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Budget car for touring New Zealand — from a small Auckland dealer
You shouldn’t buy any car over NZ$7,000 on a tight budget and Facebook Marketplace is your friend to get rid of the vehicle before boarding that plane.
Go for reliability, I recommend Hondas and Toyotas. **Examples:**
1. 2000s Honda CR-Vs around $3-6k (quick resell $3-4.8k + chuck a fresh WOF of $80)
2. 2000s Honda Accords around $4-6k (quick resell $3-5k + fresh WOF $80)
3. 2000s Toyota Corolla around $4-6k (quick resell $3-5k + fresh WOF $80)
These are widely found on Facebook Marketplace or Trademe and have done most of their depreciation, hence giving you that edge in negotiation when buying and an almost guarantee to resell the vehicle later on without incurring much of a loss. Plus, 91 petrol and a smaller engine will keep your fuel costs down.
These beasts wouldn’t wear out during your 6-month to 1-year stay. Find independent but honest car services (facebook, instagram - check for reviews) wherever you stay for cheaper price and regular maintenance for your vehicle to pass WOF easily for resell.
I do recommend getting insurance on these cars to protect you from liability, it will be around $20-50 a fortnight depending on your “character” and the underwriter. Safety first but financial safety is second as you will travel very often on your trip (trust me, New Zealand is very beautiful so it will be a waste to not discover as much as possible but we also have black ice and tricky roads sometimes).
Always check if your dealership of choice has a buy-back option. Or list it early on Marketplace with a drop-off date and see if you can have a ready buyer before you leave.
Get your public transport card sorted (each city has their own dedicated card) if you’re going to have an extended stay in the city areas cost is roughly free to $7 per trip maximum usually. Parking is expensive, always go for public parking lots and not Wilson.
**Example:**
Cost for getting a vehicle should be $5k
Resell value should be $3-3.5k (for quick resell)
WOF + service for a 6-month duration: \~$80 for WOF & $150-500 for servicing or lower depending on how good you are at finding independent services (small business starters, VTNZ in more rural areas,…).
=> $1.5-2k hiring cost for your car
**Rough budget breakdown, airport to on-the-road:**
Uber from Auckland Airport to CBD: \~$50-80 depending on luck with traffic/time of day (Skybus is cheaper, \~$20, if you don’t mind the wait)
Hostel a night or two while you sort your feet under you: \~$40/night
Car itself: usually $4-6k depending on what you get — but the buy-back takes a big chunk of the sting out of that
**And lastly, wear layers or bring an extra jacket even if “it’s beautiful outside”. Australia took the scary animals but left us the weather. Check MetService not your Apple Weather app.**
Here’s our business, Northwest Motors (Auckland) — cars built for backpackers:
\*\*•\*\*Reliable rides (mostly Honda CRVs), fresh WOF, bring your own mechanic if you want
\*\*•\*\*Free oil change for backpackers
\*\*•\*\*Buy-back when you leave, better deal the longer you use it — you’re paying for the trip, not the whole car
\*\*•\*\*Breakdown support: discounted fix or swap if we can reach you (small operation, so bear with us on timing)
\*\*•\*\*Goal: happy customers who recommend us, not one-off sales
DM/message via Facebook if you’re landing soon: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BEwz16r7k/?mibextid=wwXIfr
#nature #activity
You shouldn’t buy any car over NZ$7,000 on a tight budget and Facebook Marketplace is your friend to get rid of the vehicle before boarding that plane.
Go for reliability, I recommend Hondas and Toyotas. **Examples:**
1. 2000s Honda CR-Vs around $3-6k (quick resell $3-4.8k + chuck a fresh WOF of $80)
2. 2000s Honda Accords around $4-6k (quick resell $3-5k + fresh WOF $80)
3. 2000s Toyota Corolla around $4-6k (quick resell $3-5k + fresh WOF $80)
These are widely found on Facebook Marketplace or Trademe and have done most of their depreciation, hence giving you that edge in negotiation when buying and an almost guarantee to resell the vehicle later on without incurring much of a loss. Plus, 91 petrol and a smaller engine will keep your fuel costs down.
These beasts wouldn’t wear out during your 6-month to 1-year stay. Find independent but honest car services (facebook, instagram - check for reviews) wherever you stay for cheaper price and regular maintenance for your vehicle to pass WOF easily for resell.
I do recommend getting insurance on these cars to protect you from liability, it will be around $20-50 a fortnight depending on your “character” and the underwriter. Safety first but financial safety is second as you will travel very often on your trip (trust me, New Zealand is very beautiful so it will be a waste to not discover as much as possible but we also have black ice and tricky roads sometimes).
Always check if your dealership of choice has a buy-back option. Or list it early on Marketplace with a drop-off date and see if you can have a ready buyer before you leave.
Get your public transport card sorted (each city has their own dedicated card) if you’re going to have an extended stay in the city areas cost is roughly free to $7 per trip maximum usually. Parking is expensive, always go for public parking lots and not Wilson.
**Example:**
Cost for getting a vehicle should be $5k
Resell value should be $3-3.5k (for quick resell)
WOF + service for a 6-month duration: \~$80 for WOF & $150-500 for servicing or lower depending on how good you are at finding independent services (small business starters, VTNZ in more rural areas,…).
=> $1.5-2k hiring cost for your car
**Rough budget breakdown, airport to on-the-road:**
Uber from Auckland Airport to CBD: \~$50-80 depending on luck with traffic/time of day (Skybus is cheaper, \~$20, if you don’t mind the wait)
Hostel a night or two while you sort your feet under you: \~$40/night
Car itself: usually $4-6k depending on what you get — but the buy-back takes a big chunk of the sting out of that
**And lastly, wear layers or bring an extra jacket even if “it’s beautiful outside”. Australia took the scary animals but left us the weather. Check MetService not your Apple Weather app.**
Here’s our business, Northwest Motors (Auckland) — cars built for backpackers:
\*\*•\*\*Reliable rides (mostly Honda CRVs), fresh WOF, bring your own mechanic if you want
\*\*•\*\*Free oil change for backpackers
\*\*•\*\*Buy-back when you leave, better deal the longer you use it — you’re paying for the trip, not the whole car
\*\*•\*\*Breakdown support: discounted fix or swap if we can reach you (small operation, so bear with us on timing)
\*\*•\*\*Goal: happy customers who recommend us, not one-off sales
DM/message via Facebook if you’re landing soon: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BEwz16r7k/?mibextid=wwXIfr
#nature #activity
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