how much to/ how do i hire/ buy a camper van/ car in New Zealand!?

Question

Basicly anything to get me from Auckland to Christchurch which I can buy and sell easily at each end.

Im 19 and will be in NZ from early December for 3 weeks

Answer 1

There is a trader paper (name escapes me at the moment), you can pick it up at any convenience type store for about NZD $2. It is free to advertise in this paper so lots of people do it. I would say this is the best place to find a cheap car.

I bought a basic older model automatic 4-door Nissan car when I lived in Dunedin for $500, put about $150 into repairs (but I had it a year and drove all over in it), other than that worked great. Sold it when I moved for $400 through the same paper. If you buy a cheap one though, make sure to ask lots of questions including if there are any tricks you should know about. For example, I had never driven a car that required you to pull out the knob to release the gas before turning it over. Killed my battery trying to start it without doing this.

Also I would recommend investing in a Pay As You Go phone in case you do break down in the middle of a isolated area. They cost about $50 (or less, can get these from store or thru the same paper). I sold mine for $50 when I moved via the free paper.

NZ cars have the steering wheel on the right hand side of the car and drive on left side of road. If you are from the US, this can get tricky. Just remember that wherever you are driving (any country) the oncoming cars should always be on the driver's side. If they are coming at you from the passenger side, you are on the wrong side of the road :-)

Have fun!

Answer 2

Hiring a car or camper van at that time of the year will be fairly expensive. Buying a campervan is expensive. If you are arriving in Auckland, pick up a Trade and Exchange (the newspaper the member above is talking about), you can get good deals in there, but do heed her advice, and make sure it has a warrant of fittness and registration or you won't get far! Try going to Turner's Car auctions, largest seller of used cars in NZ (according to the phone book lol), located on the North Shore of Auckland, 5 Arrenway Drive, Albany, North Shore. They have a website www.turners.co.nz i know lots of backpackers who have bought reliable cars from them and then onselled. Also, try some of the hostels in Auckland, people sometimes put up notices if they are trying to sell a vehicle they have been using for traveling. Hope you have a cool time when you come here, happy travels! :)

Answer 3

If you want to pick up a cheap camper van then go to one of the backpacker car markets when you arrive in Auckland. Ask at one of the backpacker hostels where they are. There's one on East Street, Central Auckland open every day.

You can pick up a camper from NZ$2500-5000 depending on the age and what you want in it. They can sort out cheap insurance and a mechanical check on the spot if you want. You should be able to sell it an the end of the trip but if you are in a hurry you can't garantee you'll get back what you paid for it.

Check out www.backpackercarmarket.com for examples of what's for sale now.

Answer 4

Oh man hire one, don't buy it. There are loads of campervan hire companies who will let you pick up in one town and drop off in another, including north to south island. Shop around as some of the better known companies are much more expensive - like Maui.

I got a dead cheap one from a company with a long german-sounding name starting with a 'w', if I can remember the name I'll add it later. It cost me $70-80 per week, which is about £25, and had all the basics - cooker, kitchen equipment, dining table, double bed etc. Perfectly adequate and the best way by far to explore NZ!