jon2412

Hi IronChef, Could you please provide a recommendation on the following: - year of manufacture 2006 - make, model & variant BMW 330i M-Sport - body type (coupe, convertible, etc) Saloon - engine size & fuel type 3.0L petrol - transmission Auto - drive type (4WD, front wheel drive, etc) RWD - mileage 90,000 miles - any special features, options or modifications a bunch of extras at time of manufacture (bluetooth, full leather, sat nav, xenon lights, etc etc) - does it have aircon yes - realistic current UK market value GBP 6,000 - Australian RedBook value (www.redbook.com.au - click through to the page with 'Private Price Guide', 'Trade In Price Guide' and 'Price When New' listed, then tell us the 'Private Price Guide' range around $18,000 - Australian market value (http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/search.aspx - search for the closest matching vehicle) approx $18,000 - which Australian state/city VIC/Melbourne Cheers, Jon.

Great, thanks for all the speedy answers.

Hi, I'm planning to speak to my bank about this, but if anyone can give me a heads-up, that would be great. We have been in Australia for 2.5 years and have PR. We're considering buying a house over here, for which we'll require a mortgage. My question is - if we decide to leave Australia to return to the UK (say in a couple of years once we have dual-citizenship), where would our mortgage stand with the bank? Could they pull out and force a sale as we'd have no Australian income? The plan would be to rent out the house when we leave, but we may not necessarily have jobs when we first go back to the UK (especially if we decide to do some travel in between). Will the bank look favourably at our savings in the UK and allow us to keep the Australian mortgage? I bank with HSBC (in both countries), so thought they would be good to talk to.. although their mortgage rates might suck! Just thought it would help if anyone can shed some light on it first. Thanks, Jon.

Hi Iron Chef, Great information on here, I've waded through about 20 of the 63 pages but haven't found someone asking the following: I am looking to import a 2006 BMW 330i M-sport, so believe it is financially a good option. I'm currently in Oz on a 4-year 457 visa, and am claiming LAFHA (and am unsure if I plan to stay after 4 years or return to the UK). Is it possible to import the car if I'm not intending to stay permanently/unsure about staying, and if so, how does this work and how do I go about getting it back to the UK when I leave? Also, not sure if this has been asked elsewhere, but if I import my car, can I load it up with personal posessions (e.g. put my golf clubs in the boot, etc), or does it have to be empty? Cheers, Jon

Thanks for the message - I've PM'd you!

Impressive... I just got my 457 and it took 6 weeks to complete!

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and about to move to Melbourne in a few days (flying on the 26th Sept) on a 457 Visa. I've got a job in the CBD and have a friend living in Port Melbourne, so intend to stay with him until I find myself a room to rent. I'm 29 and coming over alone, so I'd really like to meet new people. I'll be having a look through the social events and meet-ups, and will definitely be hunting down a regular game of 5-a-side. Looking forward to getting to know you all. Cheers, Jon.