Terms & Conditions

Introduction to carfinder

carfinder (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a New Zealand car-buying service. We act as a buyer’s agent: you tell us what you need, and we help you find, assess and buy a suitable vehicle. We are not a car dealer, we do not hold stock, and we are not a lender. We do not provide financial advice. These terms explain what we do, what we don’t do, and how our services work.

What carfinder does

We offer two levels of service.

Starter (free)

When you complete our quiz, we will:

• Send you 3 vehicles matched to your budget and how you’ll use the car, chosen by a carfinder
• Explain why each vehicle made the list and what to check on it
• Offer you a call with a carfinder to talk through your matches, if you would like one

Your matches are yours to keep, and you are under no obligation to go any further.

Premium (paid)

If you ask us to run the full search for you, we will:

• Keep sourcing vehicles that fit your brief until we find a suitable one, including through our trade contacts
• Arrange a vehicle history check
• Arrange an independent pre-purchase inspection before you commit
• Negotiate the price with the seller on your behalf
• Organise delivery to you anywhere in New Zealand

If you already have a specific vehicle in mind, we can assess it, give you our view of what it is worth, and negotiate on your behalf.

If you tell us about a vehicle you want to sell or trade in, we can explain whether a trade-in or private sale is likely to leave you better off, and may be able to help you sell it.

What we don’t do or guarantee

We do not:

• Sell vehicles or act as the seller in any purchase
• Provide financial advice, including whether you should borrow, which lender or loan to choose, or whether a purchase is affordable for you
• Provide legal, tax or accounting advice
• Carry out mechanical inspections ourselves (these are done by independent inspection providers)

We do not guarantee:

• That a particular vehicle, make, model or specification will be available within your budget or timeframe
• That a seller will accept any offer or negotiated price
• That a vehicle will be free of faults not identified by a history check or pre-purchase inspection
• Any particular delivery date, as delivery is carried out by third-party transport providers

Your responsibilities

You are solely responsible for:

• Deciding whether to buy any vehicle we recommend or source, and on what terms
• Carefully reading the history check, inspection report and any sale agreement before you commit
• Seeking independent advice if you need help deciding whether a purchase or loan is right for you, including financial, legal or tax advice
• Giving us complete, accurate and up-to-date information about your budget, needs and any trade-in vehicle, and telling us promptly if anything changes
• Arranging insurance for your vehicle from the time you take ownership

Fees and how we are paid

Starter is free.

Premium costs $499 (incl. GST), payable [when you start Premium / when you buy a vehicle]. Payments are processed securely by our third-party payment provider. [Refund terms: e.g. what happens if we can’t find a suitable vehicle or you cancel before purchase.]

If you finance your vehicle through one of our finance partners, we will waive the Premium fee.

Your fee is how we are paid. A dealer may sometimes also pay us a referral fee when you buy a vehicle from them. This never affects which vehicles we recommend to you. We will tell you before you commit to a purchase if we will receive a referral fee from that seller.

The price of the vehicle, and any costs such as registration, WoF, road user charges, insurance or delivery not included in Premium, are separate from our fee.

Buying a vehicle

When you buy a vehicle we have found or recommended, your purchase contract is directly between you and the seller. We are not a party to that contract and do not own the vehicle at any point.

If you buy from a registered motor vehicle trader, you may have rights against the trader under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986. Private sales and auction sales may not carry the same protections, and we will tell you when a vehicle is being sold privately or at auction.

History checks and pre-purchase inspections are carried out by independent third-party providers. We rely on their reports and are not responsible for their accuracy or for faults they do not identify.

Delivery is carried out by third-party transport providers. Risk in the vehicle passes to you as set out in your contract with the seller.

Finance

You choose how you pay for your vehicle. If you tell us you would like help with finance, we may refer you to one of our finance partners, such as iloan NZ Ltd.

Any finance service is provided by that finance partner, not by carfinder. You will have a separate agreement with them, on their own terms. The finance partner is not our agent, and we do not supervise or manage their services. We have no responsibility or liability for the acts, omissions, services or advice of any finance partner, or for any lender’s decision on your application.

We do not guarantee that a dealer or seller will accept any form of finance pre-approval as evidence that you have the funds to buy a vehicle.

Privacy and use of your information

We will collect, use, disclose and store your personal information in line with our Privacy Policy. This includes sharing relevant information with sellers, inspection and delivery providers, and (if you ask for help with finance) our finance partners, so we can provide our services to you. Please read our Privacy Policy for full details.

Acceptance of this scope of service

By completing our quiz or engaging carfinder to help you find a vehicle, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the services we describe above.

General terms & conditions

We provide the services described above to you on the general terms and conditions below. These general terms and conditions, together with the service information above and our Privacy Policy, are the agreement between you and us for the services we provide to you (the “Agreement”). In these terms, references to:

• “you” or “your” are to our client, being the person(s) who complete our quiz or engage our services
• “we”, “us” or “our” are to [carfinder legal entity name]
• “services” are to our services described above and on our website

1. Fees

Our fees are set out in section 5 above. Any fee will be disclosed to you before you are asked to pay it.

2. Your acknowledgements

You agree and confirm that, at all times:

1. you will promptly provide us with all information (including updated information) that we reasonably request;
2. all information you supply to us is accurate, complete and up to date;
3. our recommendations rely on the information you give us and on information provided by sellers and third-party providers, which we do not independently verify.

3. Marketing

You agree that we may, from time to time, send you information, updates and marketing communications relating only to our business to the email address you provide to us. You may opt out of receiving these at any time by using the unsubscribe link or by contacting us directly.

4. Responsibility

1. You and we agree that, if you are in trade, you are acquiring our services in trade, that the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 does not apply to you, and that it is fair and reasonable that it does not apply.
2. No part of the Agreement is intended to have the effect of contracting out of your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, except to the extent permitted by law.
3. To the maximum extent allowed by law, any liability of a party under the Agreement to another, whether arising in contract, tort (including negligence), equity or otherwise, is limited to direct loss only, excluding any consequential loss or loss of profit, income or saving. [Optional: our total liability is limited to the fees you have paid us.]
4. We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, decisions, delays or errors of sellers, inspection providers, transport providers or finance partners.

5. Cancellation

You may stop using our services at any time by contacting us. [Set out what happens to any Premium fee already paid.]

6. General matters

1. Our services are provided, and obligations are owed, only to you and do not extend to any other person, including family members.
2. When you are more than one person, your warranties, agreements, obligations and liabilities under this Agreement are joint and several (that is, you are all responsible under this Agreement in relation to our services).
3. This Agreement is the whole agreement between you and us and replaces anything we may have earlier discussed or agreed.
4. You may not assign or transfer any of your rights or obligations under the Agreement.
5. You and we both need to agree before any change can be made to the Agreement.
6. Any waiver given by you or us is only effective if given in writing.
7. This Agreement is governed by New Zealand law.