We purchased our Honda Stream (a station wagon) from a Car Fair (Garage Sale for cars) when we arrived in mid July. We purchased the 2004 car for $3400. I took it to a mechanic to ensure it was safe and to see if future expenses were expected. At the time, the mechanic felt that the car was in great shape.
Our first challenge occured in late November when the car overheated. Luckly, this happened close to home and I was able to get the car to a nearby mechanic that assessed the problem. A new radiator was required. We spent the money and moved on with our new radiator. While this repair was happening, we also purchased a new front bumper for the car since it was falling off. Unfortunately, the new bumper is blue and the car is grey. This makes it easier to find your car in a car park (parking lot).
Summer vacation arrived and we drove 2 hours to the Coromandel for Xmas. On our way the car overheated again! Luckly, again, we were only 3 km from a mechanic in Thames who was open for the last two days before Xmas holidays. The mechanic was very nice and drive me to a place where we could rent a car for the 24 hours and we continued with our plans to spend the day and night hiking in the Pinnacles Regional Park. By the next day, the mechanic had created a bandaid fix so we could continue on our Xmas holiday. The fix required us to refill the new radiator with water every 30 minutes and to drive with the heat on in the car. Remember that its summertime here! We continued on our 4 night Xmas vacation without changing any plans. We were still able to hike the Pinnacle Region, spend time in Hahei, Hot Water Beach, Whitiangi, the Cathedral Cove and much more.
We returned home back to Devonport and realized the car would not be fixed for over two weeks since everyone shuts down for vacation over the Xmas and New Years time. We also realized very quickly that we would need to rent a car for the next month since our plans for summer holidays entailed driving all over the North and South Island. So we dropped more money on a rental car while our car was parked, disabled for weeks, needing repair. Since we were renting at the last minute, all that was available was a compact.
Jucy is a rental company in NZ. We had this fine vehicle from Dec 26th until January 27. We crammed all of our belongings in it, and drove around the South Island.
When we returned home I was able to get the Honda to a trusted mechanic close to my school. The issue was major. The engine needed a new head gasket. Three weeks later and a pocket full of money dumped into the car, we now have a working vehicle. It's been a couple weeks and the car is working fine.
We have another 8 weeks in New Zealand. In about 7 or 8 weeks, I'll need to go back to the Car Fair and sell it.
This is totally a 1st World Problem and we were absolutely lucky throughout the whole adventure to be near help when the car broke down both times. We all have our health and amazing stories to tell about our adventures.
All the best,
MP
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