READERS WRITES

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You have a few dollars spare because you have the kids off your hands and [you think] a UK import would be cheaper than buying local. Well my advice would be don’t do it! The story of my [Citroën] 2CV should show you it will be cheaper to buy local and you will be enjoying club outings while I will still be talking to compliance officers. Compliance is not evenly or reproducibly applied — again, read my story.

In 1983 I came to New Zealand. I brought my Triumph Stag with me. In order to drive this vehicle on the road I needed a WOF, which was duly done and the Auckland Post Office provided the new plates — this entire process took a day.

In 1998 we went back to the UK to return again in October 2016 with a plan to spend the rest of my days in New Zealand. I have had 2CVS for the last 14 years, my current one being a 1989 with a 2CV City replacement galvanized chassis. I have taken this car on regular trips to France around Brittany and to Le Mans and it had a current UK MOT [the UK equivalent of a WOF].

In October 2016 it went into a container with our possessions. In February 2017 the container arrived in Christchurch and all went well. I looked up a centre on the internet for compliance and it was delivered there safely.

I am not going to give names except [that of] … a young mechanic who has provided excellent service and has repeatedly done his best to rescue the day.

As I booked the car in, I asked, “If the car fails compliance will you do the work?” I was reassured that they had a fully equipped workshop, or it was until [the car] … failed on unbalanced rear brakes and handbrake (operates on the front disc), play in the front hubs, [and] also headlamps [ being] too high. Not too much of a problem except now I was told by the garage owner, “I know nothing about 2CVS and I have no intention of working on one!”

I asked who would and was told, “I have no idea; look in the Yellow Pages.” So I looked and as I had never lived in Christchurch, thus [had] … no local knowledge, I took it to a workshop that was working on multiple old British cars. The owner [of this workshop] assured me there would be no problems carrying out the required repairs. This was March 2017. In July the back brakes were stripped, the front hubs were off, and that was as it had been for at least two months.

The vehicle mover who had delivered my car to this workshop (organized by the workshop) had not been paid and contacted me directly for payment. He then told me [that] the workshop had been sold. I was now in a panic. What if the workshop had debts — would my 2CV be held as ransom? Enter the only good bit of the story: Damon, of Rocky Point Workshop … the new owner. He assured me [that] he would reassemble the stripped car and about 10 days later all was done. Damon organized the car to go to another compliance centre, again another $400, and this time I was told that a patch in the front floor panel would need replacing as I was not allowed a patch, and the patch didn’t have the dimples of the original panel so would be weaker. There were other simpler repairs required [as well]. The compliance officer is judge and jury — remember the first wanted no bodywork repairs — now the panel beater has to work with the local officer, and although all the necessary parts are available from Burtons in Holland, he had the front floor panel hand made as he was not sure the Burtons panel would be acceptable. In July 2017 my car went to the panel beater; January 2018 it was finished.

Back now to the compliance centre who says it will have to be complied as a lowvolume vehicle as rear three-point seat belts can’t be fitted.

So I still don’t have my car as I write this; a year in New Zealand is almost upon us, and costs, excluding shipping and insurance — $400 times two for compliance centres, $340 for compliance sign-off of the bodywork, $500 for low volume, $3K for the mechanical repairs, $4K to the panel beater. This is on top of the UK shipping and insurance and other sundry costs. A friend recently sold his very original New Zealand 2CV for $17K — I would have been far better off buying this and I would have been driving the car, not getting crosser and crosser with a system that is opaque and inconsistent. Certainly the bodywork side makes a 2CV not one jot safer as the body is designed as an umbrella not a battering ram.

So, unless you are talking real money, buy local, don’t import, and then you are in control.

Nigel Huston

A sad story indeed, Nigel. I think, on the whole, companies that offer compliancing and low-volume-vehicle certifying do a great job given the high number of vehicles imported into this country.

We hope that you’re back on the road very soon. AFW

Want something old and interesting? Don’t import