[Ivar_79]

Hey guys ,

Alot of things have been talked about with regards to New Zealand but I have not heard (or I have probably missed :angel ) anything about cars in New Zealand.So I would like to shoot this question to those who are already in New Zealand.

1) How would you guys rate the prices and models that are in New
Zealand?

2) How up to date are New Zealand folks with the latest car models from
say Europe or Japan?

I work for an Automotive Consulting firm in Malaysia and would be really interested in knowing the latest in New Zealand.I do know for a fact that Australia has a thriving automotive industry there but not much has been said about New Zealand though.....wonder why? :?

[richsadams]

Hey Ivar :cool

Cars...a subject near and dear to my heart. :yes

Kiwis are pretty laid back about their vehicles. There is a faction of "petrol heads" here, but not like in a lot of other countries. I've met up with a few enthusiasts, however they are generally younger and can't afford a great ride so they fix up there old Mitsubishi station wagons and Nissan Bluebirds the best they can. A few of the "tall poppies" have some nice Ford or Holden V8's but I can't ever recall seeing a Lamborghini or Ferrari around town.

The latest model of anything here is pretty rare and you'll pay top dollar. Being an island nation, everything has to be imported. In general the car of choice is a bit older Japanese sedan, usually a fairly dull colour and mostly dusty (it rains a lot). :( Don't get me wrong, there are some nice cars here, but they are the exception.

Plus the speed limit is 60 kph so there's not a lot of fast driving to be done without risking the wrath of the law. :booby

There are a ton of Japanese imports of every variety...some euro cars and a few right-hand drive versions of Fords and Chryslers...again nothing spectacular.

The Japanese import market is very strong so prices are fairly reasonable for those, but anything else would be expensive by comparison to many other countries. You have to do some shopping to make sure you're getting a good deal. Auctions are very big here too, but again, you have to do your homework. Every town seems to have a more than its share of car dealers so you have a lot to chose from. The private sector has a lot of cars for sale too.

Part of the equation is the average Kiwi income. It just doesn't allow people to put a lot of money into cars, old or new. Kiwis also tend to wring every last bit out of their machines (cars and otherwise) as well. It's not unusual to find someone driving a Nissan Safari with 400,000 or 500,000 K's on it! :eek

Here's a couple of web sites that will give you an idea of what's to be found here...

http://www.auto.co.nz/

http://www.aacarfair.co.nz/buy.aspx?source=adwords

And if you're into auctions...

http://www.turners.co.nz/auctions/?a=y&p=lead.html?type=car

Hope that helps! :cool

[Ivar_79]

Wow ....thanks rich.... :nice1

Wonderful insight on the auto scenario.Really helped alot with my understanding of the auto industry in New Zealand

Cheers! :P

[richsadams]

No worries Ivar...glad to be of service!

I forgot to mention something else; there is a distinction between used imports and "new" New Zealand cars as well. Imports, as the name suggests, were first sold in another country then imported to NZ for resale. "New" New Zealand cars were originally shipped brand new to NZ for sale. Dealers usually note if they are “New - New Zealand” cars…and of course charge more for them. :uhoh The difference is mostly cosmetic, but having an import can lead to some issues when ordering parts, etc. Most branded dealerships (Honda, Toyota, Volvo, etc.) may have some degree of difficulty finding parts for some of the imported versions of their models. Sometimes they have to send to the country of origin for parts. We have one of each and haven't had too many issues with the import (other than having to track down an owner's manual written in English :? ). I've heard some others have had some problems...but nothing too drastic.

You can usually buy an imported car without too much concern. The NZ government is very strict about imports and require odometer authentication plus they have to pass a Warranty of Fitness (WOF) before they can be offered for sale. For a fairly nominal fee you can take any car you're thinking about buying to one of the many inspection stations here and have a mechanic do a more thorough check as well.

On the road you can usually spot a Japanese import as Japan requires an additional small passenger-side mirror which is mounted on the fender. It looks silly to most people and (in my humble opinion) ruins the lines of most cars, but is actually fairly practical as it allows the driver to see the lower left side of the car down to curb level. We have one on our Toyota Harrier (Japanese version of the Lexus RX300) and it comes in very handy during my feeble attempts at parallel parking! :roll: Many Japanese mini-vans also have an additional mirror mounted over the back window which allows the driver to see behind the vehicle down to the rear bumper. Again, practical but kind of silly looking. :laughlish) but I've heard some others have had some problems...but nothing too drastic.

You can usually buy an imported car without too much concern. The NZ government is very strict about imports and require odometer authentication plus they have to pass a Warranty of Fitness (WOF) before they can be offered for sale.

On the road you can usually spot a Japanese import as Japan requires an additional small passenger-side mirror which is mounted on the fender. It looks silly to most people and (in my humble opinion) ruins the lines of most cars, but is actually fairly practical as it allows the driver to see the lower left side of the car down to curb level. We have one on our Toyota Harrier (Japanese version of the Lexus RX300) and it comes in very handy during my feeble attempts at parallel parking! :roll: Many Japanese mini-vans also have an additional mirror mounted over the back window which allows the driver to see behind the vehicle down to the rear bumper. Again, practical but kind of silly looking. :laugh

Have fun with the research and maybe once you get here you can get things fired up!! :nice1

[xanctus]

Richadams,
that is a good write up about the car issue in NZ. How about importing the car itself? how difficult and how much is the percentage to import cars?
Someone tolod me that NZ has no interest on importing cars from other countries...is that true?

[richsadams]

Hi Xanctus :cool

Importing your own car can be very tricky. There's lots of paperwork and of course various fees. And it all depends on where it's coming from. If it's a right-hand drive, it's much easier. If it's a left-hand drive it's a good deal more complicated. Plus if you don't intend to have it modified to a right-hand drive you can't sell it for a long period of time and you have to pass a special drivers licence test. :eek

Here's the official website. Have a look and see if you can't find the info you're looking for...

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/importing/

[xanctus]

whoaa....thank's so much richadams for the info and link that you provided it helps me to understand the law/regulations of importing cars.

Hmmm, have a special driving test? hmmm that sounds quite scary... :uhoh :uhoh :mrgreen:
but again, thx

[Rimbo]

Richadams,
thanks for the info, i was going to ask a similar question as i have recently bought a car i may wish to ship over when (if!) i came.
i have looked if there is a big following of V Dubs out there and have found a few small web sites for Beetles and camper vans but not much by way of Golf GTi scene.
Do you personally know of any Clubs, web sites etc that have a GTi theme and if parts are readily available?
:cheers

John