Our Customer's Stories

Customer Letters

Below is a small collection of feedback that we have received - If you wish to view the letters, click on the thumbnail next to each story.

Robbie Bezembinder from the Netherlands

Check out Robbie's blog (in Dutch) about his Aussie adventure in his Falcon stationwagon

www.travelmessage.nl/robs_travelupdate

Kathy and Benthe from the Netherlands also have a blog about their trip in the Slap n Tickle van they bought from us.

www.travelmessage.nl/benthe-kathy

Tamara and Gunter from Belgium

An email dated March 19th 2007 -

Dear Mick,

Just a short message to inform you that we safely made it back to Belgium.
We arrived back home on the 9th of March after a return trip of 33 hours (from Auckland via Sydney, Singapore and London to Brussels Airport). A damn long flight believe me ;-)

If we look back now to our 6 month journey throughout Oz and NZ we are very happy that we had the opportunity to do this and we have been fortunate to meet a lot of very nice people including you.

Dear Mick thanks again for all your efforts and support. Our Oz experience would not have been the same without our good old Ford Falcon Stationwagon.

We hope all is fine with you and Sarah and we're looking forward to hear about the progress in the pregnancy ...

Take good care mate and we hope we can stay in touch ...

Lot's of love from Tamara and Gunter
xxx

Jayne, Gary and Ethan from the UK

An email dated March 5th 2007 -

Hello Mick,

its Jayne, Gary and our son Ethan from the UK!!!! We picked up our van from you back in November and then you also helped us re arrange our other van in Perth. We have been back from our travels a couple of weeks now and depression is definately kicking in!!! After our 10 weeks in Australia we went to Thailand for a couple of weeks then India for a couple, we have had an amazing time and didn't want it to end. Just wanted to say a big thank you for all the help you gave us, it was much appreciated. Hope all is well with you? Not sure if you have become a dad yet, think its around this time? Hope everything goes well, its hard work but I'm sure your gonna love it!!

Take care, and hopefully see you again some time when we can afford to do some travelling again!!! (I keep putting an extra pound on the
lottery!!)

Jayne Hales

Linda & Seb from the UK

From their weblog dated December 2006 -

Big thanks also go out to the guys at the Traveller's Autobarn, John and Stefan, for bearing with us whilst we hunted around for a vehicle and even looking at one of the cars we were interested in. Thanks to them we didn't buy a piece of crap. If you're ever in Australia (or Cairns) and need to rent a Campervan or buy a good used car, definitely check these guys out. Unfortunately their campervans were booked out for several months by the time we enquired about them!
Gotta say hi to Ian, who works at the Autobarn, and lived in the same hostel with us. Drop us an email when you're back in the UK to reminisce about our respective trips! ;)

Their website is"Two Backpacksand A Plane Ticket"

Yvonne and Jasper from The Netherlands

From their weblog dated October 2006 -

"We decided to buy the car! So we went to the barn and had another negotiation. We finally bought it for AUS $4000. It's a Ford Falcon station-wagon GL, so we can sleep in it and save a lot of money. We are very happy with it and we can' t wait to pick it up. First the car gets another mechanical check so we have to wait till thursday. We already made some pictures, go check it out!"

Their website is http://yvenja.blogspot.com/2006/10/sept-25-oct-02.html

Recently Received via Email March 9 2006:

I was wondering wondering if you could please pass this on to Mick in Darwin.

2 Canadian girls unsure of the best way to see Australia, we decided to fly into Darwin and walk to the Travellers Auto Barn, which we had only read about in The Lonley Planet. After talking to Mick we decided to rent a campervan for 30days and drive through the Outback to our Coastal destinations. Mick helped us map out our route, warned us about Road Trains and soft shoulder's and we were off, although a little apprehesive about driving on the left side of the road, going around round-abouts and seeing our first Road Train. We had the Australian adventure of a life time. Had it not been for our Campervan we never would have seen Australia the way we did.

5 days driving through The Outback we managed to stay at different Road Houses and Campsites. We travelled and stopped in Katherine, Three-ways, Mt Isa, Prairie (Our personal favorite town of 50 people), and Townsville. Ahhhh, we had hit the Coast. All our previous worries of driving had vanished. We then travelled up to Cairns and Crystal Cascades then back down to Airlie Beach. We were even able to park our van at a Campsite while we toured the Whitsunday Islands. Thanks for the tip Mick. A couple of days of relaxation and we were back in the Outback. Our favorite place to be. Stopping in the same towns to visit friends made on the way down and meet new ones. We drove into W.A. and hit the Kimberly's, specifically Kununurra. WOW! Beautiful. A couple more days to enjoy Australia and it was time for us to go back to Darwin. By the time we had finished we managed to drive more then 8000km and had an experience we will never forget.

Flying to the major Cities. No thanks. Rent a campervan and experience the Outback like no other, definately the way to go. Thanks Mick and Travellers Auto Barn we'll never forgot ya.

