Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

New to the forum? Feel free to introduce yourself / your cars. Also have a look for any frequently asked questions and information.
Dieselman
Global Moderator
Posts: 13734
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:44 pm

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by Dieselman » Sun Apr 29, 2018 12:06 pm

xantia_v6 wrote:I spend half of each year in Christchurch, but my XM lives in France.
Sounds quite usefull living in NZ and France.
Don't pay tax in either country and they both speak the english...obviously in France you have to shout a bit louder...
92 2.1SED M.RP5740 ECZ Sable Phenicien
92 3.0 V6-24.Rp 5713 EXY Black
92 2.1SD M.RP 5685 ENT Blue Sideral
Prev
90 2.1SD M.RP 5049 EJV Mandarin
92 2.1SD A.RP 5698 EJV Mandarin
94 2.1SD A.RP 6218 ERT Triton Green
91 2.0SI M.RP 5187 EWT White

User avatar
White Exec
Citroen God!
Posts: 6642
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 7:38 pm
Orga / RP numbers: RP7165
1996 2.5TD saloon, Exclusive, Polar White
1992 BX19D Millesime, Sable Phenicien
Location: ex-Ealing, Cheshire, W.Sussex & Surrey. Now living in Sayalonga (Malaga, Spain)

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by White Exec » Sun Apr 29, 2018 3:26 pm

Ouch! :o
Chris
1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive RP7165 Polar White
1992 BX19D Millesime RP5800 Sable
1989 BX19RD Delage Red Deceased; 1998 ZX 1.9D Avantage auto Triton Green Company car 1998..2001; 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto Wicked Red Company car 2001..2003

User avatar
Jan-hendrik
XM Guru
Posts: 1551
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 3:27 am
Location: Hiroshima, Japan

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by Jan-hendrik » Mon Apr 30, 2018 1:26 am

Hi Gavin
as a 'new' xm owner in Dunedin-Curious to know where other xms reside in Aoteoroa
Cheers, Dave
I don't think Gavin is paying attention. He hasn't been around for about 6 years :|
2000 XM 3.0 V6 24v Exclusive Auto Vert Vega - 86k km LHD RP8569

xantia_v6
XM Guru
Posts: 1656
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:09 pm
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand or Beaune, France

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by xantia_v6 » Mon Apr 30, 2018 3:34 am

renault760 wrote: If you spend half of your life in France, where you have an XM, and half in NZ, (turning green with envy,) what, may I ask, is your excuse for NOT having an XM in NZ as well? Seems a bit of a poor show to me!!
I currently have a voluntary limit of 2 car in each country (limited garaging). I did nook around for an XM or V6 Xantia for a while, but there were none suitable on the market at the time, so the budget was blown on a Peugeot 308CC, which is a very nice car, but by far the least reliable I have owned (and I have owned 3 V12 Jags, 5 Xantias and an XM).
Dieselman wrote: Sounds quite usefull living in NZ and France.
Don't pay tax in either country and they both speak the english...obviously in France you have to shout a bit louder...
Don't talk to me about tax. When one moves between countries, the tax men come running from all directions. In one recent year we had to file tax returns for 4 countries.
1999 XM Exclusive V6 24V ES9 Manual (LHD) 105,000 km
1997 Xantia Exclusive V6 (RHD) 45,000 miles

xantia_v6
XM Guru
Posts: 1656
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:09 pm
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand or Beaune, France

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by xantia_v6 » Mon Apr 30, 2018 4:13 am

renault760 wrote:Hi Gavin, another NZer! It doesn't sound like the car holds any fears for you. Do you drive on the left out there? What's the "old car scene" like? Enjoy the car!

LG.
A question that deserves a (rambling) answer.

NZ drives on the left.

From 1939 until 1985, the importation of cars was (for various reasons and by various means) strictly controlled by the government and new cars were highly taxed, so there was a culture of keeping old cars on the road by mend and make do. I recall that in 1985, the average age of a car in NZ was more than twice the average age in the UK. There was also bias in the import system during those years which strongly favoured British and Australian source cars, and/or locally assembled CKD kits. Importation of used cars was very restrictive. The import licencing system encouraged the importers to bring in low-spec cars with few options (because the licencing was dollar value, not per unit.

So at the beginning of 1986 the roads were mainly populated by Holdens, various BMC, Ford (UK and Aus) and Rootes models, fairly evenly distributed in age from the mid 1950s. There were also a fair number of locally-assembled post 1968 Japanese cars.

