markr1963

I'm moving out there in about 10 weeks and was wondering what's what with owning a scoob in OZ, Perth in particular. Is a scoob more or less expensive to own and run in real terms than the UK? And is there such a thing as an STi Wagon over there?

TIA
Mark

WR1 Wannabe

Just came back from Perth, and one thing I can tell you is that there are quite a few Scooby's out there.

markr1963

WR1 W
Work or hols? What did you reckon to the place?

Mark

wah

I can agree with you there was there last year and saw a few kicking around Perth centre !!

rapiddescent

yeah - I was out in Perth in May. fantastic town. Went to the Perth motor show out at the burswood. every manufacturer... except scoob. couldn't beleive it. Saw quite a few scoobs in and around town and a few mod'd classic WRX.

the only problem with WA is the speed limits. The aussies are **** retentive about speeding and you can only do 100km/h on the motorway and daft slow 40km/h just about everywhere else. Whilst here in the UK most people stick to about 90mph on the motirway, the aussies will drive at 99km/h. If you speed on public holidays you get a double hit on the points on your licence!

you can drive for 5 hours and only see one car - usually a police car with a radar trap.

rd

WR1 Wannabe

I'm emigrating to Oz myself (some time in the next 2 - 3 years), so it was half holiday, half fact-finding mission. I spent some time out there a few years ago and wanted to see what had changed.

Perth is nice, but I don't think I'll end up there. It's hard to explain why - it's just a slightly negative impression. It's a little spread out, and of course isolated. It's very dry and lots of places use smelly bore water for irrigation, which leaves red stains on everything. There's not much of a social scene - people tend to socialise with each other at home, so it can be hard to click with the place. Things like that really. Also the shore fishing isn't that good. They do have some crime issues there as well - 'foreign' gangs, etc., and younger people have a 9:00 PM curfew in certain areas. A lot of people lock their cars when they're driving them although, from what I read here, some people do in the UK as well.

On the other hand, there does seem to be a fair amount of work around, depending on what you do. And of course property is dirt cheap. There is lots of interesting wildlife hopping, flapping & scurrying about (I hope you are not arachnophobic!), and Perth city centre itself is quite lively, though small. Fremantle is very pleasant, but more expensive. If you are used to a fairly long commute (>30 minutes) then some of the beach suburbs offer more pleasant surroundings in which to live. The suburbs closer to the city are seeing a lot of development, and what is a good view of the bush from your garden one month could be a housing estate the next.

And, as rapiddescent says, everyone seems to drive soooooo slow! The police there are not particularly friendly either, although that is something I notice about Australia in general - they still have a bit of "we are the law and you are all convicts" about them.

HTH.

Daz34

My Bro lives out in Fremantle, near Perth & I came back last month. Lots of scoobies but the speeding laws in WA are crazy. They hide speed guns behind bushes & will do you for going 1kph over the limit. They have updates on the local radio stations when a speed camera site is spotted. Everyone hates them with a vengance.
Rather than a scooby, I would have a V8 HSV out there

markr1963

I been a couple of times to Perth though not seen enough of the city to form an opinion. I've heard that the Oz traf pol are a bit keen What's the legality of front mounted <cough> garage door openers </cough> over there? Would something like a Geodesy plus radar (I know the GPS bit wouldn't work ) at least give some warning?

With all that space you'd have thought there'd be somewhere you could go for a trouble-free hoon (kangeroos, emus and other bonnet wrecking creatures notwithstanding)

Not bothered about a bit commuting (takes me about an hour now) and we're looking for somewhere not too far from the ocean. Hilarys would be good though I reckon that could be a bit pricey.

Mark

WR1 Wannabe

Well, that's the trick isn't it? I went for a drive up north from Perth, and my daughter stopped couting dead kangaroos at about a hundred - hitting one at night is a very real risk. And they're big buggers too . The roads a few kms north (and east) can be practically deserted of traffic though - I don't think the police bother out there. Unfortunately they are also pretty straight for hundreds of kms - very few twisties to play in.

Yah, Hilary's is nice, but just about the most expesive area. Very windy too - people keep the doors and windows shut to keep the sand out.

roc

Oh you've gone and done it now......................... my other half is from Perth, so her reply is below. She's a little biased but it very very nice out there:

I'm from Perth and think you will love it there. The police are b*stards with their speed traps and everyone drives to the speed limits[Added by Roc - West Australians can't use roundabouts either]. I'm not sure about the laws, but I know plenty of people with radar detectors. Subaru's are cheap in comparison to here and there are plenty on the roads[WRX 45K, STI55K]. Evo's are really expensive out there [AUD75K] so everyone settles for Imprezas. Not too sure about the cost of insurance, but I wouldn't have thought that it'd be more than here (in proportion to your wages).... Fuel just cracked the $1 mark / litre. Loads of people are into their cars, but generally love their big old American and Aussie motors as well as the Japanese imports.

