Because we don't have a local vehicle assembly industry, NZ lifted most forms of import taxes/tariffs on used vehicles many years ago, and about 95% of our used vehicles are ex-Japanese Domestic Market. It works pretty well, with us able to buy higher specced vehicles with low mileage when the Japanese buy new/trade up. What we don't get, however, is much of a service history, as what is available, is in Japanese. So vehicles go through a fairly strict compliance check when imported (and most importers focus on 4 or 4.5 out of 5 rated vehicles at the Japanese auctions so they're usually in excellent condition anyway), then get serviced before going onto the dealers' yards.
So far so good, but things can go a bit south with European cars, imported to Japan, then imported to NZ (or anywhere).
As one owner has found out with his E89 Z4
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11640812
I didn't think they could 'wind the clock' on modern cars - isn't the true mileage recorded in a non-erasable part of the car's ECU?
If only the owner had known about VIN decoders, he would have known it was a 2009, not 2013, and alarm bells should have sounded...
Without any sort of service history, it certainly pays to get involved in a brand/model specific forum before committing to purchase, as members can point prospective buyers in the right direction with what to look for and how to do your own research. The guy in the article above could have easily avoided getting burnt with a few simple checks (or a check from a BMW dealer).
So far so good, but things can go a bit south with European cars, imported to Japan, then imported to NZ (or anywhere).
As one owner has found out with his E89 Z4
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11640812
I didn't think they could 'wind the clock' on modern cars - isn't the true mileage recorded in a non-erasable part of the car's ECU?
If only the owner had known about VIN decoders, he would have known it was a 2009, not 2013, and alarm bells should have sounded...
Without any sort of service history, it certainly pays to get involved in a brand/model specific forum before committing to purchase, as members can point prospective buyers in the right direction with what to look for and how to do your own research. The guy in the article above could have easily avoided getting burnt with a few simple checks (or a check from a BMW dealer).
