Buying a new car

Old Sep 16th 2013, 8:55 am
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Default Buying a new car

Hi, We will be landing very soon and will need a car, probably 2 in all honesty, we have been looking on the internet and nearly fell over. Can anyone give us some tips? Someone did mention to us as some point to go to the port and pick up an unregistered car and that this is a lot cheaper? Any help appreciated.
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Old Sep 16th 2013, 8:59 am
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Default Re: Buying a new car

Originally Posted by qssue
Hi, We will be landing very soon and will need a car, probably 2 in all honesty, we have been looking on the internet and nearly fell over. Can anyone give us some tips? Someone did mention to us as some point to go to the port and pick up an unregistered car and that this is a lot cheaper? Any help appreciated.
Expect to pay around double the UK price for a car.

Some people as you can get them cheaper from the ports, in car auctions. I haven't done that personally. We got ours (cant afford the second one yet) from a Toyota dealer, a parallel import from Toyota Japan.

Cars that are around the decent $2000 UK second hand toe price really are not worth buying, unless you know a lot about the car, the seller and mechanics!
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Old Sep 16th 2013, 9:45 am
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Default Re: Buying a new car

Originally Posted by qssue
Hi, We will be landing very soon and will need a car, probably 2 in all honesty, we have been looking on the internet and nearly fell over. Can anyone give us some tips? Someone did mention to us as some point to go to the port and pick up an unregistered car and that this is a lot cheaper? Any help appreciated.
Hi,

Ok, first off understand that there are no cars built in NZ whatsoever. Every single vehicle is imported.

There are two types of car in NZ.

There's NZ new and there's an import.
An NZ new car is any car that has been imported to NZ official spec - still an import but it has been built to the spec of the NZ market.
The other types are any other car which are not to NZ spec.
These are predominantly Japanese cars and some European makes like Citroen, Renault, VW etc.

We were in exactly the same boat when we arrived. We needed 2 cars and had to buy the first within 2 weeks as that was the expiry date of the rental car my company had provided.
First off I bought a 2006 Subaru Legacy 3.0ltr R Spec B sedan. Was a Japanese import with low Km's. Looked spotless inside and out. They don't come with service history and it pays to give them a thorough check underneath.
Many Japanese imports spend months sat on the dock side in Japan waiting to be shipped and suffer from corrosion of the underbody.
Paid $22k for that.
Expensive ?
Maybe but it was sourced from a reputable dealer and came with a full service, full valet, mechanical warranty, breakdown cover, stereo conversion and a Category 1 alarm/immob, oh and 4 new tyres.
Was a tremendous car. Loved it and had no problems.

Next we bought a 2010 Mitsi Outlander 2.4LS 5 seated switchable 4x4.
That is an NZ new and was an ex lease car one company owner. Full history and well looked after. Paid $27k for that also with low Km's.
Also an excellent car.

Sold the Subaru after 7 months as I wanted a motorbike as well as a car.
Sold it for $19k (bit of a loss) and bought another Japanese import.
This time a 2006 Mitsi Colt Ralliart Turbo.
Only cost me $9500 and that too is an excellent car. Hasn't cost me a penny so far.
Bought a 2011 Suzuki with the rest of the money.

In my opinion the used car prices aren't that bad if you have a good search.

I have mates who have bought from Turners Auctions. Went myself many months ago but the car I wanted just out of my price range, but Id recommend them for bargain cars.
All cars can be viewed and tested before the auction. You can get in them, start them up, even drive them around the auction premises and you can have an Independant examination done.
All cars are supplied with a CIN and auctioneer appraisal.
Buying at auction is just like buying private. Cars are sold as seen and there is no comeback.
If you want to reduce any risk you can purchase a warranty for a small fee on top of the auction price and purchase fees.
There are also a number of cars offered with a "Buy It Now" price and for these you get all the backing as if you had purchased from a dealer.

The majority of cars at the auctions are Japanese imports.

