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HI, I need to replace my medium sized station wagon (1500cc) and am looking for fuel economy, medium to high clearance and a good safety rating. I am looking at Fielders and Honda Airwaves and Airwaves seem ahead on the above points. But how do I confirm the safety rating? And is it better to get a higher mileage eg. 113,000 kms but newer (2010) Airwave due to transmission (gearbox?) issues on earlier, I believe pre-2008, Airwaves?

Many thanks, Jay

Hi Jay,
From a safety point of view, newer is generally better and has the potential to have better safety features and more advanced technology. Not all imports have safety rating found on Rightcar, we recommend to find a vehicle with stability control safety feature (ESC) https://rightcar.govt.nz/safety-ratings.
From a mileage point of view high kms quick is not necessarily a bad thing, and you may get a vehicle that is newer than what you would normally fit in the budget. An average car would travel 10-14k a year so a 10 year old car could reasonably have 100-140k on the clock and not be considered high.