What Small Car?

[StefanVXR8]

Guys, just doing a bit of homework in case we end up migrating to NZ.

My Wife currently has a Renault Clio and she'd like something of similar size with a manual gearbox. I can see that Clio's are a bit thin on the ground in NZ, this will just be our second run around family car, as I'm not familiar with the Japanese or Korean market in NZ what other cars would be worth looking at for the following criteria:

Small
Economic
Manual
Fairly safe
Air Con
Around $5,000NZD

Definitely not a Nissan Micra/March!

Thanks

Stefan

[CR6ZZ]

Try putting this URL in your browser and you will get some idea.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeS...

[anonymous-user]

CR6ZZ said:

Try putting this URL in your browser and you will get some idea.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeS...

Blimey! just looked at that website! I adore New Zealand and hope to maybe live there one day, but damn....you have some st cars for sale

[mark387mw]

MonkeyMatt said:

....you have some st cars for sale

...and pricey!

[CR6ZZ]

mark387mw said:

MonkeyMatt said:

....you have some st cars for sale

...and pricey!

Yep - on both counts....

[StefanVXR8]

Yup, now you see my predicament!

Cheers for the link will have a look.

Stef

[CRM]

Fiat Uno Turbo - best small car - if you can find one

[alex.tvr]

I'd buy a decent car in the UK and ship it down with the rest of your gear......

[StefanVXR8]

alex.tvr said:

I'd buy a decent car in the UK and ship it down with the rest of your gear......

I'd like to take all three of what I've got now, problem is I've not owned any of them for 12 months.

Stef

[alex.tvr]

I can't remember the ins and outs of the GST (tax) now, but it's probably worth doing a quick Google or seeing if anyone answers here. The money you'd loose on selling your cars in the UK, the exchange rate to bring the cash down here, then the cost of buying another car down here I bet you'd be better off shipping yours down. A large number of NZ cars are lower specced than UK cars aswell, eg I used to have a Nissan Murano, and the only ones they sold in NZ had alot less gadgets than the UK ones - fine if you want a basic car but I like gadgets
Another point, IF you want to buy your cars down here via bank loan or credit you may struggle when you first arrive. Interest rates are high compared to the UK and they don't chuck credit at you like the used to in the UK. What Visa you have / residence status plays a part.

[IXLR8]

StefanVXR8 said:

alex.tvr said:

I'd buy a decent car in the UK and ship it down with the rest of your gear......

I'd like to take all three of what I've got now, problem is I've not owned any of them for 12 months.

Stef

Stef you cannot escape mate lol

Can't you leave the cars you have here till the 12 months is up then send them over??
Perhaps buy an old banger in the meantime??

[Zadkiel]

Personally I would get a Honda Civic hatch. If you want something not too bland and slow then they are a good choice.

This is an example: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/honda/au... , however I wouldn't get that specific one as it's a bit shabby.

Used cars hold their value a lot more here as buying a second hand car is the norm for 90% of people, therefore you won't get nearly as nice a car for $5k. On the flip side insurance is much cheaper, if you want it at all!

If you're happy to pay higher parts and servicing costs then you could find an E36 328i for that price if you want to stick to Euros.

[Fulvisti]

A Honda not bland!? Are you kidding!? It may just be me but I find them all extremely bland and uninteresting.

GST is charged on the shipping cost and value of the car (probably the last purchase price) if you've owned it for less than a year. But I believe you have to be in the same country for that year.

[StefanVXR8]

Thanks guys, likely to initially be coming over on a work to residence talent visa with a view to applying for permanent residency if we settle.

Is this 12 months prior ownership rule absolute? Or are there other options etc?

My Wife loves her Clio, it may be a little battered on the outside thanks to previous owners but it drives well, is well spec'd with climate, auto lights, auto wipers etc and I haven't found anything similar.

My main car isn't so bad, plenty of HSV Clubsport R8 VE's around, none Supercharged though!

Would love a new VF after sitting in the first UK one at the weekend but as mentioned above I don't anticipate being able to get finance on the visa I may have, and of course I'd get shot if blow all the funds we bring over on a new $100,000 car!

I am also still concurrently applying for a permanent residency visa for Oz too.

Stef

[CR6ZZ]

StefanVXR8 said:

I am also still concurrently applying for a permanent residency visa for Oz too.

Stef

Are you sure you want to do that Stef?

From my brother in Oz....

DIARY OF A POMMIE IN AUSTRALIA


August 31
Just got transferred with work from Leeds UK to our new home in Karratha , Western Australia .
Now this is a town that knows how to live!
Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings.
I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday.
It was beautiful.
I've finally found my new home.
I love it here.

September 13
Really heating up now.
It got to 31 today.
No problem though.
Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car.
What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this.
I'm turning into a sun-worshipper - no blasted rain like back in Leeds !!

September 30
Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today.
Lots of palms and rocks.
No more mowing lawns for me!
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
It's Paradise !

October 10
The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week.
How do people get used to this kind of heat?
At least today it's windy though.
Keeps the flies off a bit.
Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected.

October 15
Fell asleep by the pool yesterday..
Got third degree burns over 60% of my body.
Missed three days off work.
What a dumb thing to do..
Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!

