# Driving in the 1990s - in 2012



## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

have in the past met tourists in NZ amazed at some of the old cars still on the road in daily use - as opposed to old cars restored and kept as collectible items. 
This article suggests they are old, and getting older . . . 


*NZ fleet ageing disgracefully*
Saturday Jan 21, 2012

*The average age of the New Zealand car fleet last year was 13.59 years compared with 9.93 in 1992, said the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).*

And the average age of used imports last year also went up, to 8.64 years against 6.07 in 1991.

The overall age of the country's carpark has gotten older every year since 1991-92.

read more

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and comment from NZ's Automobile Association:



> “This comes as no surprise”, said Perry Kerr, Chief Executive Officer of the Motor Industry Association. “In fact the fleet will continue to age due to New Zealand’s unique age profile and in particular the abnormally large number of 1995, 1996 and 1997 vehicles (which represent 21% of the total market).
> 
> This uneven lump will stay in our market for the foreseeable future. Using another example there are more 1990 aged vehicles on our roads than vehicles registered new in 2010.”
> 
> ...


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couldn't resist . . . first car I owned was a 1964 Vauxhall Viva, like the one pictured below. It may still be on the roads. Mine was the _deluxe_ version, unsure how true, but I was lead to believe _deluxe_ meant it had two sun visors fitted, and ashtrays for rear seat passengers. That's class!


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

One reason that vehicles may last longer is the lack of road salt. We had a motorbike that my husband used to commute on in the UK, which soon found itself badly marked by the road salt on London roads in the winter.

In comparison we bought a very similarly aged bike in NZ and it was virtually unblemished.


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