Whanganui’s vintage vehicle owners welcome WoF rule change as ‘long overdue’

Whanganui District councillor and vintage car collector Charlie Anderson feels the rule change was well overdue. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown

Whanganui’s vintage vehicle owners have welcomed the introduction of new warrant of fitness rules this week.

From Monday, warrant of fitness (WoF) inspection frequency for light vintage vehicles over 40 years old was extended from six months to 12 months.

Wanganui Vintage Car Club secretary Frank James said the club had been pushing for it “for a number of years”.

“People have been waiting for a long while, finally a decision has been made so everybody’s very happy.”

James said there are roughly 230 members of the Wanganui Vintage Car Club, with around 300 vintage vehicles between them, which he said means there is a “big impact” for Whanganui classic car buffs.

James said the change was needed because vintage car owners tend to take care of their vehicles’ safety and the mileage is often low.

“I think the owners of old cars are very deliberate with making sure their car in in a good, safe condition,” James said.

He said owners were wary of their vehicle’s limitations and other road users, so they often take secondary roads.

“We try to limit our use of state highways and number-one roads as best we can – there is a bit of common sense applied.”

Frank James briefing drivers at the start of the 2021 Wanganui Vintage Car Club Queen's Birthday Rally. Photo / NZME

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said there were about 128,000 vintage vehicles in New Zealand.

He said vintage vehicles tend to perform better than vehicles under 40 years old when passing a WoF inspection.

“In fact, once a vehicle hits 40, its pass rates go up – proof that hitting middle age isn’t all bad news,” Bishop said.

Midtown Motors Wanganui owner Raj Patel said agreed that in most cases older cars performed better in WoF inspections.

“Most of my customers with classic cars are enthusiasts so they want to know if something is wearing out or if something going to need replacing. It is their baby and they want to preserve and enjoy it,” Patel said.

Patel, who owns a classic car himself, said a lot of his customers with classic cars were unlikely to cover more than 500 miles (805km) in between WoFs under the previous rule.

“It may be a Sunday car, it may be a car to get out to a show, they are often a hobby car,” he said.

“There is always two sides to every story, so some might say they wear out quicker and some might say they are maintained better but I think [the rule change] is a good thing.”

Cars first registered before January 1, 2000, but after 1985 must still undergo WOF inspections every six months.

Patel said this is because those cars get more usage and mileage than classic cars but are less reliable than more modern cars.

He said New Zealand has an old vehicle fleet compared to other developed countries.

Patel agreed with the six-month inspections for cars within this window for the safety of their drivers, passengers and other road users.

Whanganui District councillor and vintage car collector Charlie Anderson said the rule change was long overdue.

Anderson said because older vehicles do not give a “false senses of security” with the likes of lane-assists, proximity warnings and auto-braking systems, drivers of these vehicles are often more mature and mechanically minded individuals.

“They know more about the cars than some of the mechanics doing the WoF checks in many cases, they are clearly safer than the modern combo of car and driver, in my opinion,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the original six-month WoFs came around too frequently, with some vehicles covering little to no mileage between checks.

He said some drivers who find the six-month WoFs too hard to keep up with put the registration of the vehicle on hold and drive without a WoF.

“This will at least encourage those to do the right thing and get a 12-month WoF,” Anderson said

“Common sense prevails, long may it continue.”

Fin Ocheduszko Brown is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.