Yes, Ace is an affordable driving school providing value for money in more ways than one. Our students leave our lessons feeling confident in their driving abilities while having fun at the same time.
There’s so much more to being a good driver than executing a perfect turn. The 'outside-of-the-car' stuff like insurance matters too. We’ve gathered some helpful links and driving advice for our students (and their parents) to walk through before test day.
Finding a car
Saving for a car and hunting for the right one is half the fun of learning to drive. During your driving lessons as a student, you’ll become familiar with both the instructor’s and your guardian’s car.
But you can’t drive Mum or Dad’s car forever, and a time will come when you must leave the safety of the 'nest' and branch out to find a car for yourself.
Sites like Gumtree, Carsales, and even eBay are good places to look for a new/used vehicle. Make an account and save your favourites to a list. Once the excitement of browsing has calmed down, go over the options with a fine tooth comb. As the saying goes, buyer beware…
Buying a car
First car buyers, listen up. It’s all well and good to be excited and you should be. It’s your first car, your ticket to freedom. But there’s less-than-honest sellers on the net who won’t think twice about ripping someone off for the sake of a few thousand dollars.
Car History does a background check and emails you the results for less than $40. You need the rego or the VIN number of the car you’re interested in and it’ll come back with something like this:
This site charges for the reports it produces, but it is worth the money. You’re preventing yourself from getting burnt if the seller is listing a car that isn’t true to detail. That brings us to the next recommendation.
RedBook is a site that shows you if you’re getting value for money. Simply enter the make, model, and year of the car you’ve seen. It’ll come back with how much the car is worth on the market today. If the seller is hocking a vehicle for top dollar when RedBook says it’s worth less, book an inspection or just walk away.
Insurance
You know Compare the Market? The comparison company with the meerkats? This website is helpful for most insurance needs, including CTP. You can’t drive without it so it’s important to tick this box ASAP.
Compare the Market will ask you questions about the car you’re going to drive such as its rego and if there’s any extra modifications, as well as details about yourself. It’ll come back with quotes from major insurers that you can choose from.
Roadside Assistance
RACQ roadside assistance is available to all members and doesn’t charge for services after you pay the annual membership fee (so make sure you join!). This is a lifesaver in the case of a breakdown when you need an emergency start. They’ll also help with emergency refuelling, lockouts, and towing. For younger drivers (16-19) the free2go program offers discounted rates and other materials to help them on their L-Plate journey.
We have more articles for you to look at:
Don’t make these 5 mistakes the day of your driving test
Affordable driving lessons for teens