2020 Holden Commodore Pricing and Specs

Whether you can register the car or not, is not your biggest hurdle here. Because somebody else (a finance company or bank in this case) has a financial interest in the vehicle, the law in Queensland states that the car may be repossessed by that finance company or bank as a means of recovering the debt, even though the debt was not incurred by you.

Fundamentally, the private seller who sold you the car was not legally in a position to do so for the simple reason that the car was not theirs to sell. Because that financial institution still had a stake in it (as loan security or whatever) the car was not fully owned by the private seller. The car did not, as the law calls it, have a clear title.

If the financial body decides to repossess the car, you would have the choice of letting them do so (and waving goodbye to your money and your car) or paying out the amount of money in dispute. Either that or contact the seller and convincing them to make good on their loan repayments.

You can avoid this situation by doing a PPSR check (in most states) which will alert you to a vehicle that is encumbered. The official advice it to never buy a car with money still owing on it or is in any way encumbered. The other alternative is to buy from a licensed car dealer or trader as, under the law, they must guarantee clear title on any vehicle they sell.

So, before attempting to spend more money on registering the car, talk to the company with the interest in the car and try to come to an arrangement regarding the car’s future. You will have very little recourse if the car is repossessed as the company involved is well within the law to take this action.

It’s a bit hard to go past an older Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon for this brief. That said, your towing requirement means you’d be best looking at something like an AU (1998 to 2003) Falcon Ute (assuming you only need to move one other person).

These are strong, simple cars that any mechanic can deal with and parts are plentiful and relatively cheap. There are other options (older Japanese dual-cabs) but nothing really gets close to the Aussie stuff for durability and running costs. An elderly Nissan Navara, for instance, might do the job but is likely to become fragile as it ages. A two-wheel-drive Toyota HiLux is another possibility, but you’d probably be right at the limit of your towing capacity with one of those. The Falcon ute, meanwhile, can legally tow 2300kg. It’s not glamorous or sexy, but it’ll do the job and stay on target price-wise.

The other obvious contender would be an early Mitsubishi Pajero with a V6 engine. These had a towing capacity of 2500kg and are around now for very little money, certainly within your budget. They also double as a very handy off-roader should you wish.