KEY POINTS:
Despite the global recession and predictions of further economic gloom business is still good - for some.
Dave Rouse of the Auckland Auto Clinic said he had noticed more people holding on to their vehicles longer and wanting cheaper options for expensive cars.
It meant more work for
him and his colleagues in Onehunga.
"Even our flash European car customers are asking for secondhand tyres, it's really surprising and you almost cry when you have to put these things on these fancy cars."
He said some had slightly less money to spend and were putting off having their cars regularly serviced.
"But the fact is by law you have to get a new warrant every six months [this] means people have to spend money ... so our business is pretty much recession-proof," he said.
Meanwhile, those in the fashion industry say secondhand clothing stores are busier as buyers become more savvy about spending money to look good.
An industry source, who works in an upmarket Newmarket men's clothing store, said alteration stores were also busier as consumers looked to extend the lives of their wardrobes.
"At the end of the day, people are always going to need clothes to wear and most people want to look good in them without spending too much," he said.
Across town on Ponsonby Rd, Encore Fashion Recycle store owner, Siddhi Smith doesn't know whether her big increase in turnover is due to the recession or her store's new location.
Her shop, which sells top of the line secondhand clothing including Karen Walker, Trelise Cooper and Zambesi and ranges in price from $21 to about $500, had "certainly been busy" in recent times.
"I can't say if it's across the board but we have definitely noticed an increase in customers," she said.
Dr Johannah Branson of the Institute of Economic Research said those in financial services and hospitality were also showing some resilience.
"Overall it is the services sectors that seem to be holding up possibly because they're insulated from what's happening in the global economy," she said.
Scott Necklen of the Hospitality Association said the restaurant and bar industry was "toughening" but he was not surprised it was faring better than most.
"I guess New Zealanders have quite a discerning drinking culture, we do enjoy a good meal out and a nice glass of wine or a good cold beer."