Aotearoa / New Zealand

If you buy from a dealer, you don't need a pre purchase inspection, we have some pretty strong protections for consumers in that regard. Buying from a private seller is a different story, definitely get a comprehensive inspection done then.

Star far away from any "Backpacker cars/vans" type car dealerships or rentals, or brands that have Backpacker, Traveler or Autobarn in their name. They spend a lot of money advertising on social media, via flyers in hostels and with paid articles in all big travel blogs and forums ~~writing~~ advertising how great the company is.

The online reviews on google or yelp look good on the surface, but if you watch them for a while you will notice that any new negative review will disapear within a short time.

Had exerience with them, and the cars overpriced or in a bad condition. In the forums a common theme was that the money from the "buyback scheme" was never paid out, and since the customers at this point already had left the country there was nothing they could do. The other issue here is that the buyback scheme is a scam, where you essentially pay $4000 for a car worth $2000, and at the end you will (allegedly) get $2000 back. You might as well just but the same car from a private seller for $2000 and then give it away at the end of your trip, saving you the hassle.