A tip with these cars - many of them have some Japanese somewhere. May be on the buttons or the stereo. They may talk to you in Japanese.
They always come with a Japanese handbook and no service history.

Hope that gives you some help.
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Old Sep 17th 2013, 1:03 am
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Default Re: Buying a new car

Originally Posted by escapedtonz
A tip with these cars - many of them have some Japanese somewhere. May be on the buttons or the stereo. They may talk to you in Japanese.
They always come with a Japanese handbook and no service history.

Hope that gives you some help.
Agree about the Japanese handbook and no service history. We bought our Mazda Familia from a car dealer here in Wanganui. Their business is selling imported Japanese cars.

Our Mazda is a manual gearbox, 1.4litre engine, saloon (sedan) and it cost just under $10,000 nzd in 2011. It came with a W.O.F. (warrant of fitness, similar to M.O.T.) and registration, this is similar to getting a tax disc. Getting a Japanese import car up to NZ roadworthyness is standard practice. Don't let the dealer give you the impression it's been done as a favour to you.

The factory fitted radio was a hoot ! I could only tune into radio stations broadcasting on the AM frequency. I'm now nostalgic for tunes that were never of my era !! The FM pickup was so weak I practically had to be parked outside the radio station to get a signal. I got a proper car radio fitted a few months ago. Another step towards returning to the real world !

It's been a good car, cheap to run and nice to drive. I miss the rear winscreen wipe/wash but that's because we didn't buy a hatchback.

Cars are mostly automatic gearboxes in NZ. Kiwi's seem to struggle with the clutch pedal, so it's just easier not to have one !
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Old Sep 17th 2013, 1:14 am
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Default Re: Buying a new car

Bought a Honda accord $4995 at 180,000km

Left it with sisters mate at 400,000 km they paid new registration and WOF.

$4995/220km - that is about 2 cents per km

Self serviced, and new tyres at 50k intervals (partly why I always get excellent mileage.

I used to work at Turners in the 80's and I remember the manufacturing days back in the 70's Ford in Manukau when they brought in robotic line.
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Old Sep 17th 2013, 5:53 am
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Default Re: Buying a new car

Originally Posted by qssue
Hi, We will be landing very soon and will need a car, probably 2 in all honesty, we have been looking on the internet and nearly fell over


Sorry - but it is so true! My partners younger brother managed to get a car for $2000 and its in good nick for its age. It was owned by an "old boy" that hardly used it. Its a 1991 Maza Revue with about 150K's on the clock. He's not had any major issues with it.

In contrast, his gf who got here in July, she bought her 2001 1.6 Ford Focus (in excellent nick) for 600quid in the UK.

Again - moving here you just have to accept that the vast majority of things are very overpriced, especially cars. it is really shocking. My mint-condition 2005 Honda civic Type R - I had to end up selling that in the UK before we left for 6k GBP. Here.... the pre-facelift 2001 version with higher mileage and worse condition was on trademe at the time for 24K NZD (so 12K GBP). Yes - now I feel very ripped off.

We bought our Holden Barina 1.4 2004 (Vauxhaul Corsa) to the rest of you for around $6,600 in late 2011. I actually thought that was reasonable here, but part of the reason I reckon I got it for that is that its manual (most kiwi's seem to hate manual) and its a smaller car - kiwi's like their big 6 litre gas guzzling vans and ******wagons.

In terms of my advice, get a Corsa/Barina. They're cheap to run, cheap to service/rego and initially will probably suit you - unless you're bringing 8 kids!

Last edited by davros1984; Sep 17th 2013 at 5:56 am.
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Old Sep 18th 2013, 5:53 am
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Default Re: Buying a new car

You can rent one long term for $10 per day if you are in auckland for a minimum $40 day hire through discount car rentals then at least you can look around and find a good car - best to buy a 2nd hand through a reliable friend-of-friend or family or workmates etc to lesson the chances of a dud.
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