Need help picking out a car when I move overseas

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

According to New Zealand Ttransport Agency, your Insight is eligible for import there, as it's more than 20-years old and its GVWR is below 3.5 tonnes. But you could also consider getting a Kei van, there are even some 4WD ones which are really cool.

I believe there were restrictions that all vehicles imported now need ESC, and must be Right Hand Drive or get an exception. But there's also a category "immigrant vehicles". I'll likely need to email someone for clarification.

[ME_Andy]

Our Leaf is alright. Reliable and cheap as can be but I wouldn't call it fun to drive. It's a brick. I always thought it would be fun to chop the top and strip it out, to actually make it quick-ish. Maybe in five years or so, when the battery is completely toast and it's worthless.

[freebeard]

I always thought it would be fun to chop the top....

I can only find examples of convertible and pickup truck conversions. How would you propose to do that? Cut the windshield, lay it back, or drop it into the cowl?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Ecky

I believe there were restrictions that all vehicles imported now need ESC, and must be Right Hand Drive or get an exception.

There are some exceptions to the import of LHD cars "of special interest" under than 20-years old, but the ESC requirement seems to apply only to new cars. Basically the 20-years rule applied in New Zealand has a similar effect to the 25-years rule enforced in the United States.

[Ecky]

I think I'm narrowing in on what I'm going to get, and I'm mildly surprised.

In the US, the ND Miata (2016-present) came standard with a 2.0L engine. In most other markets, the 2.0 was optional, and they came standard with a more frugal 1.5 (with a very revvy character) and tall, tall gearing. As much as I'd love a project car, I'm thinking I just won't have the time or space to work on one.

Better, the 1.5L Miata is rated at up to 48mpg US on the highway, and ~40mpg combined.

Certainly the cost difference between it and a much older car buys a lot of fuel. It isn't the lowest cost of ownership choice. However, it checks all of the boxes, and I can probably find one with only ~30k km for well south of $20,000 US. I may even come close to breaking even with the Insight sale. I'm also not aware of anyone on here who has one...

[freebeard]

It sounds like your planning is paying off.

What are the chances of a lift-off bubble top and rear skirts with skegs?

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It sounds like your planning is paying off.

What are the chances of a lift-off bubble top and rear skirts with skegs?

Bubble top - low chance. If I'm moving somewhere that's 72F year round, I'm leaving the top down and windows open. Saving grace may be that speed limits there are low.

Skirts - depends on if the powers that be will let me get away with it. Apparently they don't care at all about emissions there, but they have very strict standards around safety. Aftermarket suspension, as an example, is outright banned if there are any welds on a cast piece. Change a ball joint to one that isn't OEM or OEM equivalent, and you suddenly have a "low volume vehicle" that needs to be certified - theoretically. I bet there's a lot that flies under the radar, but I'm guessing skirts will not. So maybe a $10 coroplast skirt will have a $400 certification appointment.

I'll explore it further.

[Rcnesneg]

I would go electric and never look back. There are a lot of chinese options available in NZ also. The cheapest option for a good BEV with lots of range would probably be to import a RHD car from Japan - like a Kia Niro EV (probably would put you around $50,000 USD). The ones already in NZ are crazy expensive. Same with Australia. But gas cars are so expensive and losing value so fast it's not worth it - even in the US. Even more so in NZ.

[rmay635703]

Still gotta wonder how you get a job and relocation to NZ?

I would look at the electric fuel and tax structures in NZ and also consider, it’s a small place, will you need to drive more or less?

If you don’t need to drive far might be worth seeing what the lowest cost home grown options are most compatible with taxes and TCO?

Maybe a Subaru 360 is a thing there, 50+ mpg room room putt putt

Maybe IMIEV, LUPO 3l or the Daihatsu Charade diesel are locally available?

Lots of Kei cars and foreign EVs are likely available as well

And yea, bespoke Miata but one has to wonder fuel and tax structures there?

Are they anti/pro EV?
Is size, displacement, fuel type a taxable item there?

Might be more to this depending on local tax code and fueling costs.

[freebeard]

Bubble top - low chance.

Then a tonneau cover?



I forget what they call this perforated spoiler. Eliminates buffeting in the passenger space.