October 20
- Didn't notice Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car before I left for work this morning.
By the time I got back to the car after work, Kitty had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stuck to the upholstery.
The car now smells like Whiskettes and cat st.
I've learned my lesson though: no more pets in this heat.

October 25
- This wind is a bd.
It feels like a giant fking blow dryer.
And it's hot as hell!
The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from fking Perth .....The wife & the kids are complaining.

October 30
- The temperature's up around 40 and the parts still haven't arrived for the fking air conditioner.
House is an oven so we've all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now.
Bloody $600,000 house and we can't even go inside.
Why the hell did I ever come here?

November 4
Finally got the fking air-conditioner fixed. It cost $1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 25 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel about 35.
Stupid repairman.
fking thief.

November 8
- If one more smart bd says 'Hot enough for you today?'
I'm going to fking throttle him.
fking heat!
By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fking clothes are soaking fking wet and I smell like baked cat.
fking place is the end of the Earth.

November 9
- Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car.
I thought my fking arse was on fire.
I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fking arse.
Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried arse and baked cat.
fk. fk. fk.

November 10
-- The Weather report might as well be a fking recording..
Hot and sunny.
Hot and sunny, Hot and fking sunny.
It never fking changes!
It's been too hot to do anything for 2 fking months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.
fk!

November 15
- Doesn't it ever rain in this damn fking place?
Water restrictions will be next, so my $5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fking pool.
The only things that thrive in this fking hell-hole are the fking flies.
You don't dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little bds!

November 20
- Welcome to HELL!
It got to 45 fkin' degrees today.
Now the air conditioner gone in my car.
The repair man came to fix it and said, 'Hot enough for you today?'
I wanted to shove the fking car up his fking arse.
Anyway, had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid prick.
fking Australia!
What kind of sick, demented fking idiot would want to live here!

December 1
- WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fking kidding me!

[StefanVXR8]

CR6ZZ said:

StefanVXR8 said:

I am also still concurrently applying for a permanent residency visa for Oz too.

Stef

Are you sure you want to do that Stef?

From my brother in Oz....

DIARY OF A POMMIE IN AUSTRALIA


August 31
Just got transferred with work from Leeds UK to our new home in Karratha , Western Australia .
Now this is a town that knows how to live!
Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings.
I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday.
It was beautiful.
I've finally found my new home.
I love it here.

September 13
Really heating up now.
It got to 31 today.
No problem though.
Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car.
What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this.
I'm turning into a sun-worshipper - no blasted rain like back in Leeds !!

September 30
Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today.
Lots of palms and rocks.
No more mowing lawns for me!
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
It's Paradise !

October 10
The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week.
How do people get used to this kind of heat?
At least today it's windy though.
Keeps the flies off a bit.
Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected.

October 15
Fell asleep by the pool yesterday..
Got third degree burns over 60% of my body.
Missed three days off work.
What a dumb thing to do..
Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!

October 20
- Didn't notice Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car before I left for work this morning.
By the time I got back to the car after work, Kitty had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stuck to the upholstery.
The car now smells like Whiskettes and cat st.
I've learned my lesson though: no more pets in this heat.

October 25
- This wind is a bd.
It feels like a giant fking blow dryer.
And it's hot as hell!
The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from fking Perth .....The wife & the kids are complaining.

October 30
- The temperature's up around 40 and the parts still haven't arrived for the fking air conditioner.
House is an oven so we've all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now.
Bloody $600,000 house and we can't even go inside.
Why the hell did I ever come here?

November 4
Finally got the fking air-conditioner fixed. It cost $1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 25 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel about 35.
Stupid repairman.
fking thief.

November 8
- If one more smart bd says 'Hot enough for you today?'
I'm going to fking throttle him.
fking heat!
By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fking clothes are soaking fking wet and I smell like baked cat.
fking place is the end of the Earth.

November 9
- Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car.
I thought my fking arse was on fire.
I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fking arse.
Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried arse and baked cat.
fk. fk. fk.

November 10
-- The Weather report might as well be a fking recording..
Hot and sunny.
Hot and sunny, Hot and fking sunny.
It never fking changes!
It's been too hot to do anything for 2 fking months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.
fk!

November 15
- Doesn't it ever rain in this damn fking place?
Water restrictions will be next, so my $5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fking pool.
The only things that thrive in this fking hell-hole are the fking flies.
You don't dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little bds!

November 20
- Welcome to HELL!
It got to 45 fkin' degrees today.
Now the air conditioner gone in my car.
The repair man came to fix it and said, 'Hot enough for you today?'
I wanted to shove the fking car up his fking arse.
Anyway, had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid prick.
fking Australia!
What kind of sick, demented fking idiot would want to live here!

December 1
- WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fking kidding me!

[IXLR8]

CR6ZZ said:

Are you sure you want to do that Stef?

From my brother in Oz....

DIARY OF A POMMIE IN AUSTRALIA


August 31
Just got transferred with work from Leeds UK to our new home in Karratha , Western Australia .
Now this is a town that knows how to live!
Beautiful, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings.
I watched the sunset from a deckchair by our pool yesterday.
It was beautiful.
I've finally found my new home.
I love it here.

