New Zealand car travel and how to buy a car in New Zealand

Because there is a lot to see, many travellers buy a car, drive around New Zealand for a few months and then resell the car to another group of travellers. This is a good option for a group of people with time on their hands, although both car and motor home rental are both popular options.

If you want to buy a car, check classified ad magazines in newsagents and petrol stations and notice boards in hostels. Most hostels have a few cheap cars for sale. In big cities like Auckland where there is an established backpacker scene, you may be able to buy a car from a second-hand car dealer which specialises in backpackers; the main advantages is that they can assist with all the paperwork and even arrange to buy the car back when you have finished travelling.

You will need to ensure that there is no money owing on the vehicle, otherwise you may find yourself in a situation where the car is repossessed to repay the previous owners debts. For $3 you can check the vehicle with the Personal Property Securities Register (tel 0900 90977; website www.ppsr.govt.nz). You will need to provide details of the car’s registration, VIN and chassis number.

If you are buying a car it will need to have a WOF (Warrant of Fitness) certificate, which shows that minimum safety standards have been met. If the car doesn’t have a WOF you will need to get the car inspected at one of 3,500 WOF agents throughout New Zealand. If you are buying a car with a WOF, you will need to have this renewed when it expires (every six months).

You will then need to fill in a MR13A form to transfer the car's ownership. This will cost $9.20 and can be done at any New Zealand Post Office. Depending on the length of registration remaining on the car, you may also need to pay for more registration and third-party insurance. Registration will cost $252.50 for six months or $357.25 for one year. This paperwork is organised by the Land Transport Safety Authority, check the buying & selling pages of the Motorists section of their website (www.ltsa.govt.nz) for more information on all the bureaucracy that you may need to deal with.

Third-party liability insurance protects you if you are involved in an accident that causes damage to someone else’s property. Budget Backpackers Hostels (BBH) sells a third-party liability insurance policy that is specially tailored to the requirements of backpackers. This policy is available from the following BBH hostels:

North Island

City Garden Lodge, Auckland

The Brown Kiwi, Auckland

Bamber House, Auckland

Verandahs, Auckland

Hone Heke Backpackers, Kerikeri
Peppertree Lodge, Paihia
Funky Green Voyager, Rotorua
Bell Lodge, Tauranga

Sunkist Lodge, Thames

South Island

Beach Hostel, Nelson

Chester Street Backpackers, Christchurch

Foley Towers, Christchurch

If you’re buying a car and planning on doing a lot of driving you may consider joining the Automobile Association (AA; website www.aa.co.nz). Membership in the AA has a lot of benefits including breakdown assistance, discounts and travel information. If you are already a member of an affiliated motoring organisation, you are entitled to reciprocal services for up to six months; alternatively you can take out a six-month visitor’s membership for $99. If you are renting a car some sort of breakdown assistance scheme may already cover you, so it is really only worth the money if you’ve bought a cheap old car that is likely to break down.