April

Last week we looked at New Zealand’s biggest selling car which turned out to be a ute, the Ford Ranger. With March new car sales figures out we can see the Ranger still tops the charts followed by two other utes, the Toyota Hilux and the Mitsubishi Triton - we really do love our utes. But snapping at the heels of these three, like a playful Chihuahua, is the Suzuki Swift. So what’s the Suzuki’s attraction?

The Ranger may be top of the charts in NZ but the big daddy of pick-ups is Ford’s F series. It has been the biggest selling car in America since dinosaurs roamed the planet. Currently Ford sells one and a half F Series trucks every minute of every day yet they are a comparatively rare sight on NZ roads. This one, however, was sold new in NZ and it’s looking for a new owner at the Christchurch Classic car auction next Saturday.

If you fancy living the life of a Member of Parliament without having to deal with elections, select committees, tricky portfolios and Patrick Gower then you could make a start by snagging yourself one of 32 Crown BMW limos up for Tender at Turners starting next week.

Last year the Ford Ranger ute knocked the Corolla off the number one perch it’s had a mortgage on for decades. So why do Kiwis love it so much? Are we becoming more like America where the Ford F150 truck has been a perennial chart topper since the Stone Age? Or is it just a really good car?

An auction estimate just south of $20k may seem crazy for an old Mazda to the casual observer. But the reality is these old Rotary Mazda sedans are becoming hotter and hotter property along with a few other mainstream cars of the 70s and 80s. This 1980 RX-4 is being auctioned at Turners Christchurch as part of their classic auction.

Our cars are going to be one of the biggest investments we make in life yet we often treat them like they are worthless. I guess this is because they tend to lose money when we sell them and cost money when we drive them. And it’s true, they are a depreciating asset and they require even more money to run. But we need them and with a bit of effort they could hurt us financially a bit less.

It’s not currently road legal, it’ll be a pain to get in and out of if you’re not an Olympic gymnast and it’ll no doubt cost an absolute fortune to secure ownership. But, you know what? None of that matters. This Ford GT-40 replica is the coolest thing on four wheels and it’s being auctioned at Turners Christchurch.