Illawarra's used-car market is feeling the affects of a supply shortage thanks to Australia's devastating floods and widespread shipping delays.
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Menulog delivery driver Harsavardhan Muthu has been searching for an affordable, second-hand car for six months now.
He has resorted to renting one for $180 a week until something suitable catches his eye.
The cost of automatic cars is skyrocketing, Mr Muthu says, and the cars that fall in his budget range are manuals.
"I can drive manual but as a delivery person I need to stop several times and that can get quite frustrating with a manual."
He said the market is a sellers' market with intense competition among buyers.
"A year ago, if someone advertised a car online, it would roughly take two days for it to be sold but now it does not even take two hours."
Mr Muthu says he cannot make do without a car, especially when public transport is unreliable and has limited access to inner parts of suburbs.
Illawarra Car Sales director Adam D'Amato is aware of the acute supply chain issues the Illawarra is experiencing.
"When someone buys a new car, 85 per cent of the time they trade in their used one but since there has been a shortage of new cars being shipped, lesser people are buying new cars, hence lesser tradings are taking place."
With more demand and less supply, prices of used cars have naturally risen.
"People think they can sell their old car for much more than it's worth," he said.
Mr D'Amato says the floods have further exacerbated the shortage, making the market highly competitive.
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