Honda New Zealand is closing a 40-year chapter.
The brand is shutting down its Nelson facility. In doing so, it’s liquidating part of its Honda Heritage Collection. Sixteen cars are up for grabs on Trade Me. If you like pristine machinery or rusty survivors, this auction covers it.
Why are they selling these Honda cars now?
It’s a relocation play. Honda New Zealand is moving its distribution hub from Nelson in the South Island to Auckland. Carolyn McMahon, the president and managing director, says the move cuts transit times. Eighty percent of sales happen in the North Island now. Moving north makes logistics cheaper and faster.
The Nelson site started as a factory in 1980. It built Civics. Then it added engines. Lately, it’s just been the distribution center. Now? It’s history.
Which low-mileage Honda classics are available?
The standout is impossible to miss.
A 1995 Honda Accord LXi has clocked just 7,600 kilometers since leaving the lot. Honda claims it might be the lowest-mileage example of its generation on Earth. It’s practically brand new.
Then there’s the 2000 Honda Civic Type R (EK9). You know this car. Or you know of it. It’s a cult icon. Genuine EK9s are harder to find every year. Collectors go mad for them. This one is part of the batch.
The lot includes other oddballs.
– 1987 Accord Aerodeck. A station wagon that looked like nothing else.
– 1988 City Jazz. Compact city car energy.
– 1989 Accord Hatch with 4WD. Because sometimes you just want four wheels gripping.
Does every car in the Honda Heritage sale have low miles?
Not even close.
One lot features a 1992 Civic Hatch. It has 418,53 kilometers on the odometer.
It’s a rolling argument for durability. Most cars would’ve dropped its axle decades ago. This thing kept going. It’s a testament to engineering that refuses to quit.
If you want low numbers but don’t need a show winner, look elsewhere. A 1989 Accord Sedan has 33,000km. A 1994 Civic Hatch sits at nearly 80,000. Even the 1995 Civic LXi sedan only has 70k. The 1998 VTi-S has 65k. For 30-year-old cars? That’s negligible.
“Obviously we want to retain the units with high heritage value… we’re going through what to keep.” – Carolyn McMahon
They kept the really rare ones. They’re selling the rest.
Where does the money go from the auction?
Stay.
Proceeds go to local Nelson charities. Since Honda is leaving the city, this feels like a farewell gift to the community that hosted them since the 1980s. It’s clean money. It’s good for the locals.
The bidding ends July 29. Check Trade Me. Don’t sleep on it if you want a piece of NZ automotive history. These are locally assembled where applicable. They carry that specific Kiwi provenance. Once this auction clears, you’ll have to dig much deeper to find another batch this size.
