Travellers flock to impromptu car yard

By AINSLEY THOMSON

For sale: cheap van, high mileage, plenty of adventure left in her yet ...

Just off the well-beaten track that is Auckland's Queen St, foreign tourists are selling their well-travelled cars and vans before leaving the country for warmer climates.

The sudden volume of sales has turned Darby St, nestled between Queen and Elliott Sts, into an impromptu car yard.

The normally nondescript street - whose main attraction is the Auckland Central Backpackers hostel - is like a street party.

When the Herald visited, dozens of tourists were milling around, swapping travel yarns and celebrating the end of the New Zealand leg.

Although there were plenty of cars for sale, socialising seemed to be the main goal. But for some, selling their car or van is vital to finance further travel.

Yaron Mualem and Tovi Asher from Israel need to sell their 1985 Toyota van to pay for their tour around Australia. The pair and a friend bought it for $2800 in Christchurch two months ago.

The trio - who squashed into the back each night to sleep - tripped around both main islands in the "very reliable" van.

Because they were desperate to sell the vehicle, which is lovingly decorated with a mural, they had discounted it to $2100, with their camping gear thrown in for free.

For others the financial imperative is not so pressing. Sian Roberts from Wales said that if her 1987 Holden car did not sell, she would give it to her boyfriend's friend, who lives in the Waikato.

Campbell Shepherd, managing director of Auckland Central Backpackers, said travellers should be careful about whom they bought vehicles from. Some of the people selling vehicles in Darby St were illegal traders ripping off the tourists by selling them bombs.

He said the sales, which tend to run from October until April, had been happening for years and had only recently got out of hand. At least four people were said to be making about $2000 a day in the peak season.

"They are aggressive in terms of sales techniques and use standover tactics."

Barry Eade from the Motor Vehicle Dealers Institute said his organisation had been trying to stamp out the illegal traders. It was working with the Auckland City Council and the hostel.

"A lot of the cars are rubbish and the tourists are getting caught."

Anyone making a profit from selling vehicles needs a motor vehicle dealer's licence. Anyone convicted of illegal trading is liable for a $10,000 fine per vehicle.

City council spokesman Austin Laurenson said a number of local businesses had complained.

Under city bylaws, selling the vehicles on the road was prohibited street trading and the council had the right to seize the illegally traded vehicles.