwork aside from a signature handled digitally. The vehicle can then be collected by the dealer when the test drive is complete. 

Further peace of mind can be added via a professional third-party inspection and detailed vehicle history report, which some dealers are offering free-of-charge. There’s always a degree of risk when buying any used vehicle, but these will likely mitigate this risk well beyond your own tyre-kicking capabilities. 

Beyond this, you’re generally protected by a statutory warranty under Australian Consumer Law, which generally covers all vehicles under 10 years old with less than 160,000km on the odometer, with protection lasting three months or 5000km.

The normal negotiation process can then be had over the phone or video chat, so you can still try your luck haggling for floor mats or a cheaper price, as you should.

Can I travel to buy a car during lockdown? Can I pick up a car during lockdown?

Traditional visits to the showroom or dealer yard are not currently permitted. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

There’s no solid answers to these questions either, and while you may find you’re technically permitted to travel and collect a car at the moment, it’s far from essential when it comes to collecting your new car. 

As with the home delivered test drives mentioned above, it’s often possible for dealers to deliver your new car to your home. Click and collect is another option, but many buyers are also opting to have their vehicle delivered by truck. 

This is probably cheaper than you realise, given the existing and competitive logistics services on hand for delivering vehicles to dealerships in the first place, and a very realistic option when buying a car outside your local area or from interstate. This can also be a handy negotiation point when determining a final price for the car.

Can I buy a car privately during lockdown?

Dealers are still happy to organise test drive opportunities. (image credit: Malcolm Flynn)

Once again the short answer is yes, but you need to be mindful of how your local restrictions may impinge on the process. Note the terms relating to shopping and where you’re permitted to do so, but also how any intention to test drive a vehicle will depend on the trust of the vendor. 

As above, video inspections and professional third-party inspections are a great workaround, as is the option of having a car delivered to your door by truck. Be mindful that any vendor should insist on receiving payment before handing over the keys (and ownership papers) to a logistics company, which then requires a degree of trust from the buyer. I've personally bought a classic car from interstate under the current restrictions, and put all this advice to the test to good effect.

However, the two elements above relating to trust are both solid arguments for buying through a dealer rather than privately, where insurance and Australian Consumer Law will more clearly protect all parties.

Selling car during lockdown

To quote a classic workshop manual line, assembly is the reverse of disassembly. If restrictions allow, the ability of a buyer to test drive the car you’re selling will depend on your trust, and as always, you’re under no obligation to allow a test drive. It will likely help you sell the vehicle, however. 

If you agree to sell the vehicle, it’s important to secure payment before handing over the keys and ownership papers. Bank cheques or electronic funds transfer are still the safest options here, but with the latter, it’s important to ensure the funds have arrived in your account before proceeding.