BackToTheBlighty

It is good you went to a few websites to check if the model exists here You could ring a couple on skype just to check for yourself like Admiral etc as a final check, a lovely SUV too the Kluger.

You are right, most said to buy in London as it is easier. I didn't know the biggest issue was insurance though.

Those guards were right idiots.

Literally so you can drive your car through the gate where the guards sit. I drove it through the gate and parked in on the left next to the fence 20m down the road. Also, don't forget to take off your e-toll and get your plates off the car so you can get some money back on your rego and third party.

I recently imported a car from Australia to the UK and it has been an interesting experience so I wanted to give me 2 cents (which I wish I got before I imported mine): Insurance: this was my biggest problem. I have a car where the exact model doesn't exist in the UK, so UK insurance websites (ie. Admiral, Aviva, Churchill, moneysupermarket, comparethemarket etc), can't find the same model so they can't quote you for insurance. Please check this before even considering importing your car! I have a 2.0L auto petrol car, the UK only has a 1.6L petrol and 2.2L diesel for my make and model. Therefore, everyone I called said sorry, if the exact model doesn't exist here we can't insure it (I called about 20 places, alot also said they don't insure imported cars either). I rang about 10 specialist imported car brokers and only one of these insurance brokers (Adrian Flux) could quote me for insurance and it was 18% of the market value of the car. However, if they didn't quote me I was totally stuffed. If you can't insure your car, then it is pretty much worthless. You either try to sell it for next to nothing locally or ship it back to sell so you get something for it at least. Odometer Change: when you change this you will have a km odometer reading and a miles reading on a replacement odometer (most replacements will be a second hand odometer). Make sure you get a letter from whoever changes it over stating the two amounts if you sell the car later on. Costs: $7k aud or 4k gbp ($2.9k aud for the roll on roll off paid in Oz + a further 1.7k gbp paid to a UK company for pick up, compliance, rego, mot etc (not including comprehensive insurance of course)). Time: 6 months for door to door. I dropped the car off at the port in Wollongong and 6 months later picked up my car. At the port you have to do a training course on a computer which is a bit of a pain, then put up with the security officers there talking absolute rubbish to each other whilst waiting. Basically, you drive your car in and leave it just behind the gate in the parking lot and for that you have to do a 40 minute induction course first whilst listening to them having farting competitions. Buying Cars In London: cars are cheap in the UK, have a look for yourself, try www.cargiant.co.uk and look up a second hand BMW 3 series and equate it to Australian dollars, very reasonable. Cars are like consumables in the UK, unless your car in Australia is either an antique or is worth $50k + (and the same exact model exists here) I wouldn't bother importing it. The reason I imported mine was that it was fairly new and we paid $35k new for it, my wife was very attached to it and we didn't want to lose alot of money selling it and then buying again here. However, it took 6 months to ship (including compliance and rego), it cost $7k aud in total and the insurance cost a few thousand pounds a year so it wasn't worth it financially due to insurance. Cheers

Can I ask what courier you used for this or any advice as the cost of air freight seems to be crazy. I just want to send a couple of folders and some computer equipment?

If anyone has any recommendations for a good courier, please let me know.

Yes, I think we will leave alot of stuff here that isn't high value, buy a large pram bag and bring the pram with us. The car seat we will buy in London so it fits ok as in Oz we just have a capsule atm

Sleeping cot, change table and pram are the main larger items. We are trying to work out if we just buy them at the other end the day we arrive, or just ship them across with us.

Hi all I just wanted to get some advice if anyone has any good recommendations on sending items to London economically. We have a baby so we don't want to wait 2 months for beds etc to turn up for him but also don't want to pay a fortune on courier fees. Some larger items we can wait for, but some items such as prams etc we need from the day we arrive. Thanks. Cheers

A couple of points which helped me answer that question too: 20 days annual leave a year, means 2 trips a year would eat up your annual leave and leave no holidays apart from weekends. Myself and my wife go back each year and that takes up 3 weeks of my annual hols for just one trip then when you go back to work you are really jetlagged; in the UK the firm paid for my private health insurance, in Oz I am paying for this myself which is $300 pm; $100k a year gross salary is a good salary so well done on that, however with one income carries alot of risk given the high cost of living; in Oz, there isn't the cheap labour available that you get in the UK, therefore nannies and the like are very expensive in comparison. An english friend of mine wanted to get some tiling done in his laundry and bathrooms and he got a quote of $50k...ha ha, I will think about it

You mention that moving transport for your dogs from Australia to the UK was easy to do. Can I ask for any tips on this, indicative cost, time, crates etc...any advice really on it as some of the costs look astronomical but we are taking our dog either way? We are looking at company websites but have no idea what is true and what isn't and whether we are potentially over-paying for something. We have a small dog who is 2 years old we would like to bring with us. Cheers