Last updated: October 2026
An interstate move forces a decision about the car that many people leave until the final chaotic week: take it or sell it. Taking it means driving it up the highway or paying for transport, then re registering it in the new state with a new inspection, new plates and new fees. Selling it means one less thing on the truck and money in your pocket for the move. For older cars especially, the maths usually favours selling, and the difference between a good sale and a desperate one is simply when you start. Here is the timeline that works.
Why Taking an Older Car Interstate Often Makes No Sense
Every state registers vehicles under its own system, so a permanent move means cancelling or transferring the Victorian registration and registering in the new state, usually with an inspection to their standard, new plates and the associated fees. Add transport if you are not driving it, which for long routes can run to four figures, or fuel and accommodation if you are. For a newer car you love, those costs are worth it. For an ageing second car worth a few thousand dollars, you can easily spend a meaningful slice of its value just relocating it, then face an inspection it might not pass. Selling in Victoria and buying again after you settle is frequently the cheaper and calmer path.
The Timeline That Makes It Painless
Four to six weeks before the move
Make the decision and get your numbers. A free valuation tells you what the car is worth here, and ten minutes of research tells you what moving it would cost. Compare the two and the decision usually makes itself. If you are selling, this is also the moment to book the sale, not execute it.
Two to three weeks before the move
Lock in the plan. This is where a pre booked sale earns its keep: agree the price now and schedule the pickup for your final days, so you keep the car for the errands, the trips to the tip and the school runs that a move generates, right up until you genuinely no longer need it.
Moving week
Hand the car over a day or two before you leave. The pickup happens at your home between the boxes, payment lands the same day, and you are not trying to sell a car from another state. Notify VicRoads of the disposal the same day, cancel or redirect the insurance, and clear the car from any toll account.
What not to do
Do not list the car privately in your final fortnight. A private sale needs weeks you no longer have, and buyers can sense a deadline. Sellers in their last week routinely accept far less than the car is worth, simply because the removalist is booked and the clock has won.
How the Pre Booked Sale Works
This moving scenario is exactly why Victorian Car Buyers offers pre booked sales. You call weeks ahead, we value the car and agree the figure, and the pickup is scheduled for the date you choose in moving week. If the removalist reschedules, the pickup moves with it. You drive your car until the day you leave, then it is collected from your driveway with the paperwork done on the spot and a same day cash for cars payment, which lands rather usefully right when moving expenses are at their peak. One call a month out, and the whole question is settled.
Questions Movers Ask
What if my moving date changes?
Pickups reschedule easily. Moving dates shift all the time, and the booking is built to shift with them. Just tell us as soon as you know.
Can you buy my car after I have already left Victoria?
It is possible with the right authority and documents, but it is genuinely harder for you, from signing paperwork to handing over keys. Selling before you go is simpler in every way, which is exactly why we suggest booking it early.
We have two cars and are only taking one. Can both be handled?
Yes, and if you are selling more than one vehicle, both can be assessed and collected together on the same day. Tell us about both cars in the first call.
Should I sell my car with registration or claim a refund before moving?
If the registration is transferred with the car, its remaining months are part of what you are selling. If the registration ends up cancelled, unused full months can be refunded by VicRoads, claimed from anywhere. Either way, sort it before the move while your Victorian paperwork is at hand.
Leave Victoria With Money, Not a Problem
A car dealt with early is moving money in the bank. A car dealt with late is a discount you did not need to give. If a move is on your horizon anywhere in Melbourne or regional Victoria, call Steve on 0455 776 443 this week, book the sale for moving week, and cross the biggest loose end off the list a month early.
When you are ready, our guide to selling your car to us shows each step.
About the author: Written by Steve, owner of Victorian Car Buyers, a licensed motor car trader (LMCT 12395) based in Delahey, Melbourne.