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Hi there,

I'm in the market for a car around the $20k mark. Needs to tick the following boxes (or as many as possible)...

1. Frugal, especially for round town driving but can hold its own on motorway, so with a decent amount of power..
2. Good build quality and safety, longevity.
3. Decent re-sale.
4. Decent spec - sensors, AC and bluetooth high on the list.

I've been away from NZ for about 13 years, and before I left the Japanese import market was a bit of a no-go, any thoughts on whether this has changed, improved? It is possible to get good certified imports these days?

Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

Regards,
Ben

I'm not too worried about the mileage, but preferably sub-70k.

Hi there,
It depends on what type of vehicle, hatches and SUV's are popular at the moment.
Vehicles like Mazda CX5 is a good SUV type, with Mazda 3 or 6, Toyota Corolla, Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift, Hyundai 130, or even a Honda Civic rounding up good NZ new options. With the imports being the Mazda Axela, Atenza, Toyota Runx, Auris, Allex.
Or you can buy a brand new Holden Spark.
Imports are very popular and a lot can have low mileage, it is still a mixed bag as to where the vehicle has come from and does it have under body corrosion (used in the snow) or how it was serviced in Japan. But there are generally some good vehicles available at a good price.

A very belated thank you!