New Kiwi, for two years at least

So I have been told this is fall..... you boys got it good overhere. Just came over from Canada and it was still snowing when I left. Anyways, bike is on route and should be here by June, looking like a sport bike will be... interesting in these parts. Anyways a few generic questions for you guys (sorry if these have been done to death)

1. I am living in Auckland. Any suggestions on some reputable/well priced shops in town? I know I will be needing to go make some basic purchases like chain wax etc. Might also be getting due for some labor work so knowing some places ahead of time would be much appreciated.

2. Also need to get a used car for the old lady. We are hoping to spend 5-8k on just a little compact econo box... lower on that scale the better. We have been spending a lot of time on trademe, but I was wondering if you guys could suggest any reputable used car dealers..... and on the flip side dealers to avoid.

I think that should be it. Look forward to going for a rip with you guys. Also if you see a blue Corolla on the wrong side of the road.... it is just some confused Canadians, please be patient with us :)

Sad you have to live in Auckland but hope you will be able to get out of there and see the real NZ.
Not to sure about Auckland bike dealers, it depends on what brand of bike you have.
A good place to check out cars is http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars

Phil

I live in Auckland , I'm too lazy to go to bike shops and just get most stuff on line.
Cycletreads is ok, if you can be bothered going over the shore.
Tyres I get from Drury Tyres, oil and other stuff Supercheap.
I work out East Tamaki so Botany Honda is handy.
My mate swears by this guy.
http://aucklandmotorcycleservices.co.nz/
Cars in that price bracket are hit and miss, if seller seems dodgy they probably are.

I’ve just gone through the whole ’buying a cheap run about car’ thing. Absolute minefield. One thing I did discover is the smaller the car the stupider the price. Aim for something with a 2 litre engine or bigger, be patient, and you can pick up a bargain.

Motomail in Ponsonby will provide most consummable stuff, there is a tyre shop downstairs that will carry out some repair work.

Thanks for the tips so far, much appreciated. Are there any common problems (aside from normal maintaince such as changing belts etc) to be on the look out for? Compared to Canada you dont see to have the death cold, and pot holes that I am used to so I imagine cars have a pretty decent life span...but I am also an accountant and not a mechanic.

Cars last well in our moderate climate, main problem is the drivers.
+1 on the prices of small cars, helped my two boys into cars in the last 2 years, Toyota Levin was 3k, so far 2 years and only alternator failed, 99 Nissan Pulsar 3500. They are getting very picky at the Testing Stations on stupid stuff like seatbelts, motorcycles on the other hand they seem less rigerous on.
I'd say give Euro cars a miss and go Jap, and then the more common ones.
There are lots of Jap imports that are uncommon outside Japan but they generally are based on the common model like the Levin is a sporty Corrolla.
Given the choice I'd go for NZ new and less than 160 000 kms for under 5k car. I hate looking at daily driver cars.

When you say NZ new do you mean the initial purchase of the car was in NZ, or that it is freshly imported from Japan?

And again thanks guys. Your life savers, well that might be a bit dramatic but you get the point.

NZ new = initial purchase in NZ. Often you'll find them priced at a bit of a premium over an equivalent used import. This is because you usually get some maintenance history & better parts availability. However the spec level is usually lower. Good advice from Voltaire above, make sure the car has a WOF from VTNZ or a similar dedicated testing place, not some dodgy garage.

Have fun in NZ, lots of cool roads for a sportsbike, just watch out for the cops, they have no sense of humour about speeding here. Once you've checked out most of the tarmac bits you'll need to swap it for an adv bike though

Cheers
Clint

NZ new cars give less trouble as a rule too even with higher KM's as they are open road KM's rather than bumper to bumper in the city.

Welcome to NZ =)

Auckland gets a bad rep with the natives but it is actually a cool wee place as far as big-ish cities go.

If you're concerned about vehicles holding their value, Toyotas are pick of the bunch.

Which part of Ak will you be living

Does it really matter

Adrian

I looked for a cheap run about for a couple of months. Heaps of shitbox, overpriced, mid 90's, Corolla's and Nissan Pulsars about. 250,000 kms on a 1600cc engine and they still want 3k+ for them :huh.

I finally stumbled across a 1999 Mitsi Galant, 2000cc, manual, 120k km, showroom condition, NZ new, one owner (get this, who happened to be a retired VTNZ inspecter). He kept every record of oil canges, light bulbs that blew, and even every WOF check. No shit, there ain't even a stone chip on the bonnet (or 'hood' for you north american peoples). $4000

Bugger the small cars, go medium and you can get a bargain. This thing still does around 7.3lt/100km, and almost has enough power to overtake slow shit on the highway.

It's even get a fancy Kenwood stereo. It was bloody funny when I pulled off the removeable front and found it had a tapedeck behind and not a CD player.

Just signed the paperwork last night on a place in Freemans Bay (sp?). We wanted close or in Ponsonby, but everything in that area was an overpriced piece of shit. Got way more bang for the buck here, and not really any further from the actual Ponsonby road.

Freemans Bay, you can walk to Motomail from there, and Countdown,nice bars,restaurants the CBD....and in 20 minutes you can be out in the country.
Colemans Suzuki is up on K road too, also walkable. Plus loads of scooter shops in that area too.
Probably is the most expensive part of an overpriced city.:huh

When your sorted give me a yell , we could go for a sedate ride. We go most Sunday mornings, my wife & I pootle, some of the others get along

That sounds awesome. The girl might enjoy that as well. I will be sure to let you all know once the bike gets through customs and is all legalized.

The headlight dipping may need looking at, and the sidestand moved to the other side for riding on the left

Is that really a requirement to move the kick stand to the other side? Headlight I think I determined should be okay.... but we will see what the inspector says.

absolutely