[shagen]

First thing we will need when we arrive will be a car.

I was contemplating on whether I would need a 4WD vehicle or a 2WD is sufficient.

Anyone has opinions when you would think a 4WD will come in handy in NZ? Anyone has any experience with 4WD vehicles in NZ?

Shagen

[Beach Kiwi]

4WD's are *essential* for doing the shopping or taking the kids to school. The gravel roads and dirt tracks that make up most city roads in New Zealand mean that any other option is foolhardy!

Just kidding! :laugh

No one really needs one here, except if you're a farmer or off road enthusiast. However, that hasn't stopped heaps of city dwellers from buying one! :?

[Carol]

Well - there ARE some HUGE kerbs in KANDALLAHHHHHHHHH darrrrrrling!




;)

[Beach Kiwi]

The Remuera Tractor is an essential part of the 'wardrobe' of the ladies of that particular Auckland suburb! :laugh

[GeorgeM]

I was contemplating on whether I would need a 4WD vehicle or a 2WD is sufficient.Shagen

Depends on what sort of motoring you intend to do.

Out in the sticks in the South Island there are still a good deal of unmade roads where a little bit more clearance can be useful.

Going skiing is an experience if you've only been in Europe before - some of the roads up to the skifields are a bit hairy, and although a 2WD with snowchains will get you there (and suits a lot of people) in all except the most extreme conditions a 4WD will get you up with less hassle and the additional visibility of being up higher can give you a feeling of greater safety.

Most town roads in NZ are much wider than in (for example) the UK, so 4WDs aren't so much of a problem as they would be there, but there is a significant anti-4WD element who would like to see them banned. They claim that 4WDs are inherently less safe than ordinary cars, ignoring the fact that regardless of whether you're talking about a tank or a Reliant Robin it's the clot behind the wheel who's the determining factor...

[veronica]

I think that one of the feelings against 4 x 4 drives is that so many people who have them also have feelings that they are 'safe' and sometimes this is reflected in their driving. After all if they have an accident they'll be OK, poor old Joe Bloggs in his 15 year old family four door doesn't stand much of a chance against one of them.
The other feeling is how many of the people driving them actually ever use the 4 x 4 facility, probably more here than the UK, although I would still say the percentage would be small.
I agree about the ski fields, the access roads here are an adrenalin buzz all of their own. We have also driven a couple of gravel tracks that recomend 4 x 4 but we drove them in good weather and I am sure most normal cars could have coped happily with them. We have a Honda Odyssey (people carrier/van) that is a 4 x 4 but it was bought specificly for the 7 seats for airport pickups etc. the fact that it came in the 4 x 4 version was a bonus as we go skiing.

[ruthyroo]

Depends what you are going to do with them. Most of the ones we have seen out here are rather pristine looking to actually be doing anything very hard core, but a lot of people here do work out in the bush (and I was very glad that one of them had a decent Landrover when he came upon me spun into a ditch and was able to haul me and the car out :oops: (pesky NZ roads!) and they are useful for travelling unsealed roads. Also many of the 4x4s I see are towing a boat (we live near the Rotorua lakes) though I don't know whether you specifically need 4x4 for that.

[shagen]

4WD's are *essential* for doing the shopping or taking the kids to school. The gravel roads and dirt tracks that make up most city roads in New Zealand mean that any other option is foolhardy!

I knew there was a reason to buy me a 4x4.

I am a 4x4 enthusiast and looking at those Landrover Discos on the website made my feet itchy. Perhaps we'll stay in Kandallah - then I could convince Vera we need one! :mrgreen:

I agree most people in the civilised side of the world would use their 4x4 literally to get off the road, meaning on the kerb. There are safety features in a 4WD that you won't find in a 2WD but at the end of the day it boils down to who is behind the wheel.

This is the 4WD I used to own when we lived in Malaysia.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/sganason/02012050.jpg

This use to be the route I take to work each morning :laugh :laugh And no, he wasn't sitting on the roof rack!

But I am seriously am considering a Landy. Are there 4x4 clubs in New Zealand?

Shagen

[GeorgeM]

...sometimes this is reflected in their driving.

As I said, it's who's driving and how that is the issue.

Taken as a whole the standard of driving in NZ is pretty poor with youngsters driving overpowered sedans far more of a problem then 4WD users, in my experience. (Closely followed by 80-somethings driving at 40km/h in good conditions on perfectly good roads, rant, rant, rant...)

In terms of safety a modern 4WD with ABS which has been properly maintained, has good tyres, brakes etc and is driven by an experienced and alert person will be much better than a 17 year old Ford laser with dodgy tires and breaks being driven way too fast by an inexperienced driver who is younger than his/her car and who hasn't had a good night's sleep for days as a result of burning the candle at both ends (sterotypes or what, eh?)

Unfortunately few of us can afford a car for each occasion, so if our lifestyle suggests an SUV is useful at times then we may still have to use this to drive to the shops. It's not to do with being macho or wanting to look good - in fact my wife drives our SUV most of the time and I use a 1300cc hatchback which my kids think is some kind of granny mobile. (It's great in the city, though, and does over 50mpg!)

People in NZ do seem to get bees in their bonnets about things they dislike more than in the UK (or perhaps the parochial nature of society just means that they are given more voice). Hence you will read in the Press that all 4WD owners are incompetant or that all cyclists are saints. Next day it will be the reverse. Same with dogs and their owners. Or those who like native trees and those who like flora and fauna that was originally imported from the UK and elsewhere. There seldom seems to be an 'it depends' or an acknowledgement of the 'opposing' point of view - it's either 100% one way or 100% another.

