Troopy purchase in NZ, travel, and import back to the States.

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SkiBum506

SkiBum506

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
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11
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Location
Crested Butte, CO
Hi everyone, I am planning to do a one year working holiday in New Zealand. While there I want to purchase a 70 series troopy to use while I am there and then bring it back to the states with me. I am looking to purchase a troopy that will fit in the 25 year requirement by the time I leave NZ. I also want a diesel and a manual. I am looking for advice and input on purchasing, importing, and what years are arguably better than others and why. I am tentatively looking to leave in the spring and return one year later in 2017. I was looking at purchasing in Australia and shipping to NZ as it seems many more troopys are available in Australia. However it looks expensive to ship a vehicle from Aus to NZ and then seems like a pain to register. So I think I want to purchase in NZ use in country and ship back to the states. So my starting questions are
1. What if any are considered better year troopys and why?
2. Can anyone speak on buying and using a vehicle in NZ? anything to look out for or be aware of?
3. What shipping companies have people used with good results when shipping a car to the states?
I am sure I have many more questions but this seems like a good starting point. Thanks for your help everyone.
 
SkiBum506 said:
I am looking to purchase a troopy that will fit in the 25 year requirement by the time I leave NZ.

2. Can anyone speak on buying and using a vehicle in NZ? anything to look out for or be aware of?
Click to expand...

There are very few pre 1990 troopy's in NZ and realistically not even an abundance of post 1990 troopys. Due to their high cost compared to the rest of our vehicle market troopys have mostly been used by the commercial sector and generally have had a pretty hard life. You'd find one for sale here but it would be more a case of having to buy what you can find rather than picking and choosing to find a good one, you'd typically expect a ruff-ish body and interior for that age. New Zealand's troopy market is nothing like what is available in Australia.
 
Hi Mate

If you bought an Oz truck doing the temporary import paperwork into NZ isn't really too bad but you are right, the shipping & port charges will be $$$$.

Troopys aren't exactly rare in NZ but they're not plentiful either & it may take you a while to find a good one that meets the 25 yr requirement. AFAIK most pre 1998 NZ troopys will be a 6cyl non turbo diesel & manual box. Around 1990 I think they changed from the old 2H 4.0 diesel to the newer more powerful 1HZ 4.2 diesel.

Check out Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me most people & dealers will list on there. If you spot something interesting in the Rotorua area before you arrive I may be able to go & check it out for you. Otherwise you can get an independent Automobile Association check on it's condition.

Bear in mind troopys are bought to be used hard in NZ & anything pre 1992 has probably done 300K km minimum & some stuff will be worn out. We do have quite a few 70 series in general though so parts aren't too hard to find. Be aware that in NZ diesel vehicles pay road user charges (RUC) based on mileage so many older diesel vehicles may have had the speedo drive 'accidentally fail' at times & the actual mileage may be hugely more than what's on the odometer.

Then you just need to do the ownership transfer which is easy, just use the address of a mate, your hotel or whatever.

There's lots of cool places to go in NZ if you're traveling by 4x4 so if you make it happen keep in touch & we'll give you some pointers on where to go off the beaten trail.

Cheers
Clint
 
Thanks for the replies. I think it would be real nice to have the troopy in NZ while I am there. However the ultimate goal is to find one I like and import it to the states. That being said perhaps I could get a cheap pickup with a topper or van to camp out of while in NZ. Then sell said vehicle in NZ before I leave at the end of my year. After I could fly to Australia, buy the troopy and ship it home. The other option could be stop in Australia while over there and purchase one for temporary import in NZ before I take it home. From what I have read so far it looks about $2000US to ship a car from Australia to NZ? Does temporary paper work cost much? And last, is it easy to live out of your vehicle in the warmer months in NZ. I think I will be on the south island most of the time but I would like to do some sailing work in the warmer months so perhaps the North island. Thanks for your help.
 
Hi Mate, have a look here for temp import requirements: Importing a vehicle temporarily | NZ Transport Agency A refundable customs deposit of 15% of the value of the vehicle will be payable, plus the ACC levy & a WOF check which will be about $200 all up I'd guess. They aren't kidding about the biosecurity inspection, will probably be another $100 or so - you need to clean the hell out it before shipping.

It may be cheaper to get something here. Have a look on trademe & do the numbers. We don't have any pickups in NZ, only utes :p Topper campers are rare but LWB 4x4 wagons & vans are common. It is easy to live out of a vehicle over summer but there are restrictions on where you can camp, especially in the more touristy areas. Good free camping around on the 4x4 trails though. There are lots of paid campgrounds in NZ which are usually pretty good when you need to stay in town, do some laundry etc.

If you're buying a troopy in Oz it would be a waste not to do some touring there in it before shipping it home. - so much to see.

Cheers
Clint
 
Hello SkiBum,

If you don't mind a suggestion, I'd get the factory duel fuel tanks. It's hard to go wrong with long-range capabilities.
 
@61Mk+, I believe what I am looking for is a 1HZ Troopy with factory duel tanks, AC/heat, and as little rust as possible. More add ons would be nice but that's where I'm setting the bar.
 
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