The BEST Ways to Buy a Backpacker Cars & Campervans in New Zealand

© Backpacker Car

BackpackerCar.co.nz

This is the place to organise your campercar or campervan even before you have arrived in New Zealand. BackpackerCar.co.nz is a camping vehicle dealership especially for backpackers, offering a range of pre-serviced vehicles. Not only are vehicles newly renovated with beds, cooking gear, water systems, etc., but they come fully equipped with all your essential camping gear.

The advantages of using BackpackerCar.co.nz to find a vehicle for sale are:

• You have the option to buy before you arrive in New Zealand
• They offer a buyback scheme for an easy selling process at the end of your trip (see “Car and Campervan Rental Sales and Buybacks” below)
• Vehicles have had a strict mechanical check and are WOF and REGO ready
• Free 30-day mechanical warranty included with options to extend
• Cooking and camping equipment are in the vehicle for you
• Well-priced for convenience.

There are a couple of disadvantages, however, which are:

• They are only based in Auckland, which isn’t convenient if you’re arriving elsewhere
• Not as cheap as some secondhand vehicles from private sellers.

Start browsing vehicles for sale and learn more about how they work at BackpackerCar.co.nz.

© NZPocketGuide.com

Backpacker Vehicles on Facebook

Ah, the power of Facebook. Because most people are on Facebook and want to list their vehicle for free, Facebook Groups are the main place where you will find backpacker vehicles for sale from other backpackers.

There are quite a few Facebook Groups for New Zealand backpackers floating around, but we list a few good places to start in the 5 Must Join Facebook Groups for Backpackers in New Zealand.

The advantages of using Facebook to find a vehicle for sale are:

• Many backpackers will leave their cooking and camping equipment in the van for you
• You can pick up a bargain from backpackers needing to make a quick sale before they leave the country.

There are a couple of disadvantages, however, which are:

• Most cars are sold from Auckland or Christchurch, which isn’t always convenient
• Not all cars are of high quality – expect them to have done a lot of kilometres.

Make sure you do a thorough vehicle inspection or take the vehicle for a pre-purchase inspection, as outlined in Buying a Car or Campervan in New Zealand Step 1: Car Inspection.

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Backpacker Car and Campervan Listings in Hostels

Another way to buy a vehicle from a previous backpacker owner is by checking out the car listings in the hostel. In some backpacker hostels – mostly in New Zealand’s arrival/departure cities, i.e. Auckland and Christchurch, there will be a “cars-4-sale” binder or something similar with listings of vehicles for sale. Some hostels have “cars for sale” posters on their noticeboards.

One issue with this is that they are rarely updated, however, listings usually have a date on them, so anything over two weeks old you can consider as sold.

The advantages of using hostel car folders and noticeboards to find a vehicle for sale are:

• Many backpackers will leave their cooking and camping equipment in the van for you
• You can pick up a bargain from backpackers needing to make a quick sale before they leave the country.

A couple of disadvantages of using hostel noticeboards and binders include:

• There’s limited choice
• Some listings can be out of date
• They are less convenient than searching online.

© NZPocketGuide.com

TradeMe.com

This is New Zealand’s very own auction website. You’ll find both Kiwis and backpackers list their vehicles on here, although Kiwis tend to use TradeMe more than backpackers. It’s definitely worth having a browse here to find secondhand vehicles all over the country.

The advantages of using TradeMe to find a vehicle for sale are:

• You can find better quality vehicles there
• Browsing vehicles is easier due to the search filters on the website.

And the disadvantages include:

• Sellers often want the best price, so getting a bargain is more challenging
• Some listings are from car dealerships that may advertise vehicles that are not available (this is commonly done to get potential customer contact details).

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Car and Campervan Rental Sales and Buybacks

Some vehicle rental companies in New Zealand will sell some of their older rental vehicles when it comes to the end of the busy tourist season or when they upgrade their fleet. For campervans especially, this is a good way to get a vehicle that has already been kitted up for a New Zealand road trip. Check out some of the best rental companies for backpackers (many of which also do rental sales) in The Best Backpacker Campervan Rentals in New Zealand.

Look out for dealers, like Backpacker Car, and rental companies that offer a buyback scheme. This is where the seller agrees to buy the vehicle back from you at the end of your trip (with some conditions, of course). For the buyer, this is a great option to reduce the time it takes to buy and sell a vehicle.

The advantages of using rental sales and buybacks are:

• It’s cheaper than renting a vehicle if you’re in the country for more than a month
• You don’t have to waste time finding a buyer for your vehicle at the end of your trip.

Some disadvantages of buying rental sales include:

• It’s usually more expensive than buying from private sellers
• There are limited locations, which might be inconvenient for some travellers.

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Roadside Vehicles for Sale

Yes, it’s that simple. Throughout New Zealand, you’ll see vehicles parked on the side of the road with a “For Sale” sign. Of course, this is not the most reliable method of finding a vehicle in New Zealand. We suggest just keeping an eye out for these signs when doing your vehicle search. (Perhaps when you are taking the bus out of Auckland to find a quieter area with vehicles for sale).

Tip: When you’re in a new town or city, ask a local where you can usually find cars for sale on the roadside. There’s usually “a place”.

The advantages of using roadside vehicles for sale are:

• Get a first impression inspection of the vehicle while it is parked up
• Sellers using this method are usually hoping to make a quick sale with the least hassle, so you could get a bargain.

The disadvantages include:

• Not the most reliable vehicle-finding method
• You usually need to know the area well to know where cars for sale are likely to be parked.

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Backpacker Car Fairs

In the past, New Zealand’s largest cities like Auckland and Christchurch have had car fairs purposely arranged for backpackers. Car dealers use backpacker fairs to sell their older vehicles at a cheaper price. However, these fairs are becoming less and less frequent. Plus, we only recommend car fairs to people who know their way around a car engine.

The advantages of using backpacker car fairs to find a vehicle for sale are:

• Time-efficient, as you can inspect many cars in one place.
• Because car fairs are aimed at backpackers, the prices tend to be low.

The disadvantages:

• There are a lot of low-quality vehicles to avoid
• Expect pushy salespeople.

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Get a Free Car Insurance Quote + Our Exclusive Discount

A great New Zealand-based car insurance for travellers is the option below from Frogs-in-nz. They offer comprehensive insurance in partnership with Star insurance and have tailored their plans to backpackers’ needs. Your options include Comprehensive policy, Third Party Fire and Theft as well as Third Party Only. As a new option, you can now also add Roadside Assistance.

New Zealand Backpacker Car Insurance Discount Code:

Get a 5% discount by using the discount code: POCKETGUIDE in the “promo code” field. You’re welcome!