r/NZcarfix

Wife wants a bigger car, coming from our current 2010 Honda Fit. I love our Honda Fit, but I do admit it's not comfortable on road trips, both for me driving and the fact we have a toddler now, filling the car to the max and having two mountain bikes on the back tow hitch.

Our options so far are Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV and maaaybe a Tesla Model Y. Only looking second hand, as financially can't justify brand new, but we could definitely afford it, even for a Tesla.

For a start, I've noticed there are WAY more RAV4s available compared to Honda CRV. I think we both prefer the CRV, but the lack of options is a killer, especially for hybrid versions.

Doing the math, it actually seems like the current hybrid price premium (probably due to the Iranian war) doesn't financially make sense? We mostly drive at highway speeds, ignoring weekend grocery shops etc. While the hybrid version is still cheaper to run at those speeds, it takes 9 years for a $40,000 Rav4 Hybrid 2021 to break even with a $33,000 Honda CRV (Non-hybrid) 2021. I might be underestimating the hybrid benefits though.

Second hand Tesla seems like the most economical option, only if I can get a good deal. But alas the war has caused these to jump up in price a lot. It's a bit ridiculous. And insurance for a Tesla is quite a bit more.

Is a Hybrid actually worth it considering the current market pricing? Is it actually worth it to go brand new now a days? As the gap definitely seems smaller than it used to be. $40,000 for a 2021 RAV4 GXL hybrid (and that's a cheap option?) vs $52,000 brand new. Nuts. My wife prefers the CRV the most though...

Is it worth another 150$ to spring for maxxis tyres? They’re A/T for my truck, it’s a daily runner.

so in 2014 my evo 9 Mitsubishi got stolen from auckland city. police say they are looking at it but they never are. i know it probs off the road but i would like to know what ended happenning with it. its number plate before it got degregisterd was HET15. good luck and thankyou for reading

Can anybody recommend an outfit I could contact about selling a car to a scrapper who would pick up in Ohakune? Thanks in advance!

Currently driving a 2014 BRZ, have owned for about 1.5 years. Looking to sell it and buy a more suitable daily but still keen to stick with jdm. Always liked subies but I’m open to suggestions.

Nothing wrong with the BRZ, just a bit bored now. Never wanted this to be a project car so no real use for it and feel like I need a change now to something cheaper to run.

Budget around 10-15k. Living centrally in Auckland so looking for auto rather than manual. Love the look of an older Lexus IS200 but price / kms for most on the market isn’t great so probably wouldn’t go there.

What do you recommend?

Edit: I’m not looking at getting an is200 I know it’s a worse off option, just like the way they look

Looking to get my rack rebuilt or swap for OE re-man. 1993 Corona. Any trustworthy shops to recommend?

Hi there,

Currently looking to purchase a car. Looking for a smaller SUV style so am thinking of Volvo XC60 2018 T5. I haven’t heard much on the newer Volvos in terms of reliability/maintenance/cost so am assuming they are pretty solid? Can’t find much bad press about them online either.

Other option I was thinking of is 2016-2019 VW Tiguan but they seem to have some reliability issues and have had friends with problematic VW gearboxes.

Open to advice/suggestions. Will be our only car and we do a lot of long distance driving.

VW Passat Alltrack 2017 (B8) 2.0 TDI with 260,000kms

Ad blue system has a malfunction. Mechanic told me could cost thousands just to diagnose, they then told me they could do an ad blue delete, doesn’t remove any hardware just changes software.

They told me it will cost $1,990.

Is this a reasonable cost for this? I know ecu stuff is tricky and expensive especially on late model euros, but 2 grand for no actual physical changes seems crazy, especially considering they’re leaving all the ad blue hardware on the car.

TIA

EDIT: He did tell me he was in touch with an overseas company to get the correct software, it’s a well trusted and busy local mechanic so I highly doubt they are trying to intentionally shaft me.

EDIT 2: Mechanic just gave me a call and told me his mis-quoted me for an ad blue AND DPF delete. Cost for ad blue delete alone comes out to $750+GST

I am looking at buying a 1996 Pajero with the 4M40 2.8 Turbo Diesel with 380xxx ks. Is this a good idea? The actual vehicle looks fine, no rust or anything not really my concern more just is this a sort of end of life vehicle. Owner claims they have done some maintenance, here is what they've said,

The good stuff:
• Lifted with chunky mud tyres
• Bull bar + spotlights
• Proper off-road setup – looks the part and goes well
• Tows well, great for camping, hunting, or beach runs
• Interior is tidy for its age
•Diesel pump rebuilt
•New exhaust flexi
•Second hand fuel filter housing and new hoses
•New speed sensor
•New 4wd vacuum switch(common problem)
•Front brake pads
•New front diff bushes
•Batterys 1 year old
•New rocker cover gasket

Honest bits:
• It’s an old truck – not perfect
• Some wear in the rear/cargo area
• Paint/roof has a bit of age showing

Any good, ai told me some things to check.

Avoid, why or why not?

Need something with a good safety rating, ideally no more than $10k and super reliable (not sure if I’m asking for too much here). I can go up to $20k for the right car if the benefits outweigh the cost.

Don’t want anything with lots of bells and whistles that may need more maintenance. Need something with cheap parts and very low maintenance costs overall.

TIA

Hey everyone, just after some advice on a weird issue with my 2009 Mazda Demio 1.5L auto.

Couple months ago AT light originally came on and off intermittently and then stayed on. I took it to a mechanic who changed the transmission fluid. I thought that might fix it, but the light is still coming on.

I’ve also had it scanned with an OBD reader and no codes show up at all.

What’s strange is that it disappears when I’m going uphill.

The car itself drives completely fine with no issues or noise.

Next step will probably be replacing the TCM but I'm still in the process of looking for a replacement part.

Any advice appreciated.

2009 ford focus

Just got a quote from my mechanic, needing a new alternator & suggested fan belts as well.
All up came to around $1500, does this sound about right or should i shop around ? just a bit steep as I spent 1k getting it wof’d at the shop no longer than a month ago.

Cheers

Hey guys looking to buy 2014/2015/2016 brz or 86 just want to here from people who have these cars or have had them are they reliable anything to look out for looking to spend about 20000 looking at couple of manual ones any feedback would be appreciated

Hello fellow kiwis.

There really isn’t any other subs I can find that is related to cars in NZ to have a discussion.. hoping this is allowed here.

I’ve been a die hard JDM fan and owner since my teens. Now that I am in my mid 30’s I have been looking at expanding my experience to muscle cars.

Some of the cars I’m interested in now are LHD unless it has been converted.

I just wanted to ask for anyone who had a LHD vehicle, how is the experience?

I know of the smaller annoying problems such as not being able to see far to overtake on open roads, drive through and gates etc.

However, apart from these points, is there any real downsides of driving a LHD on a daily basis?

I'm looking at replacing my 2nd car with an electric car. It needs to be able to get into town and back with a little bit of reserve. I'm 20km outside of Hamilton, and I'm aiming to exclusively charge at home. It won't be needed for anything more than this.

I was looking at a 2nd hand Leaf 40X, aiming for 85% SOH for ~$20k, which was the top end of my budget, but have started to see a bunch of ads for a brand new Box with a huge warranty for ~$28k. If the Box is acceptable enough, I think the extra range and warranty would justify going over budget.

My outside option is an e-Golf, which if nice enough & a good option, I may stretch slightly over $20k for. I will not consider Tesla at any price until their ownership changes. Personal preference.

Would love to hear thoughts if anyone owns either of these cars! Are there any cars I should be considering? I can't see anything else that fits the criteria, but happy to hear suggestions 😁