I actually was brought up in Hillarys and own my own home there (if I can afford it - you can!). I can say with confidence (my house is a couple of doors away from the beach) - it does get windy - but not so much as to blow sand across into the house (don't know where that one came from). But in the summer time the breeze is a god send - you'll know about that when it's 38 degrees and not a breath of wind. It's a really lovely area to live - the beaches are some of the best in Perth, it's quiet, and there's a train station only a five to ten minute drive up the road where trains take 15 -20 mins to get into the city. After work there's nothing better than a walk along the beach to the marina and drinking a pint of nice cold EB watching the sun set. You lucky bugger.

Oh yeah - and the fishing at Pinnaroo Point is fantastic.

WR1 Wannabe

Just whatI was told. Or was it dust? It might have been dust - someone who lives there was telling me about washing coming back in from the line dirtier than before it was washed.

Re: car insurance, I think it was in Perth that I was told insurance is not compulsory...

Re: Fishing. Caught bugger all around Perth (from Mandurah to Lancelin) apart from tailor and stingrays. Further south (Albany to Margaret River) they get the salmon running in Autumn, and further north (Exmouth) you can catch sailfish in the marina.

The fishing off perth in a boat is very good though - especially round the back of Rottnest, so I am told (didn't get a chance to try it).

You interested in fishing Mark? LOL.

RobJenks

Sounds like I'm the only one who lives in Perth.
Well based there I work overseas most of the time .
I have been there since 1981 and cannot afford to move back to England .I had a 4 bed home Epsom Downs!!!!!!
OK - Whats good about Perth?
Climate.
Home ownership is available to just about everybody -grants to first home buyers.
If you want to be on the Swan river expect to pay AUS$2-3,000,000
Hillarys is a cheaper suburb.
Expensive is Dalkieth,Claremont,Applecross,Cottesloe,Peppermint Grove
Fuel is cheap-Nobody talks about MPG
Lots of WRX's - All modified.Need FMIC
Energy generally is cheap
Food cheap but not the choice that is available in UK
Restaurants everywhere -the best are Italian/Seafood
Pub scene has been eroded in the suburbs - but Freo,Northbridge are the in places for the young.
Non political
Sport crazy
£'s buy plenty of AUS$
Access to health care
State school education excellent -in the right area
Excellent private schools also.
The only city centre that has a blue river flowing through it.
Oh yes -Climate!
Cars dont rust
great cheap golf
WACA
Perth Glory
Quick access to SE Asia
Cannon ball run Darwin to Alice Springs
The beer is sooooooooooo cold
The outback


The not so good.
Perth is isolated.
TV is poor -other than sport coverage,but sky now available.
Cant get a decent curry
If you are fair skinned be careful of skin cancer
I hate Christmas in Oz
Tends to be a boom or bust city - Resources dependant

WR1 Wannabe

Lots of good points that I would agree with there Rob, but I would take issue with the above comment.

According to the Real Estate Institute of WA, the average price of a house in Hilary's is $400,000 - $800,000, which is way above the Perth average of $250,000. Hilary's is in the 2nd highest bracket for house prices (from 6, with the lowest being a catch-all <$200,000).

OK, it's not the most expesive area, but it's certainly not one of the cheaper ones.

Daz34

This is making me miss Cottesloe Beach even more now

RobJenks

I stand corrected mate.
I have always lived in South of the river and was under the impression that the suburbs North of the river (Swan) were significantly cheaper -excluding exclusive riverside of course.

Guthrie

Hi Mark,

I have lived in Perth for 25 years before coming over to the UK on a working holiday. I think that you will really enjoy living there.

With respect to your original post, there are heaps of Subaru's in Perth. Lots of WRX's, Legacy's (Liberty in Aust) and Foresters. You will find ownership probably cheaper in Australia due to cheaper fuel, no manditory MOT's, cheaper tax discs etc. Subaru Australia doesnt import the Sti WRX wagon at the moment. The few that you see around (if you ever see one) would have been imported at great cost directly from Japan or NZ.

Think that you will enjoy driving one in Australia. I have had a Forester and an Outback which were great for driving on the beach and commuting.

Agree with most of the other comments re the stupid speed limits and Police. When I left Perth in Feb 03, Radar Detectors were still Legal... Not sure if it is still the case.

Cheers
Guthrie

markr1963

Cheers for the comments

Really looking forward to getting out there. Going to need a job before I get another scoob so any recommendations for IT recruitment agencies?

Mark

WR1 Wannabe

http://www.hays.com.au

are worth a try, although they don't send me much for Perth - most IT work comes from Sydney/Bribane/Adelaide.