Well done NZ!

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This is probably going to sound a little patronising coming from Australian. Not to worry - its fully intended. 

I meant to write this a few months ago; but I was awaiting the result of a final undertaking in NZ, the sale of my car, and I never got around to it.

During Sept 2012 I travelled from Queenstown to Auckland in 10 days. The purpose of the trip was to move some possessions and to sell the car. During this trip, I would have to say that I met some lovely, generous people. 

Arriving in Queenstown..ok there was a little bit of suspicion when I arrived with just a small backpack. Clearly they thought I was running some drugs. Nope; just moving house. Anyway, on to Christchurch where my car was in storage. The people at A1 Storage were very generous. They helped me kickstart the car after 3 months of non-use; and they gave me flexible access until I confirmed by WOF, which had already expired. Fortunately, I only needed a new tire, and the guy who did that was wonderful as well, because he found me a prospective buyer for my car as well. No money? Fine, generous spirits all round.

I received great service from a motel in Christchurch; though fortunately I could rely on my Filipino partner in the Philippines to make the booking for me because the entire city is booked out due to the 'earthquake rebuild'. This period is a goldmine for motel owners. They were unsurprisingly generous with their service too. Perhaps that is the great news about hardships like earthquakes insofar as the turnaround is destined to be a great confidence builder...with all that spending. 

It was a rush up to Picton, and a ferry ride across to Wellington. During this part of the trip I was looking for some car repair work to cut out some rust and repaint. I found a guy in Palmerston North, and stayed in a local motel. Before I could fix the car I went to my NZ base of Wanganui. I absolutely love this town. It has a prison and some delinquent people, but there are some wonderful people there as well, and the town has a wonderful feel, and some lovely parks. Perhaps not as impressive as Taranaki, 2hours up the road, but special to me. Returning to Palmerston, these guys really worked hard to finish my car in time. It was a big ask, and I was pleased they were able to stick to their commitment. I had to board a flight on Saturday afternoon to Sydney, and I still needed to sell the car. They allowed me to drive up to Auckland to offer my car at auction. 

My original intent was to sell my car at auction with Turners. Unfortunately, I was not satisfied with the service I got from Turners in Purnell, Auckland. The service was far fairer and generous in Palmerston North, where they even drove me to the bus stop, and allowed me to set the reserve price at auction. In Auckland, I was told that there was an oversupply of cars, so they can only give me a very low price. I knew my van was worth $4500-6500 to an end-user, but clearly I was in a hurry to buy. They would not allow me to place my own price like before, so I rejected their $2500. An auto mechanic team up the road gave me $3000, and generously allowed me to sell through them. I decided to just give them any upside, since they did me a great favour, so I accepted their $3000 cash. I also just wanted to leave NZ freely; and also I worry with very generous people if its all a ploy to take advantage of your trust. I trusted him because of the positive sentiments of his staff, and because he was a business owner. It was a little hard though to trust as I felt vulnerable leaving the country. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. 

Thank you NZ. There are some tragic sentiments in the country; but I only saw the best of you on this trip. Rest assured, you will be akin to Arab oil sheikhs when the country discovers more oil & gas in coming years. Very beautiful country...lovely place to drive. 

NZ Property Guide Philippine Real Estate Guide Japan Foreclosed Guide

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Campervan for sale for $4000 NZ, free delivery from CHCH to Auckland

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We are looking to sell a nice vehicle well-suited to campervanning. We used this vehicle for campervanning as well as mountain biking. Its a really good vehicle for these purposes because:

1. Short wheel base

2. Handles really well

3. Good size for camper and off-road

4. Not a conspicuous camper

5. Its a relatively new model (2001) - with low 145,000kms

6. Hanging points - you can easily fit the vehicle out - we will tell you where to go. 

This vehicle has around 145,000kms at present; its a manual 5-transmission, it goes really well mechanically. It has a lot of rust in the 'hood' over the drivers compartment. This is not a problem for obtaining the warranty of fitness because it is classed as an accessory which can be removed. WOF scheduled 8/22/2012. The car is almost due for new tyres, and that will be about $380-400, so we have discounted it as much. 

I am travelling to Asia in the next few days so I am looking to sell this Holden Combo. Its currently at Christchurch, however I intend to move some homeware to my house on the North Island. Ultimately we will likely fly out of Auckland Airport, however we have still to book flights. 

