New start in New Zealand - what car to buy?

[dreamer8887]

Hello,

DH, DD and I are moving to New Zealand from the US in two weeks. We have the big pieces sorted out (house sold! jobs/visas/bank accounts lined up!) and will be selling our beloved Subaru Impreza right before we leave.

We bought the Subaru brand new in 2012, which we now regret (discovered MMM a few years later). Not wanting to repeat that mistake, we will definitely be buying a used car when we arrive in New Zealand.

I am not great with cars, and DH has been a Subaru fan for so long that he's not done much research on other makes. We would love you advice on what models to keep an eye out for when we start car-hunting in a few weeks!

(For any Kiwis reading along, we'll be in Dunedin, and would be open to driving up to Christchurch if needed to get the right vehicle).

Priorities:

- good gas mileage/fuel economy
- reliable for its age
- ideally under $15,000 NZD (or even less would be great!)

Hope to hear from you.

[Dave1442397]

One of the most-recommended cars here is the Honda Fit, which is known as the Honda Jazz in New Zealand.

There are plenty of good cars in your price range:  http://www.autotrader.co.nz/used-cars-for-sale/honda-jazz/kms-any-100000?sort=LowestPrice

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

Buy an ex rental Corolla. They have to have a regular service record, and even with high mileage they're reliable cars and cheap to run. Might set you back $5000.

[kei te pai]

Welcome, haere mai.
Have a look at Trade Me ( NZ version of Craigslist) and pick out a few possibilities. Then use The Dog and Lemon guide for an indepth review of that model and price range. Most cities also have a roadside strip somewhere in town where people park their cars to sell, generally under $10,000. Quite acceptable to get a possible purchase checked by a garage or the AA. Depending on where you will live, you may wish to consider snow chains for winter. Dunedins hilly suburbs can be badly affected by snow and ice a few times each year.
All the best.

[mahuhay]

Tena Koe,

Would recommend Mazda 3, slightly more expensive that Toyota Corollas but reliable.   

Enjoy Dunedin.

[gooki]

You have a shit ton of quality used cars to choose from at that price range. You could easily go lower, $7k is plenty. Even less if you can afford to be patient, my last car cost just $3k (2004 Mazda 6).

Plenty of Subarus around also but they're not fuel efficent unless you opt for the 2wd Impreza.

If you're just travelling around town used Nissan Leafs start at $10,000

For petrol vehicles any Nissan, Mazda, Toyota, Honda with a cam chain engine would be a good choice.

FYI NZ imports a lot of used vehicles from Japan, so plenty of choice.