[Tech21]

What is the price of petrol in Wellington?
I have just paid 50 quid to stick 50 litres (11 UK gallons) in my Mitsubishi FTO.

What is a WOF?

What is the "registration" that expires?

Are L/H drive cars allowed or do they have to be converted to R/H drive, like in Aus?

Is there any requirement to have a Category 1 alarm with 3-way immobiliser and a tracker fitted before you will be considered for insurance on any car over 200BHP?

Are Jap import performance cars worth having in NZ or are there any "home grown" (or Aus Holdens / Fords) performance cars that are worth having?

I did warn you that I was going to ask a bunch of apparently stupid questions, the main reason is that we were going down the "slow track" for moving over to NZ, started off 12 months ago, then my wife got a job last week in Wellington and starts in Jan 2008 and that has sort of accelerated things into panic mode...well, headless chicken mode really, so these are all questions that I was going to research or ask in slow time...but I haven't got much of that left now and what I do have got is running out rapidly. :eek:

Thanks

Gareth

[james the mechanic]

Hi there,
WoF is Warrant of Fitness; its basically your MoT.
Registration is basically like road tax.
I think but am not positive; that I have read that LHD must be converted to RHD unless it of historic intrest. It might be on Land Transports website. www.ltsa.govt.nz or a link there.
There are plenty of Japaness poformance cars on the road in NZ, how about a Holden Monaro (way better than an FTO)www.holden.co.nz/vehicle/monaro my boss here in the UK drives one it is fantastic value for money and is the dogs you know what’s (not that I would let him know that, I refer to it as the Vectra; he loves that!).
As for alarms and immobilizers I doubt it but it might be wise to check.
Happy motoring:nice1
James

[IanW99]

A few more points / information:-

For petrol it's currently hovering around NZ$1.68 for 1 litre of unleaded.

Diesel is much cheaper, but you also need to pay road user charges (RUC) so it doesn't work out as cheap as it sounds.

See the following for Importing a left hand drive vehicle (http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/12.html)

See the following for Warrent of Fitness (http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/vehicle-ownership/warrant.html)

See the following for Car registration (http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/vehicle-ownership/registration.html)

No home grown cars anymore in NZ, muscle cars mostly come in from Oz or Japan.

Not heard of compulsory security for cars, especially as you don't need car insurance at all. You do get a discount if you have security and car crime in NZ is worse than the UK (IMO) so worth getting if not already fitted.

Ian

[Tech21]

Hi James,
Thanks for the info, really appreciated...I will do some reading up...I have quite fancied a Monaro VXR for quite a time now, but the price of insurance is stupid in the UK for a car like that....but I could be tempted in NZ with a 6 litre 400bhp Holden Monaro....:nice1

Thanks

Gareth

[Tech21]

Hi Ian,
Thanks for the links, really appreciate them..:nice1 ..I will do some reading...

A bit surprised about car crime being worse than in the UK, could you elaborate on this please.

You need to have compulsory Cat 1 alarm and immobiliser fitted...along with a tracker on most medium powered, sporty, slightly unusual car, imported etc in the UK or no insurance...or a premium so high that it is more than the car is worth..and this does happen.

Sorry about this but I am just about to go off into rant mode for a bit (it happens from time to time)...:roll

You can quite happily insure a Smart car or some other featureless Eurobox with no style, grace or performance....but personally I wouldn't be found dead in the same street as one of these things, but I do admit that they have their place in the world of transport...just not up my drive!!!

As for me ever driving a Diesel:( ....well....err....not really my idea of what a car should be powered by...even if they do come with a turbo the size of Nebraska fitted to give then some semblance of performance...it's just...well...too industrial for my liking....just like 2 stroke bike engines...fine in a lawn mower not in a bike…if the stuff was given away free I still wouldn't own one...it isn’t snobbery that makes me dislike them maybe it’s the noise they make, I just don’t know…but I have never liked Diesel or 2 stroke power plants.

Sorry about that mini-rant but I do take some stick from drivers of small "sensible", "economical", "cheap to insure", "cheap to repair", family cars for my choice of vehicles...especially when I bought a 1978, 19 foot 11 inch long, 7500cc V8 Lincoln Continental Town Car weighing in at over 2 tons that did 6 miles to the gallon round town.

I just love the sound of a petrol V8 burbling on tick-over through headers into a dual exhaust…just like my Chevy Truck does.:yes

Once again..appologies for the mini-rant,

Thanks

Gareth

[dharder]

Yes, you can import a LHD into NZ. We're doing it at the moment, car is on ship en route as we speak. Well, maybe we'll find out at the other end that we can't after all, but so far we've been led to believe (and for 1200 quid shipping costs, I certainly hope we can) it is possible.

You have to fulfill certain conditions in order to do it. There is a quite a bit of red tape involved, and uncertainty about a number of things, and no one is too sure about anything, and the woman at Landtransport I talked to was not only clueless, but also rude. She just could not believe that there wasn't a factsheet for our case, because obviously, if there isn't a factsheet, the situation can't exist.

And if you think British buerocracy is bad (which something tells me you just might), involves too many people who keep sending you somewhere else, who each charge you for the privilege and keep you running round in circles, then don't try to bring your car. You'll be surprised to find that other places can be just as bad...

