[TJH]

We land in NZ in just over 6 weeks and one of the first things we have on our to-do list is to buy a car.

We will be buying a used car probably around the $8-10k price.

Does anyone out their have any tips or experiences related to buying a used car in NZ (ie things to avoid or look out for)?

I have bought a number of used cars in the US and I was just looking for tips that are specific to how things work in NZ.

Thanks

[JandM]

This has often been discussed on the forum before. Here are some old threads to give you some help. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&as_q=buying+a+car&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&num=10&lr=&as_filetype=&ft=i&as_sitesearch=emigratenz.org&as_qdr=all&as_rights=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=images

[nickiware]

we are going to go to Turners Auctions, you could check out their website, nationwide

[MelisG]

We'll be moving a day after you!! I have no advise, but I will be checking in on the answers you get as I have the same question.
Good luck with your move!

[victoria24]

make sure if you buy privately that you check there is no finance outstanding on the vehicle. get the car checked over by a reputable garage and always haggle. if buying from a dealer then just haggle!

[Tara Sage]

And watch out because if they think you are a pomme just of the plane they assume you have lots of money to spend lol...

Not much different to car dealers anywhere in the world really

[victoria24]

And watch out because if they think you are a pomme just of the plane they assume you have lots of money to spend lol...

Not much different to car dealers anywhere in the world really
or estate agents!

[Georgebulldog]

Best bit of advice I can give..................
Buy my VW Gold GTI :D

[nickiware]

Georgebulldog, just saw where you are fromI am in Thatcham just down the road from Tadley, you will be pleased to know middle of school holidays and it's pouring down

[mylesdw]

I wouldn't bother with Turners, the one in Chch is not really an auction house and more of a dealership that drives its cars past a small rather bored audience. You can easily go an hour or more without anything selling and most of the same cars will come round the next day and so on.

I reckon now is the time to buy from a dealer and to push a really hard deal. Some of these guys are starting to hurt and they need cashflow to pay the bills. I'd take 20% of their sticker price and call that my maximum.

[catt]

Also use www.carjam.co.nz (http://www.carjam.co.nz) which provides basic but useful information on cars with number plates. You can also buy reports on them but i havent bothered so far. The AA here also run a site something similar www.aalemoncheck.co.nz/ (http://www.aalemoncheck.co.nz/) .

[grady bunch]

If you are arriving in Auckland, they have monthly car meets on Sundays where anyone who wants to buy or sell a car turns up and haggles on the spot, private and dealers. We got a good deal of Trade me, from a dealer in Onehunga. The third car we bought since we got here, he was about 3k cheaper for any type of car, we bought a 2001 Honda Oddyssey for $8k had 100k on the clock in perfect condition. I would recommend him, there are a lot of rip off dealers waiting for the new Brits off the boat! If you want the dealers details check his listings out.

www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Honda/Odyssey/auction-235337328.htm

[dusk]

With that kind of budget you should be able to get a second hand car from a dealer, even if you're not very good at haggling the price down.

You will get a new WOF and Rego as standard I believe (definitely the WOF) and you should push for a 1 year warranty from the dealer - if the car is okay they shouldn't have any issues with giving you a warrranty on it :)

[bobo]

You will get a new WOF and Rego as standard I believe (definitely the WOF) .....

I think that you are not allowed to sell a car with less than 28 days WOF

[Leo]

I have always wondered how my backpacker friends bought their cars in NZ, drove'em all over both islands, then sold them at the end of their stay with such ease... Not even a single mention of having bought a 'lemon' although those cars had done astounding mileage (...I sometimes wonder if their respective odometers have overrun the maximum and restarted the mileage count again)!

What can one do to avoid buying a 'lemon'? What redress may one seek in the unfortunate instance of having bought a 'lemon'? :p

[dusk]

I think the AA will do a lemon check on any car (presumabluy for a fee, although I haven't tried it!)

[constablechuck]

Just a bit of advice about buying a used car. In NZ private sellers such as those on Trademe aren't bound by the same laws as dealers, nor is there any sort of lemon law here so even a dealer can sell you a car with serious mechanical problems without disclosing it.

The biggest risk is buying a car that has finance owing on it, you could end up having your car repoed before you even know there's a problem and it would be very difficult to recover anything from the seller. The other risks are inaccurate odometer and the seller not owning the car i.e. someone sells flatmates car without permission to recoup money owed and car gets reported stolen, there's no certificate of title in NZ to document ownership transfer.

My advice is to use www.carjam.co.nz to run a check on a car before buying it and ask the seller to show ID and provide a written receipt. Also, just like anywhere else you'll find honest and dishonest people in NZ, so check out a car mechanically before buying it.

I've bought a number of cars here and the biggest lemon was sold to me by a very friendly seemingly honest person.


There are plenty of deals to be had on cars in NZ because of an abundance of japanese imports.

If I had it to do over again I would have hired a car and taken my time in finding the best deal. As with any place the dealer is the most expensive option since you have to pay their profit. Turners does have some deals once and a while but the best deals are on Trademe. With 8 -10k you could end up with a very nice newer model car with low kms if you watch Trademe and move quick when the best bargains are listed.

[globetrecker]

we are going to go to Turners Auctions, you could check out their website, nationwide

We can definitely recommend Turner's (esp. the larger one closer to Manakau). We were a little nervous at first because we'd never purchased a car from an auction but they let you drive them, inspect them, etc. so you can get an idea of it's condition. Also, on each car it will give a basic report indicating if it has any problems. Most hadn't though. We were also pleased with the selection. Heaps of good cars, a lot probably came from Japan, and most had low mileage (less driving in Japan we were told). Who knows if they turn back the odometer, though. :uhoh

Once we found the car we really wanted, every time someone looked at it, we'd hold our breath and hope they wouldn't want it. We also had a top 5 list of cars, in case it became over our budget. Then came bidding time. It was quite fun, actually, and just a little nervewracking because you want the low ball price and are constantly wondering if someone will bid for it too. All in all, we got the car for a few thousand under the asking price and have had it for four months--not a single problem.