Then in 1986 the government changed the rules, removed most of the restrictions on import of new cars, and significantly removed restrictions and most taxes on importing second had cars. From that point, the country was flooded with imports of used cars from Japan, and most of the existing national fleet looked suddenly unattractive.

Today, old cars are a fairly rare sight, but each day you will see a few random and sometimes surprising survivors, like a 1950s Hilman Minx, or a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, or a Vauxhall EIP. There are still certainly more of these old cars around than in the UK. In some parts of the country the old cars are still often rust-free.

French cars of any age have always been rare. When I was growing up, the only French car I remember was a Peugeot 403 that had been specially imported for a disabled driver, because he required a hand operated clutch, and British cars had hydraulic clutches that were more difficult to adapt.

XMs were imported and sold by dealers in small numbers, I would guess only about 50 in total, there being (a few) more BXs and Xantias imported at the same time (they were expensive and poorly equipped compared to the Japanese competition).

There were probably as many came in as used imports from Japan, usually better spec'ed than the officially imported ones. Around 2005 the safety rules were tightened, and the import of XMs and Xantias was prohibited, so that source dried up, although there is an exemption for personal imports of cars more than 20 years old, so I could take one back now.
1999 XM Exclusive V6 24V ES9 Manual (LHD) 105,000 km
1997 Xantia Exclusive V6 (RHD) 45,000 miles

renault760
Knows how to use the parking brake
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Sep 24, 2017 7:11 pm

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by renault760 » Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:50 am

Hi and thanks for the extensive answer. It's cool enough dividing your time between 2 countries at opposite sides of the world in different hemispheres as it is, but to have an XM in each would be icing on the cake and probably a world record for any any car club!

An interesting story of NZs car history. For older car fans it must have been a great place prior to 86. Funnily enough, I remember going to Malta in the mid 80s just as they were lifting restrictions on car imports.

As far as I was concerned it was still like a living motor museum. A waiter at our hotel had a really smart Herald convertable. A Fiat 500 Multipla was regularly parked outside. There were "classic" cars everywhere. I've got pics of parking areas that, had they been in black and white, could have been taken in the 50s.

From a boat trip I spied a Renault 4CV parked up, (at the time I was running a 1961 model myself). The following day I dragged the girlfriend around to where I'd seen it only to find it out. Just starting walking back when it came flying around the corner. I accosted the driver. told him the story and we ended up getting taken for a ride in it.

I don't remember any Citroens out there though. I've never been back since but I guess it will be full of modern stuff now.

LG

User avatar
White Exec
Citroen God!
Posts: 6642
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 7:38 pm
Orga / RP numbers: RP7165
1996 2.5TD saloon, Exclusive, Polar White
1992 BX19D Millesime, Sable Phenicien
Location: ex-Ealing, Cheshire, W.Sussex & Surrey. Now living in Sayalonga (Malaga, Spain)

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by White Exec » Mon Apr 30, 2018 10:17 am

I have similar memories of Malta - old Hillman Minxes, Morris 1000s/Travellers, Bedford vans, Bedford trucks and buses (painted in garish colours, with extra chrome everywhere) - and hole-in-the-wall workshops working all hours to patch up and mend. This must have been late '70s-early 80s, when I think there was a 40% tax on new imported cars.
Chris
1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive RP7165 Polar White
1992 BX19D Millesime RP5800 Sable
1989 BX19RD Delage Red Deceased; 1998 ZX 1.9D Avantage auto Triton Green Company car 1998..2001; 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto Wicked Red Company car 2001..2003

xantia_v6
XM Guru
Posts: 1656
Joined: Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:09 pm
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand or Beaune, France

Re: Gidday, Gavin from New Zealand

Post by xantia_v6 » Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:58 pm

We spent a couple of months in Malta in 2016, and sadly there are very few old cars to be seen. Cars over 30 years of age have significant tax concessions, but before that, the annual tax is crppling so most are scrapped well before the officially become classics. Cars over 30 years old may be imported, but they must be certified as being historically significant examples, or be inspected to be exactly the same specifications as they left the factory and be in pristine condition, so not an easy route either.
1999 XM Exclusive V6 24V ES9 Manual (LHD) 105,000 km
1997 Xantia Exclusive V6 (RHD) 45,000 miles

Post Reply