Good luck,

Daniela

[Tech21]

Hi,
Not shipping the Truck or the FTO...even though it is one of the rare GP version-R's...in fact not shipping any of our 4 cars at all, for what they will sell for over here (for a quick sale price that is 'cause I am running out of time at a vast rate :eek:) I can use the money to buy something similar, better, worse or just different in NZ.

Shame about my FTO though, I have only had it 3 months so if I did import it to NZ I would have to pay import duty on it as I haven't owned it for 12 months, but as you say...all the red tape...I can do without it, there will be enough to do when we arrive, my wife and our 7 cats...then later, me and our 8 year old son without having to worry about car things that will be needed WOF's, Registrations, etc..I'll just go out and buy one, it sounds a lot easier that way.

Cheers

Gareth

[dharder]

I'll just go out and buy one, it sounds a lot easier that way.

We've thought very long and hard about whether to bring ours or not, and after having done all the calculations, we decided we are all (especially the childnren) very much attached to our car and decided to ship it.

If it hadn't been for that, I don't think I would have bothered with all the hassle, it is certainly easier to just buy one over there.

Good luck,

Daniela

[Tech21]

What sort of car is it?
'cause if I still had my 1956 Packard Patrician I would ship it out as long as the cost was less than the car was worth to me....but, like all things, that one got sold a few years ago.

Cheers

Gareth

[Tech21]

James & Ian,

Many thanks for the links...just been ploughing through them...most interesting reading even though a bit confusing at first, but it's nice to see that it isn't just the UK government that is using the motorist to keep its coffers topped up :laugh

Cheers

G

[IanW99]

Hi Gareth,

Didn't expect you would really be interested in diesel, just a hunch :D
When I answer questions I try to include information for those that follow the thread after you who may consider diesel?

For car crime, haven't really studied it lately but that was the impression that we got. You can look on the Statistics NZ web site if you want to get the actual details? Certainly we have two friends who have had three cars broken into in the last year and the local newspaper was reporting several cars being stolen from the local shopping centre car park. I think part of the problem is that a lot of NZers are complacent and leave mobile phones etc on show and also a lot of cars are of older stock and so are easier to steal. So, for me at least it feels more like the UK was 5-10 years ago before all cars got fitted with immobilisers.

BTW, petrol prices have just gone up to NZ$173.9 for unleaded.

Ian

[jubjub]

V8 engines should not be a prob... there is a big following for the Holden Commodores over here, with their V8 engines, although may be a bit too boring for you with your more exotic taste in cars... :)

A small point with petrol too, you regularly get vouchers from 4c up to 10c a litre off your fuel around Auckland when you do your supermarket shopping. Using those just about manages to keep hubbys 3.5ltr car under $100 per tankful.

[Tech21]

Thanks Ian,
I hope that petrol price was a typo:eek: 173.9 bucks a litre !!!

As for car crime I live equidistant between Liverpool and Manchester and work in Wythenshaw (Beirut on the hill as it is known locally) and spent some time working in the rough part of Salford, so nothing gets left on show, the radio face is removed, all coins (even pennies) are removed, CD's / tapes removed, can't have Sat Nav 'cause if they see the mounting bracket your window goes through so they can search the car for the module.
So a few break-ins and car nickings doesn't really bother me it's the car-jackings that go on here that worry me.

Cheers

Gareth

[IanW99]

Thanks Ian,
I hope that petrol price was a typo:eek: 173.9 bucks a litre !!!

...



Oops, yes I hope it's a typo as well :exit

If that's what you are used to for car crime then I guess it will probably seem better to you :yes when you put it in context like that then would agree that it depends on which part of the UK you would be from and where in NZ you move to. Definitely not a problem, just something to be aware of.

Ian

[Tech21]

Hi Sal,
Any V8 will do me fine, it just happens that I have had a few interesting ones in the past.
The cars I find boring are the standard Euroboxes that are being sold in the UK at present advertised as being “just what you need”, with a miniscule "carbon footprint" (I hate that clichéd phrase with a passion), with tiny little engines that do a hundred miles on a bottle of orange juice, made out of recycled junk, don’t go fast enough to damage any flying insects that they collide with, are bio-degradable, all look the same, are all in a range of uninspiring insipid colours...they all have the same level of grey blandness and magnetic charisma that John Major had (if you remember him...I can)....no I am not a 25 year old boy racer I am a much older person who just loves cars….and refuses to grow old gracefully, and having an 8 year old son helps me to stay that way.

You got me into rant mode again...easy...isn't it:yes :laugh

Holdens are fine, Fords are fine, Jap V6's are fine, infact most cars are fine....just not Euroboxes...and the Smart Car is the epitome of just what I am talking about....Fiat Panda....VW Golf....Peugeot 205...Citroen Saxa or what ever it was called, all uninspired names and all look like they were designed on the back of a beer mat.......see, I nearly set myself off ranting again then....

I'd better go and watch a taped episode of Top Gear to calm down.

Cheers

Gareth

[jubjub]

I'd better go and watch a taped episode of Top Gear to calm down.

Cheers

Gareth

I can imagine you and Jeremy sharing a pint and decrying everything ecofriendly in the car world!... :cheers :D

[Tech21]

Sounds like a plan to me....and a good 'un too..:cheers :cheers

Cheers

Gareth