2 months in NZ
Discussion
Hello people of New Zealand!
I will soon be making my way through New Zealand for 2 months with my mate. I am contemplating buying a car with him in Auckland then selling it in Christchurch at the end. I believe it is very cheap to buy/run a car in NZ but was wondering if you had any other advice.
Would you suggest a Japanese car? Budget around NZ$2000.
Also, I know it is legal to drive without insurance in NZ but I am unsure whether I would like to take the risk. Do you lot have insurance? If so what would you recommend?
Thanks!
I will soon be making my way through New Zealand for 2 months with my mate. I am contemplating buying a car with him in Auckland then selling it in Christchurch at the end. I believe it is very cheap to buy/run a car in NZ but was wondering if you had any other advice.
Would you suggest a Japanese car? Budget around NZ$2000.
Also, I know it is legal to drive without insurance in NZ but I am unsure whether I would like to take the risk. Do you lot have insurance? If so what would you recommend?
Thanks!
As a kiwi living in the UK, I say "Good plan!" In your situation, I'd probably go for a Subaru 4wd stationwagon (NZ english for estate). They're reliable, they have loads of boot space, they're pretty cheap to run & they're surprisingly capable off road (not all NZ roads are sealed & you might want to get off the beaten track...). Do, however, take out some 3rd party insurance cover.
jcpgasoline said:
As a kiwi living in the UK, I say "Good plan!" In your situation, I'd probably go for a Subaru 4wd stationwagon (NZ english for estate). They're reliable, they have loads of boot space, they're pretty cheap to run & they're surprisingly capable off road (not all NZ roads are sealed & you might want to get off the beaten track...). Do, however, take out some 3rd party insurance cover.
My mate went to NZ for a year last Wed and he is in the process of buying a car there and he has settled on exactly the car you mention above. Quite a few people there said it was the best for him travelling around on all sorts of road. He has found out though that cars in NZ are NOT cheap compared to UK. Apparently there is a road in Auckland that is just full of car dealers, dont know the name sorry, and this is where he is looking. Bear in mind there are cheaper car hire companies - I used ezy.co.nz before and we got an old auto Bluebird that wasn't the last word in driving fun but did the job great and cost next to nothing. A quote for their 2 months at their cheapest rate comes back at about $1300. That's including insurance, breakdown cover, etc.
That's the easy option (and saves trawling round looking at sheds) but it would be pretty tempting to just buy for that length of time. Have a look at trademe.co.nz to get an idea of what you get for your money. If you can spend a bit of time in Auckland at the start it may be worth staying in a few different hostels and see if people are on their way home with a car to sell, you often see notices up. The Warrant of Fitness (WOF) is the equivalent of our MOT. Anything over 6 years old needs one every 6 months, so don't get stuck with a car that needs one during your trip. It's displayed on the windscreen so easy to check.
Consider swapping around your trip - fly straight down to Christchurch, do the southern part (Queenstown, etc) and work your way up. If you hire, companies generally don't charge extra for it that way as so many people do the opposite, and I'd imagine it's the more favourable way round for buying/selling too.
That's the easy option (and saves trawling round looking at sheds) but it would be pretty tempting to just buy for that length of time. Have a look at trademe.co.nz to get an idea of what you get for your money. If you can spend a bit of time in Auckland at the start it may be worth staying in a few different hostels and see if people are on their way home with a car to sell, you often see notices up. The Warrant of Fitness (WOF) is the equivalent of our MOT. Anything over 6 years old needs one every 6 months, so don't get stuck with a car that needs one during your trip. It's displayed on the windscreen so easy to check.
Consider swapping around your trip - fly straight down to Christchurch, do the southern part (Queenstown, etc) and work your way up. If you hire, companies generally don't charge extra for it that way as so many people do the opposite, and I'd imagine it's the more favourable way round for buying/selling too.
I leave in 11 days so not much chance of swapping the trip. Thanks for the advice guys.
I was looking at an old Subaru, seems like a good option and plenty capable. I don't want to kill the thing but I will make the most of the great roads I've heard of in some of NZ.