A.J. & Erin

Nils & Anita from Norway
"I'd heard stories, but I didn't believe it until I saw it"
- Nils obviously enjoying his buyback cash before he flew off to Singapore, en route home.
Their website www.jordarundt2005.net click on 'bilder'

Click Here to see their Photo Gallery

Sanders & Niels - the Dynamic Dutch Duo
"We wanted a real Aussie experience, and loved camping out in nature. Australia is a real beautiful place man"
Their website www.nielsensanderdownunder.tk

Click Here to see their Photo Gallery

Mirjam & Maaike
"Look what we found in the Devil's Marbles??? Another TAB customer who bought a car off of Morris"
Their website www.mirjamenmaaike.nl

Click Here to see their Photo Gallery

Laura & Rupert

".............then marched off to Travellers Auto-Barn to pick up - after three hours deciding, and innocently but slyly bargaining down - a 2001 Toyota camper van with cherries on top. "

Click Here to see their Blogs

Carla

"Enyway so we got the car back and the nice people from Travellers Auto Barn payed for half, which helped us ALOT. We came back to the campsite, packed our stuff and left straight away. We drove to Caloundra, a nice place along the coast about 2 hours north of Brisbane. We went straight down to the beach and had a swim. That evening when we were having dinner, just after it got dark we saw thousands and thousands of bats flying in a wave across the sky."

Click Here to see their Blogs

Kaz & Chard

"Rich checked the leak the next day and decided that as much as we don't want to go back to Melbourne we need to get it looked at before we attempt to drive 3000kms! So, off we go back to Melbourne, James tells us to take it straight to the garage which we do. He tells us it's something to do with the heater and he could bypass it and to come back in about 3 hours. So we loitered around and went back 5 hours later, they'd not even started work on it! When they eventually did, they realised it was more than that, that the head was cracked! James rang us and said it'd probably take about 3 days for them to sort that out, and then we'd have to stay close by again to see if everything else is OK. Bugger, we really didn't want to hang around that long. He did however, have a different car that we could have. Slightly more expensive but is already registered in Victoria so would save us loads on the registration (which is a complicated and expensive process). After looking at this other car, checking it out, doing tests, talking and discussing ideas and stuff with James, having Pizza (that James bought), we finally decided to take that instead of waiting round for the other one. We'd have to stay close for a day or so though to see if anything if wrong with it. So at around 9.30 pm, we drive off in a different car and find a campsite just on the outskirts of the city! The second car feels a lot smoother though and felt a lot sturdier."

Click Here to see their Blogs

Phillipa's Adventure

Click Here to see her Blogs

Shona the Corona
"She notched up 8,000 kms, practically swam through a creek... No regrets though, we had the most fantastic adventure thanks to the one and only Shona!"
                 - Rachel & Claire, UK

Click Here to see the Letter

"Hi Peter,
We made it all around Australia, we drove over 30,000 km
with almost no problems. It was a great car!!"

Ronald & Jannie, Amsterdam.

Click Here to see the Letter

Hi Peter!

that was the car on our trip 1999 (a Ford Falcon Panelvan '82)

greeting's from Vienna, Austria
Renče & Bernhard

ps: look what's the result from our trip in one of your car (original made in australia - our daugther sydney!)

Hi Guys!

I'm very pleased with my new owners and I'm enjoying the trip with them. They give me enough fuel every day! For a couple of days we travelled through the Outback of Sourh Australia and it was a great experience! Now we have finally crossed the Nullabour Plain and are enjoying the West Coast Two weeks ago something was wrong with my exhaust and I had to stay with another mate who fixed me up again. Now I'm well again. And our Adventure goes on!

Greetings from 'NMQ 390' and the two swiss guys, Ceile & Dani

Click Here to see the Letter

"Dear Peter,

Just a note to let you know that I arrived safe and sound back at my base.... Bummer. I never wanted to leave. Dude, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my stay down there. My only regret was that I didn't have more time to spend down there. You guys did a fabulous job.You took everything that I expected and added ten-fold to that. I really do appreciate your courtesy and attention to detail in everything the crew did. From all of the things I've seen, the most important is making someone feel like home in a distant land. That makes the journey even more enjoyable.

Again, give a thanks to everyone back there. They really do deserve it.

Here's a few shots from my excursion. If you could use any in your webpage... Feel free. It was because of your efforts that things turned out as well as they did. I hope everything else continues well in your own adventures. Keep it up!

From that yank in Korea,
Rodger"

Some of Rodger's Photos from his Trip - for more visit our Photo Gallery

"'Hi Peter, We Have already sold the car (Grey Mitsubishi Sigma)but it was a great car, all the way up the East Coast to Cairns and down to Townsville (thats where we sold the car)...It was a great car and we miss it! Thankyou!   

 - The Four Danish Girls"

"Certificate of Excellence for Travellers AutoBarn from Bridgit and Peter Stech!

Click Here to see the Letter

"To John and the AutoBarn staff,

"We just got back from an exciting trip of the Aussie continent, driving around with the Ford Falcon we bought from you..."

"We would like you to know that we owe this trip to you . It was a swell vehicle and no mechanical trouble whatsoever - she was a beauty!!... We also want to thankyou for being honest, advisive and helpful. Thanks-a-lot mate, and be sure that we're gonna spread the word when we get back to Israel!..."

- Sivan and Dana, ISRAEL

Click Here to see the Letter