September 13
Really heating up now.
It got to 31 today.
No problem though.
Living in air-conditioned home, driving air-conditioned car.
What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this.
I'm turning into a sun-worshipper - no blasted rain like back in Leeds !!

September 30
Had the back yard landscaped with tropical plants today.
Lots of palms and rocks.
No more mowing lawns for me!
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.
It's Paradise !

October 10
The temperature hasn't been below 35 all week.
How do people get used to this kind of heat?
At least today it's windy though.
Keeps the flies off a bit.
Acclimatizing is taking longer than we expected.

October 15
Fell asleep by the pool yesterday..
Got third degree burns over 60% of my body.
Missed three days off work.
What a dumb thing to do..
Got to respect the old sun in a climate like this!

October 20
- Didn't notice Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car before I left for work this morning.
By the time I got back to the car after work, Kitty had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stuck to the upholstery.
The car now smells like Whiskettes and cat st.
I've learned my lesson though: no more pets in this heat.

October 25
- This wind is a bd.
It feels like a giant fking blow dryer.
And it's hot as hell!
The home air conditioner is on the blink and the repair man charged $200 just to drive over and tell me he needs to order parts from fking Perth .....The wife & the kids are complaining.

October 30
- The temperature's up around 40 and the parts still haven't arrived for the fking air conditioner.
House is an oven so we've all been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now.
Bloody $600,000 house and we can't even go inside.
Why the hell did I ever come here?

November 4
Finally got the fking air-conditioner fixed. It cost $1,500 and gets the temperature down to around 25 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel about 35.
Stupid repairman.
fking thief.

November 8
- If one more smart bd says 'Hot enough for you today?'
I'm going to fking throttle him.
fking heat!
By the time I get to work, the car radiator is boiling over, my fking clothes are soaking fking wet and I smell like baked cat.
fking place is the end of the Earth.

November 9
- Tried to run some errands after work, wore shorts, and sat on the black leather upholstery in my car.
I thought my fking arse was on fire.
I lost 2 layers of flesh, all the hair on the backs of my legs and off my fking arse.
Now the car smells like burnt hair, fried arse and baked cat.
fk. fk. fk.

November 10
-- The Weather report might as well be a fking recording..
Hot and sunny.
Hot and sunny, Hot and fking sunny.
It never fking changes!
It's been too hot to do anything for 2 fking months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.
fk!

November 15
- Doesn't it ever rain in this damn fking place?
Water restrictions will be next, so my $5,000 worth of palms might just dry up and blow into the fking pool.
The only things that thrive in this fking hell-hole are the fking flies.
You don't dare open your mouth for fear of swallowing half a dozen of the little bds!

November 20
- Welcome to HELL!
It got to 45 fkin' degrees today.
Now the air conditioner gone in my car.
The repair man came to fix it and said, 'Hot enough for you today?'
I wanted to shove the fking car up his fking arse.
Anyway, had to spend the $2,500 mortgage payment to bail me out of jail for assaulting the stupid prick.
fking Australia!
What kind of sick, demented fking idiot would want to live here!

December 1
- WHAT!!!! The FIRST day of Summer!!!!
You are fking kidding me!

Nice one

[StefanVXR8]

I have to say that is the single factor that carries doubt for me over Perth, the summer temps.

Stef

[RCK974X]

That's bloody wonderful, and I really did laugh a lot.

OK - as a Pom from Manchester who has now lived in NZ for about 20 years, and have been to Perth and Tom Price (which is a bit South of Karratha).

Karratha is well into the Tropics...... but Perth can be bloody hot too.

NZ is FAR more like UK than Oz, but is still warmer overall (except bottom of South Island, Invercargill and Dunedin etc), and gets hotter on East side of North Island and as you go North.

I currently live near Masterton and am now used to it being in the mid to high 20s for Summer, and sometimes into the 30s. We do get the odd frost in the Winter, but it never survives very long. It actually feels cold to me at under 20C !!

Wellington and surrounding commuter areas are quite nice, Auckland can get pretty hot too, and the traffic can be terrible !! It can get windy nearly anywhere in NZ, and can get pretty nasty gales...

Get out of the cities though, and it's pretty damn beautiful almost everywhere.

And I have to say I didn't relise I'd never properly seen the stars and the Milky Way until I got here, and you can see colours in the stars !! Wow !! I reckon in MCR I'd be lucky to see half a dozen....

(OK, OK, everyone can argue now, but that's how it feels to me....)

Edited by RCK974X on Wednesday 5th February 04:37

[mark387mw]

RCK974X said:

good stuff

That's what I would have written but I was waiting for someone with more experience

It doesn't answer what small car but certainly reminds you Australia can be unbearable.
Having said that, I'm off there next month on holiday

Since moving to Hawke's Bay, I wear shorts everyday including winter as it's never really too cold.
Winters in my part of the world are much better to live through, it does rain and we get frosts but all is bright and pleasant and over quite quickly.
We don't get the never ending months of gloomy, wet miserable winters.
No more going to work in the dark and returning home and it's dark!