SimonR

We're moving UK->NZ in early July, and thinking of buying a car to put in the container. We have already bought a car in NZ as our main car when we arrive, but will need this one as a second car when my wife goes back to work in about November, so we can afford a few months delay if need be.

Although we do have a car here in the UK, it's time to let it go anyway, plus we need a smaller car, so we'd sell it and buy a second hand one to put in the container. The price is about 2/3 of what it is in NZ for the same car. (£8k in the UK, $25k in NZ).

The cost of shipping would be negligible because we'd only bring it if we have space in our container, and that would be wasted otherwise (I reckon a small car would take up about 1/4 of a 40ft container, and if its 3/4 full, you still pay for a 40 footer, there's no 30foot option).

escapedtonz

Seems a good idea if you know it will cost you less and you are going to run it into the ground, however I've not found used car prices to be that much different unless you are looking at identical cars / European stuff.
Obviously they will be far more expensive as NZ is on the other side of the world and not next door like the UK.
In our experience, when we lived in UK we would never look at Japanese cars - e.g. Mitsubishi Outlander etc as they were thousands more than an equivalent Citroen C Crosser or a Pug 4007. We always bought European cars as they were cheaper.
Its just the same here - cars from the other side of the world are expensive but cars from Japan and Oz aren't.
Granted you will never find the deals that one has in the UK as there just isn't the demand but there are some good deals like a brand new Holden Cruz for $26k or GBP13000, or a Suzuki Swift Sport for a similar price. Personally don't think they are expensive for new cars.

I looked at bringing two cars over but with all the hassle, making sure they are clinically clean then getting compliance letters from the manufacturer and getting them registered and warranted in NZ I just felt it wasn't worth it.

I was also concerned about driving a UK spec car here in NZ when everything is in KMH and metres not MPH and miles, plus the majority of folk drive an auto over a manual.

SimonR

Yes, we'd be looking at European cars, but even looking at Japanese cars they generally seem to cost a lot more in NZ, for example you can get a lot of Landcruiser for £3 or 4k in the UK

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cars-/9801...uiser&LH_BIN=1

but in NZ you're looking at at least $11-12k for something similar (about £6k) - or more, depending how you compare.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Cate...er=Classifieds

Certainly it feels to me like the great image that Toyota in particular has in NZ has pushed up prices to silly levels for old bangers which to me are worth about half what they're being sold for in NZ.

It seems to be something that's changed pretty recently though - looking at ebay, I was amazed at the low prices for used cars compared to a few years ago. Crazy prices really, especially for 'premium' cars, and I guess the UK economy is to blame for that, it's probably all those bankers losing their jobs and flooding the market with premium (european) cars. I guess NZ has not had such big drops at that end of the market.

Not worried about driving in KM'h, it's just like driving in Europe, and the dial has both on anyway - plus you can get it changed pretty cheaply if it bothers you. But yes, you have a good point about manual vs auto. Having borrowed a friends car in Auckland last weekend, I was really glad it was an auto, it makes it so much easier to sit in traffic jams going nowhere, one less thing to think about so your mind can just wander and the time passes quicker. So I'd definitely buy an auto, but there's no shortage of those in the UK either.

escapedtonz

We to wanted European cars when we arrived but they are just too expensive when you consider the whole used car market.
Just in case you're not aware or sure there are only 2 types of car here :-
NZ new which is an import to NZ spec, or
An import which is to the spec of the country of origin.
The latter being the cheaper of the two types.

We purchased an NZ new (import to NZ spec) Mitsi Outlander 2010 2.4LS switchable 4x4 Tiptronic with 50k km's on the clock - ex company lease car, for $27000 which we though was a good price. It was by far the cheapest example on TradeMe in the area with the next one over $30k.
Then I got an excellent deal on a year old bike $10250 delivered with $1500 of extras already included, then I got a cheap runabout a Japanese import 2006 Mitsi Colt 1.5 Ralliart Turbo with 90k Km's for $9k delivered.
Personally speaking I think we've done really well and haven't been ripped off like we expected. If you have the sense to haggle then you can get good bargains.
No problems with any of them. All sailed through servicing and Warrant Of Fittness's without any additional work being needed.

