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The safest way to buy a car

Let MotorWeb guide you through the minefield of buying a used car

  • Owner statuses & alerts

    8 days ago

    When buying a car it's a good idea to check who the owner (technically the "registered person") is. In a lot of cases the ownership details are not shown. Here are some common statuses.

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  • 6 Great Reasons to Buy from a Dealer

    8 days ago

    Many people assume they will save a fortune by buying privately but this isn't necessarily the case. Money aside, buying from dealers gives much greater protection should things go wrong.

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  • How do I find out who owns a vehicle?

    5 weeks ago

    We're often asked if we can tell who owns a vehicle so we thought we'd explain what we can tell you and what we can't.

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  • How to change car ownership

    5 weeks ago

    There are two ways to change ownership of a car: 1. Complete a form and submit to an NZTA agent or post it to the NZTA. 2. Do it online We recommend doing it online because it's quicker and you have less chance of being landed with the other person's fines.

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  • How to check if a car has money owing?

    5 weeks ago

    Lenders typically register a security (effectively gives them first right to the vehicle) against the vehicle on the Government's Personal Property Security Register (PPSR). We check the PPSR to see if there's a security, but that's not all - we check all past plates too!

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  • Checking past plates for money owing

    5 weeks ago

    We often field calls from people who have bought a car with money owing due to not doing a VIR first. Unfortunately there's not much we can do. What we advise is that they contact the finance company (secured party) and inform them of the situation and give them the contact details of the seller.

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  • Car buyer's checklist

    5 weeks ago

    So you are about to buy a car. Buying a car is exciting but also risky, particularly when emotions can cloud your judgement! Here's a quick checklist of the things you should do to avoid buying a lemon.

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  • How can I check whether a car has been in an accident?

    5 weeks ago

    There is no central register for accident damage so we cannot provide information on accident damage. However, if a vehicle is currently written off because of damage (appears as 'deregistered due to a write-off' on the VIR), or has been in the past, we will include this in our VIR report.

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  • What does 'As is where is' mean?

    6 weeks ago

    It pretty much says "what you see is what you get". It may or may not work. It may or may not have hidden defects. The only assurance the seller is making is that you will get what is shown or what you see after you make the commitment to purchase.

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  • Car Safety Features

    4 months ago

    Car buyers are now prioritising safety more than at any time in the past. Where once it was left up to the manufacturers to provide whichever safety features they deemed appropriate, now buyer expectations dictate that no stone be left unturned. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the compact and sub-compact segments which for many years saw little safety development, this having historically been the preserve of larger "family" cars...

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  • We raised over $5,000 for Christchurch Kids!

    5 months ago

    We raised $5,560 for KidsCan from selling our Monster Car. KidsCan are planning to use the funds to fly 30 kids from Christchurch up to Auckland to participate in a week long activity camp.

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  • Monster Car Helps Christchurch Kids!

    6 months ago

    We are auctioning our monster car on Trade me with all proceeds going to children's charity KidsCan. We had the car built to raise awareness of the need to get a history check before you buy a used car. For the past few years the Monster Car has raised a lot of eyebrows for those living in Auckland, particularly kids!

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  • MotorWeb Quarterly Update: Q3 2011

    22 months ago

    We aim to keep you informed of what's happening in New Zealand's second hand car market. With 38,000 cars purchased privately in New Zealand each month, we're always surprised at how little information is available on the second hand car market. As New Zealand's leading provider of comprehensive vehicle history checks MotorWeb performs over 150,000 transactions every month and in doing so, we find out some interesting information that we thought we'd share with you.

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  • MotorWeb Quarterly Update: Q2 2011

    26 months ago

    We aim to keep you informed of what's happening in New Zealand's second hand car market. With 38,000 cars purchased privately in New Zealand each month, we're always surprised at how little information is available on the second hand car market. As New Zealand's leading provider of comprehensive vehicle history checks MotorWeb performs over 150,000 transactions every month and in doing so, we find out some interesting information that we thought we'd share with you.

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  • New! Vehicle Purchase Agreements

    28 months ago

    Too many car purchases are done without any paperwork or on the back of a napkin!

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  • MotorWeb Quarterly Update: Q1 2011

    29 months ago

    We aim to keep you informed of what's happening in New Zealand's second hand car market. With 38,000 cars purchased privately in New Zealand each month, we're always surprised at how little information is available on the second hand car market. As New Zealand's leading provider of comprehensive vehicle history checks MotorWeb performs over 150,000 transactions every month and in doing so, we find out some interesting information that we thought we'd share with you.

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  • Horror stories

    29 months ago

    Read some horror stories about buying a car without checking it first.

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  • The MotorWeb VIR is backed by a $100,000 Repossession Guarantee

    30 months ago

    We are delighted to announce our $100,000 Repossession Guarantee.

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  • Our Past Plate Check uncovers hidden debts

    31 months ago

    Our Past Plate Check is one of the most important pre-purchase checks to ensure there's no money owing on the vehicle.

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  • NZ's most Comprehensive Report - including safety and security checks

    32 months ago

    The MotorWeb VIR includes over 70 vehicle history checks. The number of checks is determined by what is applicable to each vehicle. We are the only company in NZ that reports on important safety and security features (when available).

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  • The MotorWeb VIR is the Leading Report for the Trade

    33 months ago

    The MotorWeb VIR has been the leading vehicle history report in the trade for over 10 years.

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  • Our customers rate our service highly

    35 months ago

    Customer feedback is good, independent customer feedback is better! We are delighted to announce our partnership with Feefo - an independent customer ratings and review service.

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