The ad says “comes with RWC”, so the car must be fine, right? Not quite. A roadworthy certificate is useful, but it answers a different question from the one most buyers are asking.

What a roadworthy certificate checks

In Victoria, a roadworthy certificate (RWC) is needed when a registered car is sold, when a car is re-registered, and to clear some defect notices. It is issued by a licensed vehicle tester, and it is usually arranged and paid for by the seller.

The tester checks the main safety items:

• wheels and tyres
• steering, suspension and brakes
• seats and seatbelts
• lights and reflectors
• windscreen, windows, wipers and washers
• the vehicle structure, and other safety-related parts of the body, chassis and engine

A roadworthy is current for 30 days from the day it is issued.

What a roadworthy does not tell you

The Victorian Department of Transport says it plainly: a roadworthy inspection “doesn’t tell you if your car is mechanically reliable or what the general condition of the vehicle is.” It does not cover items that are not about safety, such as air conditioning or electric windows, and it can’t promise that the parts it checked will keep working after the test.

That means a car can pass its roadworthy and still have:

• an engine or gearbox problem that only shows when it is warm or under load
• oil or coolant leaks that are getting worse
• signs of an old accident repair or flood damage
• gaps in its service history, or a cambelt that is overdue
• finance still owing on it

What a pre-purchase inspection adds

A pre-purchase inspection is done for the buyer, by a mechanic the buyer chooses. Its job is to tell you what you are really buying, so you can decide whether to go ahead and what to offer. A Car Check Mates inspection covers:

• 58 checks (Standard) or 96 checks (Premium) across the body, wheels and brakes, underbody, engine bay, interior and a road test
• a fault code scan, battery test and checks for leaks
• signs of accident repair, rust and flood damage
• the service history and the number of keys
• a PPSR check for finance owing, written-off and stolen status
• a scored report with a photo of every fault, plus a valuation guide

Side by side

So do you need both?

Usually, yes. The roadworthy is the seller’s job and lets the car be transferred. The inspection is your protection. The best time to book it is after you have seen the car and before you pay a deposit or sign anything. If the inspection finds problems, you can walk away or use the report to negotiate the price.

Sources

• Roadworthy certificate – Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria

General information only, current as of October 2026. It is not legal or financial advice. Rules can change, so check the official sources below.

Before you pay for a used car, there are three things you want to be sure of: nobody else has a claim on it, it has not been written off, and it has not been reported stolen. The PPSR check answers all three.

What is the PPSR?

The Personal Property Securities Register is the Australian Government’s national register of money owed against personal property, including cars. When someone borrows money against a car, the lender can register its interest. A vehicle search also shows whether the car has been reported written off or stolen.

How to do a PPSR search

1. Get the car’s VIN (vehicle identification number). It is 17 characters long, made of digits and capital letters.
2. Find it on the car itself, not just in the ad: look through the windscreen on the driver’s side of the dashboard, on the driver’s door frame where the door latches, or under the bonnet.
3. Search it at ppsr.gov.au. An official search costs $2, paid by card.
4. Save the certificate you receive.

How to read the result

Security interest (finance owing)

A registered security interest usually means a lender is owed money against the car. If you buy it and the debt is not paid, you could have a serious problem. Don’t hand over money until the seller shows you, in writing from the lender, that the loan has been paid out, or until the lender confirms how the payout will happen on the day.

Written off

A written-off record means an insurer decided the car was not worth repairing after damage, such as a crash, hail or flood. Some written-off cars can return to the road after repair and inspection, and some can never be re-registered. Either way, it changes what the car is worth, and the repairs need a close look.

Stolen

If the car shows as reported stolen, do not go ahead. Walk away and contact the police.

Three tips that make the check worth it

• Match the VIN everywhere. The VIN on the car, on the registration papers and on the PPSR certificate should all be the same. If they are not, stop.
• Search close to the day you pay. A search from weeks ago can be out of date.
• Remember what it does not show. The PPSR tells you about finance, write-offs and theft. It tells you nothing about the engine, the gearbox, rust or accident repairs that were never reported. That is what a mechanical inspection is for.

Included in every Car Check Mates inspection

We run the PPSR check as part of both the Standard and the Premium inspection, and the result appears on the first page of your report, next to what the mechanic found.

