Getting some wheels

 Being smug amount buying a car

...Five  (not so smug) days later                          

First things first. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, when you're buying something big and expensive you want to put time and effort into it...something we failed to do.





So, you've landed in Auckland, you've had a look around and if you're anything like us (or the majority of people we've met) you'll want to get out of there pretty fast and HIT THE ROAD, that's what your here for after all. Whilst excitement may take over, and every minute revolves around trying to find free wifi and search backpackerboard for cheap cars - take a breath and chillllllllax.

Backpackerboard has been been (and still is) a fabulous website for helping us find jobs, but I really don't think it's ideal for buying a car. Why not? The answer comes in two bold words - RIPPED OFF. Backpackers looking a car are the perfect target for mean kiwis offloading crappy cars. for  It happened to us, it's happened to our friends and let's be honest, it'll probably happen to you but there are ways to avoid it.

1. Allow $3000-$5000 for a decent campervan/car. We could have splashed out more, but as we didn't save a lot before we came, we went for a cheaper option, which ended in disaster.

2. Search for you car/campervan on trademe.com or by going to some car dealerships (Papatoetoe had a big selection)

3. If you don't know anything about cars, try and find out some important things before you leave such as how to check the oil, water, coolant and even the obvious things (that we missed out) break lights, tail lights etc etc.

4. Take it for a test drive and even take it to a garage and see what they say.

Most importantly : Be willing to hang around Auckland for however long it takes to find your vehicle. We were impatient, and the results were dismal four days later when our car died. It's funny to look back now, but there were definitely tears at the time.

Other things you'll need to know:

• WOF - like an MOT ( try looking for car that doesn't need a new WOF for a couple of months to save you some $$) Estimate - $60 ( depends on car & location)
• REGO - this can last for 3 ($70.30),6 (£140.38) or 12 ($280.55)* months and can't be done without a current WOF on the car.
• Change of ownership - when you buy a car you'll need to go to the post office to do a change of ownership which only costs $9.

* Prices based on licensing a standard car.

We came with the dream of buying a snazzy little campervan, but ended up purchasing a car (and tent) which turned out to be just as much fun. If you're on a budget like us, a car may be better suited for you. It's cheaper to run, smoother on the road ( less work on the engine) and much cheaper to buy than campervans.

Useful links :

http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/registration-licensing/fees.html
http://www.trademe.co.nz/
http://www.pearcebrothers.co.nz/
https://www.turners.co.nz/ - Should things go tits up, you can sell your damaged vehicle for some quick cash.


T2S
x