Car insurance

[ebianca]

Right- we have been offered a car in NZ from a friend of afriend of Neils in Welli.
It is a Mitsubishi Magna 3L 1993. oh and they're asking $1500 for it.

Is this a decent car for a family and also with us not being residents how would we go about insurance etc?

Beth

[Taffy]

Hi Beth,

You can get insurance, although you'll pay a little more being on an international drivers license. I would have to say beware of the car though, the older Mitsubishis, such as the Magna and Diamante, are well known for being fraught with problems, especially engine (they are weak and are prone to cam problems, heads cracking and seal failure) and auto transmission issues (computer failures lock them in gear). The 3 ltr V6 also costs a packet to run!

If you are going to be exploring the country, it's worth paying a bit extra for a better car. Cars hold their value much better than the UK, and anything priced under $2k is usually a pile of scrap.

[ebianca]

Thanks for the advice Taffy- i believe it has just had the cam belt done but from what you have said about the rest we might not bother.

Other option that Neil has come up with- works out good for you! What have you got?????

[Taffy]

You mean what do we own or what do we have for sale?

[ebianca]

For Sale- i'm sure we can manage a trip up to Hamilton for a day to meet you all and if we get a car in the process than even better

[hatter5]

Car auctions are quite popular for getting a cheap car. I know several people who have used these guys.

Wellington Cars

They provide a basic inspection report and have a reasonable reputation but you can arrange for an AA inspection.

You'll need to decide whether you will get by with one car or not. We bought a 1.6L Ford Laser, which is economical to run, and I had to buy an old Toyota Starlet as I got a job out of town and couldn't commute. Again very economical but not practical to fit in the family and luggage.

We traded in the old Starlet for an MPV which we try to use at weekends or for longer trips as its not cheap to run if you're just doing the school runs or trips to the supermarket. Over long distances the fuel economy isn't too bad.

Unless you plan on towing a boat then engines bigger than 2L will drink petrol quickly (there are lots of hills in Wellington)

If you rent a car for a week to begin with then you may not feel pressured into buying a car and can travel to view several before deciding.

[Taffy]

Most of our cars are $5k+, and we've got around 600 of them in Hamilton Wellie is a looooong drive from Hamilton though (about 6 hours driving), so could be a tough trip for the kids just to buy a car! It would, of course, be fabbo to meet you guys! The only thing is, you could well be seduced in to a life in Hamilton This town has a habit of persuading people to stay, eh Dawn?

[ebianca]

I have no probem with being seduced into staying in Hamilton- seems a lovely place and of course all you guys are there. We only chose Welli for work reasons so who knows if the right jobs shows it's face in Hamilton.

I imagine at some point we will need 2 cars but that will also depend on how close to school, shops etc we live and of course Neils commute to work. Who knows- play by ear I guess.

[Taffy]

I think play-by-ear is the best way to go when you're doing what you're doing. The amount of people who had their heart set on going somewhere, or thought they had to be somewhere for whatever reason that ended up being somewhere completely different is fairly astounding! You'll know whats right when you get here - in a few days time!!

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by Taffy

Most of our cars are $5k+, and we've got around 600 of them in Hamilton

Sorry to hijack this thread but it may be of some interest to folks about to buy a car, but more particularly to Taffy, if he hasn't already heard about this .