Used car buying guides

Which used car to buy in New Zealand, answered from documented faults rather than reputation. Each guide names what the model is known to break, what the repair costs, and the check that tells you whether the car in front of you is one of the good ones.

Reliability

Best used family SUVs in New Zealand

The used family SUVs worth shortlisting in NZ, and the specific fault each one is known for, with what the repair typically costs.

9 min read Reliability

Best used cars under $10,000 in New Zealand

The used cars worth shortlisting at the under-$10,000 end of the NZ market, and the documented fault each one carries at that age.

8 min read Reliability

Best used utes in New Zealand

A buyer guide to used utes in NZ built from documented faults: which engine each ute is safe in, and which one carries a five-figure repair.

9 min read Reliability

The most reliable used cars in New Zealand

Reliability judged by what is actually documented to fail, and what fixing it costs, rather than by brand reputation.

8 min read Buying guides

Best first cars in New Zealand

A first-car guide built from documented faults: which cheap cars are cheap to fix, and which one repair would end the car.

7 min read Buying guides

Used cars to be careful with in New Zealand

The models carrying the most expensive documented faults in NZ, what those faults cost, and the exact check that tells you whether this car is one of the bad ones.

8 min read Buying guides

How to check a car's rego and WoF in New Zealand

Check any NZ plate's rego and WoF expiry free on NZTA's own tool, what those dates prove, what they miss, and the checks worth doing before you pay.

7 min read Buying guides

Odometer tampering in New Zealand: how to check the real kilometres

How odometers get wound back in NZ, how to check the real kilometres from WoF records, service history and wear, and what to do if they do not add up.

8 min read Buying guides

How to read a Japanese auction sheet

How to read a Japanese auction sheet as an NZ import buyer: the grades and damage codes, the kilometres, fake sheets, and what a sheet cannot tell you.

8 min read Buying guides

AA vs VTNZ vs mobile mechanic vs DIY: pre-purchase inspections compared

AA, VTNZ, a mobile mechanic or DIY? What each NZ pre-purchase car inspection checks, what it misses, what it costs and when each one is worth paying for.

7 min read

Put a guide into practice

Get a guided pre-purchase inspection, a market valuation, and the documented faults for that exact engine, turned into a negotiation figure. From $24.90.

Or read how to check the car before you buy, and what an online check cannot tell you.

Check a car