Completely understand where you're coming from with regards the differences in price between UK and NZ but you have to compare apples with apples and I dont think its as straightforward to do that as the cars, specs and models are so different as they are made for completely different markets.
Im still glad we sold both cars and bike in UK before coming out and purchased here. Unless you have a near new or new car in UK I would recommend you do the same.

nzl

The big "if" on importing a used car into NZ is the condition. A while back hucksters bought flood-damaged cars in Japan, imported them and flogged them off in NZ - months later the rust came through and the cars were unsafe. The buyers raised a stink and the Parliament over-reacted. So they passed a draconian Vehicle Inspection rule that catches cars that may have passed a WOF in UK, but may require thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to bring into "spec". This is all supervised by a private contractor who makes his money on each time he comes to make an interim inspection - so he has an incentive to make it complicated, all the while saying he must uphold safety standards. If your car ends up being sent to such a certifier, kiss your savings good bye... you are probably better off breaking the car for parts and selling it bit by bit.

If you have a 1-3 year old RHD car (that you have owned for more than 12 months in the UK) that has never seen rust, no collision damage, perfect mechanicals, then by all means toss it in the container and expect to get it registered for about $800 to $1000 in inspections and paperwork (See http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/fa...a-vehicle.html).

If you are talking something more marginal, then proceed with caution because the savings may turn into a money pit. Also, factor in the time it will take and extra costs like towing the car from your devanning warehouse to the VIN station, and if it needs work to the repair shop and back. I had one car stuck in this nightmare for three years, costing me thousands, and in the end I gave up, towed it to my shed where it now appreciates in value and will eventually be sold to a buyer in the UK, having gone around the world for nothing.

Of course, there is a much smarter way to go if you have ten feet of empty container space. Have a look at www.trademe.co.nz and see what is selling for a lot more in NZ than in the UK. Buy a variety of such things (that are personal effects not a commercial enterprise), toss them in the container and then sell them when you get here. Bring in things that do not require certifications (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc. get caught, lawnmowers do not - except for MAF cleaning).

One example would be things like beautiful lead-light windows from UK house wreckers, thick old-fashioned doors, rare timbers. When we moved we left a 300 year old oak tree that had died and the buyer required we cut down - we had it cut as firewood and left there. I reckoned in NZ there was plenty of timber. There is but it is radiata pine that requires chemical treatment to not rot in months. I should have milled the tree into very large timbers, filled a container, set off a bug-bomb when locking the door, and then paid for fumigation at this end and used the timber to build my home. It would have cost me about US$3,000 for what here is unobtainable.

Ditto beautiful windows, wall panels and so on. Remember that NZ is a young country. What is old and common in the UK is rare and sought after in NZ.

The other thing to do is to post on this site that you have empty space and put a fair price for NZ members to have their stuff come in your container. I did this when we bought an old church bell (http://www.keltektrust.org.uk/profile.html) although in my case, I just asked a forum I belonged to if anyone knew of a container coming down, and the person kindly let it be tossed in for free. Since we run a charitable trust, this was slightly different, but the principle is the same.

Speaking of which church bells is another good example of something surplus in the UK that is impossible to find in NZ.

And now that I am thinking about it, I would love to find someone bringing a container down where I could bring a Raleigh DL1 bicycle. Any chance you are coming to Auckland and will have some space in the container?

So, unless you are in love with the car, forget it, and get creative instead.

Here's a picture of the bell adventure...


Perhaps I will write its story up in another post.

SimonR

Interesting stuff OK, I give up on the Audi, I reckon a church bell would meet my needs much better.

So I guess my next question is, do many people commute in Auckland on a church bell or would I look silly?
What kind of fuel economy do you reckon I'd get from, say, an 1868 five tonner?


Yes, it would be a good money-maker probably but (a) we dont have time for all of that and (b) we need a car in NZ, so its a car we're focussed on. I get all the scepticism, I've read a lot of that, but I've also heard good stories and what I wonder about is what makes the difference between the good experiences and the bad ones? For example would a rusty exhaust pipe be a show stopper?

