Buying locally means you don't have far to go to browse before buying and if you have any questions or issues it is easy to go and see a local business to get answers quickly.
Buy a car that you find easy to drive. Good comfortable seating that adjusts to be right for you, good visibility out, small enough to manoeuvre, larger enough to carry what you need,
proportions that fit you. Don’t make life hard from the start.
Buy a car that does what you need it to do. If you want a runabout, shopping cart or transport to school or college, don’t be distracted by
sports cars that do a hundred million miles per hour, attract police attention and have probably already been thrashed.
Buy the safest car you can afford. Cars without airbags and anti-lock brakes (ABS) are far less safe. Cars produced after 1995
meet much stricter safety standards than earlier models. Newer is most often safer. Nobody wants an accident, but if you are in one you
want to be as safe as possible.
Look at total running costs. Petrol is a big cost so check how economical a car is. Repairs and maintenance are probably the next big costs.
Japanese cars are generally cheaper to keep on the road than European models. Also consider insurance costs, they can be high for
higher risk cars. Check with the insurance companies before buying.
Jonno from Rockstar Cars says they sell a lot of cars to first-time drivers, and some of their favourites are Nissan Pulsars,
Mazda Familias, Toyota Corollas and Starlets, Mitsi Mirages and Lancers, and Honda Civics. Of course there are many other good
cars, but all of the above should give you a pretty good run
Rockstar Cars have a checklist they can give you, phone them on 09 445 9500 or email Jonno Leonard at Rockstar Cars and he’ll send you one.
If you're in the area, call in and talk to Jonno, 25 Lake Road, Devonport. They can answer all your questions about buying a car.
A word from Jonno Leonard of Rockstar Cars
We check all our cars out personally before we buy them, then we service, groom and refurbish them. We give you a free short-term warranty
so you know you can’t be buying a lemon. Our cars are mainly trade-ins to clear, so our prices are sharp and we have new cars in most days.