Hi,my family of 3 are taking a 3 and a half month trip to NZ from Oct-Jan. Due to the length of stay I am tossing up whether to buy a reliable older second hand car as rental for that length is pretty pricey. Any thoughts? Places to buy?
thanks Grant

I reckon you would be better off buying a cheapie as well.
There are regular car auctions in the main cities that are well worth checking out for a good deal.
Do a google search for 'turners car auctions'
Lots and lots of car yards sell cars under $5000 ( New Zealand dollars) and as you only need it for a few months, you should get away without it needing any major engine work.
Re-sale?
I'm not sure but maybe if you start putting ads in backpackers hostels you might get lucky ...of course, that is also a good place to look for a car to buy as well.

Good luck ..

Depending on where you are starting your journey, there are very big private car fairs on a saturday and sunday. These would be a better option than looking at any backpackers. There are car inspection services at the fairs for a small charge so you can have it checked out on the spot. For re-selling probably back to the car fair.

Thanks for the info guys, we are currently flying into Auckland but want to change this to Christchurch as we may be able to borrow a caravan to tour around in. Keep the ideas coming.
Thanks Grant

I would second the comment on the car fairs. This is a great way to buy a vehicle, and I wish such things existed in the U.S. Basically, sellers bring their car to a fair and pay for the right to exhibit it (plus a % of the selling cost). As mentioned, mechanics are on duty that will check out any car for a reasonable fee. There are several good fairs around Auckland (China Basin, Manakau, Ellerslie), but don't know much about Christchurch.

Its always a risk to then have to sell your car. We purchased a campervan and sold it 6 months later, but we took a beating (bad time of year, a little too expensive) when we sold it. For us, hiring the same campervan would have been a similar cost.