Get your preapproval from UDC first, so you know what you could borrow upfront before you search for a car. Use our online calculator to estimate your repayments to ensure they are affordable for you.

Purchase an independent vehicle inspection so you can learn more about its condition and saftey, giving you peace of mind when you drive away.

Check the history of the vehicle. A great place to start is www.carjam.co.nz. Has the vehicle failed any WOF’s? How many owners? Does the vehicle have a current PPSR on it (e.g. Finance owing on it)?

When you take out a Car Loan with UDC, we will also do a seperate check on the vehicle,  making sure that there is no finance owing on it, giving you additional peace of mind. 

As a general rule of thumb, you want to look for low km’s in used cars. Kiwi motorists on average rack up 14,000 kms each year on our roads. A car with higher mileage, can have more wear and tear on its mechanical parts. So you’ll want to be mindful of this and check the service history to make sure regular maintenance on the vehicle has been carried out.

NZ have a lot of imported vehicles on our roads. Remember to check the importation sheet as this indicates the condition of the vehicle.

Check out the car's saftey and environmental rating at www.rightcar.govt.nz so you can be confident your vehicle is the most fuel efficient, cleanest and safest in your price range. Vehicle saftey ratings in NZ are presented using a rating scale of 1 to 5 stars. The higher the star, the safer the vehicle.

Don’t hold back here, take it for a spin and see how it goes. Try and find quiet roads where you can focus on the car and not on the traffic. Drive it until you have checked everything you want to.

Ask Questions

Finally, make sure the car you buy has a current WOF, registration and is covered by insurance before you drive it away.