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Purchasing A Car 

Overview & Key Points:

Owning a car in New Zealand is much more affordable then in the UK.​

Costs:​

  • Registration can be $50 - $120 a year​

  • Car purchase: $2000- $6000 is the average budget for travelers, depending on car condition, size and budget. ​

  • Insurance: Flexible range of insurance policies and regulations in New Zealand. Starting from $40 NZD a month.​

Car insurance is not a legal requirement in New Zealand – however we strongly recommend some form.​

Options:​

  • Third party – damages to other are only covered, not your own damages ​

  • Third party + fire and theft – additional cover or fire damage and theft​

  • Comprehensive – full cover of others and yourself​

Our Recommended Platforms 

Be aware you are purchasing second hand cars from unknown sellers, so nothing is guaranteed.​

A smart thing to do is have the car checked out by a mechanic, which can be $50-$100, but less risky.

Reliable Platforms:

  • Facebook Marketplace​

  • Trade ME​

  • Autotrader NZ​

Red Flags when buying a second hand car

Firstly be aware of the risks of buying a car second hand.

Red Flags:​

  • Limited or broken up service history​

  • Kms over 260,000 on the clock ( Unless Toyota)​

  • No Rego (registration) ​

  • A high volume of previous owners (especially in short period of time, this indicates people were unsatisfied)​

  • No WOF (Warrant of Fitness) Equivalent of MOT​

  • Tampered odometer​

  • Rust or mismatched paint (Signs of flood damage and crashes)​​​

Green flags (Only good signs not guaranteed)

  • Low KMS ​

  • Seller is relaxed and not desperate or pushy.

  • Comprehensive service history (Full is ideal but rare, so mostly complete is usually OK).

  • Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki are OFTEN the most reliable.​

  • Reliable brands - Japanese brands are recommended in NZ , due to reliable builds being able to withstand the questionable road quality.

  • Engine size gives a good idea of fuel usage – bear in mind bigger engines more often than not lead to larger fuel expenditure (Not in every case though!).

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