[AliJax]

Bloody Hell.

Shagen - simple answer for you (in the form of a question), do you intend on changing your lifestyle when you get here, if not stick with what you know!

We changed our lifestyle from a family hatch (Rover200) & a run around (Fiat Seicento) to an MPV (Toyota Lucida) & a small hatchback (Toyota Echo) this is working great for us as we can get all 3 bikes IN the MPV and travel in a little luxury touring & Linda has the Echo to go to the beach with Lucy after work.

[Beach Kiwi]

You'd have to go out of your way to find a New Zealand *public* road that wasn't suitable for your average car. Even the gravel ones are 'designed' for them.

When I was a kid my father used to take us camping all over NZ, and back then this meant going via many 'loose metal' roads, some of which were very windy and narrow - you even had to toot your horn when approaching corners just in case someone was coming the other way - and on all those trips we never used anything other than two wheel drive cars or campervans! Heck, we were even towing a dirty great caravan a lot of the time, as that was dads favourite type of camping. And these were old-style vehicles too, like Humber Super Snipes, MK2 Ford Consuls, HQ Holdens, Bedford, Commer and VW vans, etc, not the wizz-bang cars of today!

So, unless you've made an effort to find a road that only a 4WD can use, it's unlikley that you'll have any trouble on a New Zealand road, even on an unsealed one - unless it's the middle of winter and the road's been turned to mud, of course! :mrgreen:

[shagen]

So, unless you've made an effort to find a road that only a 4WD can use, it's unlikley that you'll have any trouble on a New Zealand road, even on an unsealed one - unless it's the middle of winter and the road's been turned to mud, of course! :mrgreen:
Oh man! There goes my reason! :laugh :laugh

Never driven in winter. Do roads get muddy? Or are you pulling my leg BK?

[Beach Kiwi]

If the gravel isn't graded regularly they can get a bit muddy and slippy where the tyres travel, but they don't turn into bogs, or anything, as they usually have a good base to them. :cool

[Beach Kiwi]

Here's a picture of one of those cars I mentioned, the Super Snipe. Definitely not a 4WD! :laugh

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22/kzone/humber1.jpg

[shagen]

But that's a 4 wheel antique :nice1

[Beach Kiwi]

It's called a 'classic' motor vehicle now! :cool

I still had the first car I ever owned up until about two years ago, it was a Hillman Avenger, and I hung onto it for nearly 25 years!

Mind you, for the last two it was 'rotting' in the back yard, as it had finally conked out! I find it very hard to throw *anything* away! :laugh

[shagen]

Oops! :mrgreen: Classic I mean!

But that is really a nice car. Did not see any vintage cars when we were in NZ. I suppose people keep it off the roads.

[Beach Kiwi]

That Snipe picture was taken in Australia, not by me, though. :cool

As for vintage cars, there are quite a few in NZ, but they only come out on special occassions, like rallies.

[xanctus]

Shagen,
I have friends who live in Welli and distance relatives in ChCh, I have asked the same question as yours about choosing a car. Well, it seems 4WD is not really needed in NZ, I mean the winter is milder compare where I live at this moment. Therefore, I would probably buy a 2WD car...now the consideration that I have now is that...is Rear Wheel Drive car OK? and many people said it's absolutely fine in NZ's winter. So yeah...2WD is ok I guess. hehehehe
good luck

[Beach Kiwi]

...now the consideration that I have now is that...is Rear Wheel Drive car OK?

Actually, there aren't many rear wheel drive cars available in NZ, at least not ones that are fairly new. Most late model cars sold here are single front wheel drive vehicles. The main exceptions are Aussie Holdens and Falcons, the few American models available, and upmarket cars like Mercs and BMW's.

[Beach Kiwi]

Jeeps are being imported into NZ in small, but 'noticeable' numbers, not only the 'classic' kind, but also the more van-like kind.

[xanctus]

Beach Kiwi,
I thought some toyotas/lexus are RWD right? such as Toyo Altezza?
I am not sure about that.

[Beach Kiwi]

You could be right, I'm not up on all models available here. However, as you probably know, it's a fact that most small to medium sized cars are FWD.

Personally, I prefer RWD, as it's better when going up hill or towing.

[xanctus]

I actually don't mind both RWD or FWD, as long as not gas consumer cars...such as trucks, suv/sav, or those V6 or V8s.

[miep]

I have a rear wheel drive (1989 mazda mx5) and the only time its impractical is when I try to reverse up a steep drive. I need several heavy people sitting on the boot to be able to do that :oops: .

Otherwise it's just more fun to drive and you soon learn not to get into situations that cause you to reverse up any kind of hill!

:cheers Miep

[veronica]

Hiya Shagen, back to your original question, I don't think you need a 4x4 but if you WANT one its a different kettle of fish. If you want one need doesn't come into it. Just get one.

[shagen]

Yes Veronica, from where I come from 4WDs are expensive to buy and I am a 4WD enthusiast so I most likely will get one if I find one I like in Wellington. :yes Especially one of those Landies. It would make more sense though if there were situations where one is needed.

So, want vs. need! You know which one would win! :nice1

And when I do get one, you'll see me up those ski slopes, but not to ski :laugh (I've yet to learn how to do that!)

[jonSE]

Shagen

i think you will find that you will need less of an excuse to buy a 4x4 here than in most westernised countries in the world.

yes there are 4x4 clubs here.

The choice of 4x4s here is greater than in the UK.

jon