Anyone flying into Christchurch or Auckland looking for a campervan could not be happier than with this vehicle for several reasons. It is not as conspicuous as a camper - because it's a delivery van. Its a 1600cc engine, so low petrol consumption. Its short wheel base makes it suitable for off-road use. i.e. We take it off-road for MTB trails. The vehicle comes with a roof-rack as well.

We are looking for $4000 for the vehicle, or $4500 with new tyres (negotiable). If we cannot sell the vehicle we will look at selling it through Turners. We would however prefer to give a discount to a direct buyer than a commission to Turners. We can deliver the vehicle to a person at Queenstown or Auckland airport. Auckland is preferred, as we need to take our bikes to the North Island. Email us at shouganai1 at gmail.com.

or Call 027 916 0128 (NZ) camper van for sale

I'll deliver from Christchurch up to Auckland. Let me know.

 NZ Property Guide Philippine Real Estate Guide Japan Foreclosed Guide

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Buying a car in NZ

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Interesting that Turners Auction made a nice interim profit this half year. I am suspicious of this good result for two reasons:

1. They are I believe taking a position in the market trading stock

2. They are under-quoting on the price of cars

I sold a car through Turners recently. They under-quoted me grossly. They said my car was worth $4000. Interestingly, they ignored the fact that I had bought the same car from them 8 months earlier for $5500. In any respect, I eventually sold the car for $5,000. I think I could have got $5500 for it actually, because whilst we might be in recession, so more local sellers, and fewer buyers; there is a shortage of supply from Japan I think after the tsunami destroyed vehicles by the thousands. Also TradeMe prices told me I could get more.

Turners superficially give very good service. i.e. They have driven me to the bank to get the cash, dropped me off at the bus depot, etc. They were very nice to allow me to withdrawal from one sale to buy a car when the car I really wanted was passed in. Very good Christians you might say. But I sense an undercurrent there, so beware. I still deal with them. They need to make money, and its apparent that they under-quote. Not sure if they are taking equity in sales, or whether they are simply under-quoting to make their cars more attractive buys. i.e. To draw customers. It could be argued that the change in market circumstances demanded that. The reality was however - TradeMe was telling me something else. When you are looking for a sale, best to get a sense of the market at TradeMe. People do go to auctions for a bargain. It does not mean they have to get one. Don't be lured so readily into auctions either if you are not in a hurry to sell. We could have just as easily come back from our holiday and kept the car.

In fact, we only wanted to sell our car and buy a new one when we returned in 3 months. In the process of selling, we found out that you don't have to auction your car. I think its better to actually just leave your car on their lot and wait for trade inquiries through them. That is if you are in no rush. The problem I guess is that as a customer they seem not to direct you to cars in the yard, so it is dealers who are likely to get these cars.

Business in NZ is a struggle. It is a small market and very little money gets spent in the non-food market. As a trader, it can feel like a 'dog fight' sometimes. It feels rather tragic if you are not accustomed to that system of values; and yet NZ has this superficial exterior which yells 'maternalistic society'. Its really a dog fight. In comparison, I find Australia rather materialistic for different reasons, i.e. psychological repression - systematised by statutory imposition.

NZ Property Guide Philippine Real Estate Guide Japan Foreclosed Guide

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Mercedes Benz A160 for sale, Wanganui

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Anyone coming to NZ for a holiday looking to purchase a car. Here is an option for you. We are selling a Mercedes Benz A160. For $NZ7500 (about $A or US$5000) you can purchase a 1999 Mercedes in good condition, with 96,600kms on the odometer. The car has just completed its warranty of fitness, it has near-new tyres, has a recent oil change, and its an elegant, fuel efficient 1600cc car. It is great for travelling around NZ.

You can check out our advertisement at:

1. AA Insurance - see www.aacarfair.co.nz/Detail/Advert/728243

2. TradeMe - see www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=365307930&ed=true

My partner and I are travelling overseas, so we don't need a 2nd car in NZ. If you are interested you can reach me on my email. I can pick up anyone who wants to buy it from a local bus or train station, as I appreciate that travellers might want to look at it upon arriving in NZ. Wanganui is 6hours south of Auckland, 2hours north of Wellington, however Wanganui does have its own airport. Intercity Bus services offer the next best means of getting here for $40-60 each.

Text 0278145443 for a viewing or questions.
Email valuesourcer@gmail.com

As Advertised on Trademe

NZ Property Guide Philippine Real Estate Guide Japan Foreclosed Guide

Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com