From what I have seen online I would say buying a car is comparable price wise to most developed countries however fuel and garage costs appear a lot cheaper. Fuel in the UK is almost twice the price!
I was looking at an old Subaru, seems like a good option and plenty capable. I don't want to kill the thing but I will make the most of the great roads I've heard of in some of NZ.
From what I have seen online I would say buying a car is comparable price wise to most developed countries however fuel and garage costs appear a lot cheaper. Fuel in the UK is almost twice the price!
Hi if you havent already www.trademe.co.nz most private/dealers are putting their listings here. Happy hunting 
GravelBen said:
Bus vs car probably depends if you'd rather the freedom of driving yourself and being able to stop and look at whatever you like, or if you prefer travelling with a whole bunch of other tourists and only stopping at the standard places.
I disagree, I will not be going on one of the party buses. I would try to get to most places using frequent small local transport trips to see more of the lesser traveled areas. You can get around without a car and still stray from the standard backpacker path. Also I am only young and would definitely like to be with other young backpackers for the big cities at least as this is where I will meet people going the same way and have a good laugh.I also would love to get myself a nice scooby station wagon and hit the gravel twisties seeing the side to New Zealand most travelers ignore and do everything at my own pace. The problem is I am only in the country for two months and don't have the cash to both have the car and pay for hostels 1/4 of the nights. I pretty much have to choose between the 2.
I will try my best though! If it is economically viable I will try to buy/rent myself a little playtoy for the South Island.
I don't want to be seen as the typical backpacker and do plan to come back next year and do it 'properly'
EPIC POST!
Farmboy,
I would very intersted in any updates,if you can when you get to NZ,as my 19 YO son in going on a 3 month trip at the end of March,starting in Auckland.
He is going on buses to take in both islands.
Cheers
Steve
I would very intersted in any updates,if you can when you get to NZ,as my 19 YO son in going on a 3 month trip at the end of March,starting in Auckland.
He is going on buses to take in both islands.
Cheers
Steve
Edited by sb-1 on Sunday 1st February 10:42
Edited by sb-1 on Sunday 1st February 10:43
Farmboy UK said:
GravelBen said:
Bus vs car probably depends if you'd rather the freedom of driving yourself and being able to stop and look at whatever you like, or if you prefer travelling with a whole bunch of other tourists and only stopping at the standard places.
I disagree, I will not be going on one of the party buses. I would try to get to most places using frequent small local transport trips to see more of the lesser traveled areas. You can get around without a car and still stray from the standard backpacker path. Also I am only young and would definitely like to be with other young backpackers for the big cities at least as this is where I will meet people going the same way and have a good laugh.I also would love to get myself a nice scooby station wagon and hit the gravel twisties seeing the side to New Zealand most travelers ignore and do everything at my own pace. The problem is I am only in the country for two months and don't have the cash to both have the car and pay for hostels 1/4 of the nights. I pretty much have to choose between the 2.
I will try my best though! If it is economically viable I will try to buy/rent myself a little playtoy for the South Island.
I don't want to be seen as the typical backpacker and do plan to come back next year and do it 'properly'
EPIC POST!
Fair enough, living in Central Otago I see no end of tourists come through on bus tours, see three different places and leave again thinking they've 'done New Zealand' when they haven't really even scratched the surface.
At times you might be sitting in the bus thinking about how much you'd prefer to be driving the roads yourself, but I guess you can't have everything.
As Rob said they're not the cheapest cars to fix if something major breaks, but things don't go wrong very often at all.rich_mkii_rs2000 said:
Im off to NZ myself at the begining of May with a 1 year working holiday visa. Gonna buy a car to drive round as well but wasn't sure of best model to go for. What are the subarus like for repair costs?
Depends what your wanting to spendI rate a NZ New Honda Accord VTI-S or VTI-L. I have in the past got the licence number and gone into honda and they have printed out all servicing done on the car (if done at a honda dealership)
I own one and it is currently touring NZ with some UK friends of ours (has 200kms on the clock) I expect it to do another 100ks easy
http://www.turners.co.nz/Vehicles/Pages/Vehicle-Im...
http://www.turners.co.nz/Vehicles/Pages/Vehicle.as...
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