ceri75

so i was thinking go with what i know, peugeot 406 diesel estate, then again i was wondering what else i could get. so i figured if i listed essentials you guys could help out??
- large boot for dogs/ snowboard gear
- ability to access all canterbury ski fields
- fantastic acceleration
- mile muncher ( granted that this doesnt really go hand in hand with the above)

got my heart set on some form of 4x4 but parental advice is veering toward station wagon! what do you guys down there drive ?????
cheers

simonmarkellis

Mazda 6 - It's a great car! Even though i don't own one!

Leewales

i think volkswagon passat 130 pdi, simply excellent value for money, very good on deisel, great performance, comfort and german built what more can you ask for

Maz

Be wary of diesels... you pay tax by the km. Or so I understand.

ledge

Sound like a perfect candidate for a Subaru Legacy or Toyota Caldina GT-T - 4 wheel drive, station wagon and quick!

P2L

Toyota Prado, Deisel

Used to have a 'pretty' 4x4 as my DH referred to it, that we were too frightened to take half the places we wanted to go, in case it got scratched, oh and it needed a petrol tanker to follow behind too


Our mode of transport now carries 3 kids (and mates) the dog, camping stuff, fishing rods, rifles and the weekly shop no hassles. It gets shown the hose when it gets too grubby, but apart from that, we're not very precious apart her at all

Ian & Sharon

I had one of these!

Bloody great, 7 seater when "gets" come over, deisel 4x4!

Ian & Sharon

Got one of these now to take the kids to school, but I'd rather have the Delica.

Dustybin

i've got a 1990's ford laser, does all you need, costs nowt to run, loads of spares and you don't worry about it getting bumped or indeed nicked.

It's been around both islands and I have no plans on changing it till it runs no more, but there again you could join the green folk and buy something big and pointless to drink fuel so you can moan about the price of petrol!

But i'm sure to be shot down... what ever you get, welcome to the south!

Kiwiprincess

from your description i automatically thought "Subaru Legacy". Just a word of warning - before you purchase any subaru check with your insurance company as some have very high insurance premiums for particular models (ie the ones that get stolen or have their lights stolen).

teambwr47

As I'm the stay at home dad here in NZ my car is a Mitsubishi Outlander VRX 3.0..........

Bought this just after we got here (it was the dealer demo) and its been superb so far....Mitsubishi do a free 3 years servicing with the Outlander to go with the warranty and roadside assistance.

The car is a very comfy drive and with the new mivec engine pops along quite well........Got all the little toys like a good stereo (actually an awesome stereo), air con, etc plus its 4X4 for getting about in the tricky bits and pulling a trailer. The boot is big and should be ideal for putting all our ski gear in next season.

Best of all it has a very neat 7 seat conversion ability for when family come and stay. I've not had a Jap car other than a Impreza P1 in the UK but i have to say in the family car sector they pack their cars with some very very good little touches and masses of standard kit that in German cars you'd end up paying a fortune for.........

Wife who works for a (our) living drives a flash motor.......

ceri75

good to hear what you guys think, if i had my way it would be the hugest kick ass 4x4 i could muster, but alas parental practicality advice, aswell as that given here & other sites has won out! so boys & girls looks like the weapon of choice wil be a subaru forester, unfortunately they dont offer a diesel version but a manual they do! plenty of room for all my precious things & ground clearance to boot with 4wd. all i need at this point.
cheers all

Genesis

For my sins I am a petrol head. Subaru Legacys are the dogs proverbials, JC himself recommends them!!! Its the car with it all! Apparently.

lardyl

have the outback (a legacy wagon), 2.5 (I think) normally aspirated, doesnt always do a great deal when you floor it (as its the lazy-boy auto) but its fine for the roads around here and the wet conditions........plus the boot is reasonable for a raked off wagon, only pain is one of the rear seat belts which the kids really struggle with for the booster seat, otherwise not bad, plus work service, park and fuel it for me.....and guess what no company car tax!!!!!

lardyl

lego's better than the Forrester, IMHO, always seem to get them when I have my wagon in for service - not so refined, boot's smaller and the thing don't handle as well as the Lego Wagon!
But that's just MHO.........
Of course if you need the ground clearance then go for the Tonka Toy........