The Process : from Source to Sale

Finding the Best Cars for New Zealand Customers

At Costello Cars we choose to import second-hand vehicles from Japan because they produce high quality, reliable vehicles - what we believe are some of the best second-hand cars available today.

Our vehicles are hand-selected in Japan and every car is thoroughly evaluated by condition, history and auction sheet before purchase. Working from the strict Japanese system of grading cars we ensure that we purchase only high-graded cars, which has led to many satisfied customers, personally looked after by three generations of Costellos.

Ensuring the Quality of our Second-Hand Japanese Imported Vehicles

It is well known in New Zealand that our asphalt, chip-seal and occasionally unsealed roads cause damage and chips in our cars. In contrast the roads in Japan are of a different composite material, resulting in much less wear on cars than we experience here in New Zealand.

In addition, Japanese drivers tend not to cause the same levels of wear and tear on their vehicles as we do, resulting in better vehicle condition and better mileage in Japanese cars compared with their New Zealand equivalents. For these reasons and more, every car in the Costello yard has been hand-selected from Japan and imported, stringently checked, and offered for sale in top condition to our conscientious customers.

Compliance Checking for Imported Vehicles – Entry Certification Inspection

The most important thing to be aware of is this: A vehicle will never get a more stringent check of it’s safety after manufacture than the Entry Certification Inpection that it receives as a used motor vehicle inported into New Zealand.

We have independent inspectors who check the vehicles, who are employed by an unrelated company – Vehicle Inspection New Zealand, who are themselves appointed and audited by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

A Brief Overview of the Inspection Process

Here is a look at some of the things that are checked on all of our imported vehicles:

• Ensuring the vehicle was manufactured to meet the standard requirements for registration in NZ.
• Ensuring the vehicle has the correct paperwork.
• Removal of most portions of the interior trim to check seatbelts and seatbelt anchorages.
• Checking body panels and structural seams for signs of damage, previous repair and rust.
• Check that all lights, tyres, seatbelts and glass confirm to approved standards.
• Vehicle is hoisted to remove wheels and brake pads as well as portions of the underbody trim to check for damage, previous repairs and rust.
• Thorough checks of brake, steering, suspension and exhaust systems for condition and confirmation that they all meet the highest New Zealand standards.
• Testing for brake performance on a rolling road, which provides readings for each wheel and allows checks for both performance and for any imbalance from side to side.
• Exhaust emissions tailpipe check.

Only when each vehicle has passed all of these thorough tests can a WOF be issued and the vehicle be registered in New Zealand.

As a standard part of the Costello Cars process we ensure a band expander is fitted into every car, serviced at the time of compliance. Also at this time (or arranged later on request) we can make any other modifications to suit our customers needs.

Commonly requested accessories include:

• Towbars fitted to vehicle
• Installation of car alarm
• Installation of reversing cameras

Once granted a full Warrant of Fitness, modified with band expander, having undertaken a full engine service, oil replacement and been fitted with a new oil filter, as well as any other requested installations, our vehicles are then transported direct to Costello Cars in Christchurch and do not get driven, other than a road test, until they are sold.

For further questions and answers on our cars, vehicle finance, and car importing and car sales processes, visit our FAQ page.