A Guide to Buying a Van in New Zealand
Travelling in a van is one of the best ways to see New Zealand. Especially all the natural wonders that the hard to reach spots offer. New Zealand' does not have the best public transport systems, so a van is a great way to get out on your own and explore.
In this guide, I will discuss a few key things to consider when looking and purchasing a van in New Zealand.
Where to look?
There are a number of places to look for vans online.
Trade Me is one of them. These vans tend to be a bit more expensive, but also higher quality.
Facebook Marketplace is another place where people sell vans. Be aware though there is no buyer safety on this platform, so do not just go about transferring money until you have seen the van or secured it. People can tend to be a bit flakey on this website as well (not responding to messages being a big one or listing vehicles with mechanic issues), so just be aware of that.
The backpacker board is another spot where people, mostly travellers, list vans for sale.
Self Contained?
On the campervan listings you may notice them mention, self contained. When a van is self-contained in New Zealand, it gives you access to a lot more freedom camping spots. As a lot of camping areas are for self-contained vehicles only.
A self-contained certificate is issued by a self-containment officer. To get self-containment, a van has to meet certain criteria. For example, having a toilet that can be accessed when the bed is set up, and enough freshwater and a place for wastewater etc.
So purchasing a van with a current self-containment certificate is a bonus and something to look out for.
More info on self containment can be found here
What to look for ?
This obviously largely depends on personal preferences. You may be okay with a smaller minivan such as Estima, or maybe you want the powerhorse, a hightop hiace. You may want a van already converted and looking pretty, or want an empty van which you can convert yourself if you have the time.
However, some universal things to look for when buying a van in New Zealand are -
A current Warrant of Fitness (WoF) - this will save you from having to worry about getting a Warrant during your trip, as legally you can not drive a vehicle on New Zealand roads without a warrant.
A current Renewal of vehicle licence (rego). Without one of these, you can not legally drive the vehicle on New Zealand public roads. This is displayed in the windscreen of the vehicle and are valid for six months to a year.
Recently serviced - A service is done at a mechanic and does things like, checking all the vehicle’s fluids (oil, water), checking tyres, lights and brakes. They are a good thing to have done - and can offer some reassurance on the quality of the car.
Mechanically sound - You do not want a vehicle that is going to fall to pieces as soon as you hit the road, so you want something that is going to last. Not only for your trip but as a way to make back money at the end of the trip by reselling it to someone else. How can you tell if it is mechanically sound? One way is to get something known as a pre-purchase inspection.
Pre-purchase Inspection?
A pre-purchase inspection can be done by AA or certain mechanics. This involves a through mechanical check. They will then give you a report on the state of the van and you can make an informed decision whether or not you want to go ahead and purchase it. A pre-purchase check is good for peace of mind, especially when you are spending a lot of money on a van. The inspections can be a bit expensive, around $180 but, if problems are found you can sometimes use these to talk down the price of the van from the owner, if the problems are not too major.
What kind of license do you need if you are coming from overseas?
If you have a full overseas car licence (equivalent to a New Zealand class 1), you can drive a car or light vehicle, weighing no more than 6000kg. From the moment you enter New Zealand, you can drive for 12 months.
Some Extra Advice
Getting a DoC camp pass, is a good investment. This will allow you to camp at a number of DoC campsites for free. It does cost a couple of hundred dollars but you will make that up quickly by staying at the campsites for free.
Joining the New Zealand Campervan Association has some perks, such as a discount on the Inter-islander ferry and a few campsites that you can stay at that are exclusive to NZCA, but it is better to invest in this if you are travelling for more than six months in a van in New Zealand as it is quite expensive.
If you see ONO next to the price, it means or near offer. So, there might be a little wiggle room in regards to the price.
Renting?
If you would rather do a short van trip, there are a number of companies that rent out campervans.
Below is a list of places you can rent campervans in New Zealand
Share Camper (This one’s a bit different as it is private campers being rented out by individual van owners).