Sources

• Check before you buy your first second-hand car – PPSR (Australian Government)

General information only, current as of October 2026. It is not legal or financial advice. Rules can change, so check the official sources below.

An inspection report is not only a pass or fail. Used well, it is the strongest tool you have to agree a fair price, because every point is backed by a mechanic’s note and a photo.

1. Sort the findings into three groups

• Fix now. Items marked Poor or needing attention before the car is driven, such as worn brake pads or a tyre below the legal limit.
• Coming soon. Items to keep an eye on, such as tyres with low tread or a noisy belt. They will cost money within months.
• Cosmetic. Scratches, chips and worn trim. Fair to mention, but they rarely justify a big discount on a used car.

2. Put a number on the repairs

Ask any workshop for a written quote for the “fix now” and “coming soon” items. A real quote is much more convincing to a seller than a guess.

3. Check the asking price against the market

Your report includes a valuation guide showing trade-in, private sale and dealer ranges for similar cars. If the asking price is already at the top of the range and the car needs work, you have a strong case.

4. Make your offer, calmly

Show the seller the relevant findings and photos, explain the repair quote, and make a clear offer. Keep it friendly: most sellers genuinely did not know about the faults.

5. Know your walk-away points

Some findings are not about price. Think very carefully, or walk away, if the report shows:

• finance owing that the seller can’t clear in writing, or a written-off or stolen record
• structural rust, or signs of flood damage
• accident repairs the seller did not tell you about
• a serious engine or gearbox fault

Buying from a dealer? Two extra points

In Victoria, a licensed dealer must give a statutory warranty on a used car that is under 10 years old and has travelled under 160,000 km. It lasts 3 months or 5,000 km, whichever comes first, though some items such as tyres and batteries are excluded. Even so, the best time to raise a fault is before you take delivery: ask the dealer to fix it, in writing, as part of the deal.

You also have a cooling-off period of three clear business days after signing with a licensed dealer. Cancelling during that time can cost you $100 or 1% of the price, whichever is more, and you lose the right to cool off once you accept delivery.

Sources

• Warranties on used cars – Consumer Affairs Victoria
• Used car cooling-off period – Consumer Affairs Victoria

General information only, current as of October 2026. It is not legal or financial advice. Rules can change, so check the official sources below.

Facebook Marketplace and other classifieds are full of good, honest private sales. They are also where scammers and dodgy sellers look for buyers. Here are the signs we tell our own friends and family to watch for.

Red flags in the ad

• The price is well below market. Scamwatch warns that fake ads “usually offer the vehicle at a price much lower than expected.”
• A story that creates urgency, such as a sudden move overseas. The aim is to rush you into paying before you have seen the car.
• The ad disappears soon after you make contact.
• Very few photos, no photo of the odometer, or photos that look like they came from a dealer listing.

Red flags when you talk to the seller

• They want a deposit or full payment before you see the car. Scamwatch’s advice: “Be wary of purchasing a vehicle that you are unable to see.”
• They only accept a bank transfer or wire transfer, especially to an account in a different name.
• They are “selling it for a friend” or a relative, and the name on the registration papers is not theirs.
• They won’t give you the VIN, or they refuse an independent inspection. An honest seller has nothing to hide.
• They will only meet in a car park, never at a home address.

Red flags at the car

• The engine is already warm when you arrive. A cold start shows problems a warm engine hides.
• Warning lights on the dashboard, or lights that never come on at all when you turn the key.
• Fresh paint on one panel, uneven gaps between panels, or paint on rubber seals: signs of accident repair.
• New carpet, a damp smell or rust under the seats: signs of flood damage.
• No service history, or a VIN on the car that does not match the papers.

Your checklist before you pay

1. See the car in person, at the seller’s address, in daylight.
2. Check the seller’s ID matches the name on the registration papers.
3. Run a PPSR check on the VIN for finance owing, written-off and stolen status.
4. Ask for the current roadworthy certificate. In Victoria, one is needed when a registered car is sold.
5. Book an independent pre-purchase inspection before you pay a deposit.
6. Pay only at handover, and get a receipt showing the VIN, the price and both your names.

If something feels wrong, it probably is. There will always be another car.

Sources

• Scammers target online car buyers – Scamwatch
• Roadworthy certificate – Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria

General information only, current as of October 2026. It is not legal or financial advice. Rules can change, so check the official sources below.