Guess where I'm up to know is wondering how I can mitigate my risk.

kodachrome

Im still planning on bringing my 20year old, limited edition BMW 8series to NZ. I gather it will be tough to get through inspection, I hope to space this over time if needed. Its also worth a huge amount more in NZ than here (where isnt not exactly cheap either).


However when I get boots on the ground I'll buy a Asian-made car as my primary vehicle. Thankfully Im use to high car prices, the UK is a very cheap car market but Ireland isnt.

SimonR

OK so we looked at cars today and will be buying it tomorrow and unless someone can give me some actual facts or advice which will be helpful in assessing/ reducing my risk, I'm just gonna have to chance it and hope it works out.

kodachrome

Well in regards tips:
I asked the question on an actual BMW NZ car forum. The response went from "its no big deal" to "its destined to spend years trying to get WOF". So not that much actual usage.

What you will need to do:
- There cannot be any visable rust anywhere, no bubbling, nothing that looks freshly repaired/painted either. IMO, get a body shop to go over it with a fine tooth comb, let them take as long as it takes... but you cannot just coat the car in sealant, thats also a fail.
- There can be no cobwebs, hairs, pine cones, leaves etc anywhere on the car. Get a professional car detailer to clean ("detailng" is in a nutshell a specific type of pro level cleaning) the car, inside and out, engine bay etc.
- It must have the EU compliance plate in the engine bay (or somewhere), if not you need to pay the maker (in NZ) for a Statement of Compliance, I had to do this on the 20year old BMW.


The car of course needs to meet Nz's Emissions, Seatbelt, Frontal Impact etc requirements.. there are about 12 standards it must meat, though if 20years old it skips emissions and frontal impact. Some cars (typically 10year old+) will not pass all of these are are expressly prohibited from importation. The list of cars, requirements and standards are on the Nz Importation site / checklist.

SimonR

Brilliant info, thanks

Just one question, is rust on the exhaust OK?
Don't think I've ever seen a car without at least some rust on there, wondered if we should just leave it or try and remove it.

kodachrome

What Im being told is that once they spot rust, they just keep striping back things till they find something that will need to be cut out and rewelded, then try get it passed again.

Any decent exhaust is Stainless Steel, so I wouldnt accept rust there.. Id say get it replaced, shouldnt cost too much in an exhaust place (nothing fancy, just a generic back box and SS piping).

SimonR

Brilliant, thank you.
You cant imagine how stressful this is, and hard to get advice. Actually, I'm sure you can imagine, guess you've been there.

Will budget for replacing exhaust bits, and adjust my car choice accordingly if necessary.

(And if you guys ever need the favour returning with info on tech or mountain bikes or lego, now that i CAN help with!)

kodachrome

Im actually at the same point as you (flights booked for October) and yes, I agree this is (surprisingly) actually a significant source of most frustration in moving to Nz!
Everyone likes Lego.

SimonR

Hi all, quick update

So we havent bought the car yet!

Messages with AA NZ confirm that rusty exhaust is fine, as its not structural, it's structural stuff they're worried about (also, to the person above stainless steel is not rust proof, as many people think).

Had the car up on a ramp and it's rusty on the rear axle components .. pics here .. http://www.flickr.com/photos/97524046@N04/ .. what do you think? Will it get through?

People talk about sandblasting, but how much does that cost?
I have mates in Auckland who're bound to have good contacts for that type of thing - well, they might do anyway - so can you use anyone you want to in order to do the work?

Oh, and a final twist, we only have 3 weeks til we leave, and it take 4 weeks to get a V5C registration doc back wiht your name on - the shippers say they cant load it without one, although DVLA say it's OK, and the shippers can phone up and DVLA will confirm ownership. So I guess it's one of those 'close your eveys and hope' moments.

Anyway, will have to decide one way or another on Monday and I ain't giving up easily as I love this car!

Simon

MrsFychan

might be cheaper to get the work done in UK, as if it doesn't pass they won't release it until the work is done or you will have truck hire to get the car fixed somewhere else then back for inspection ?