Transporting your car to Oz - everything you need to know!

[Iron Chef]

Hi Iron Chef

I have a 175 visa

I am looking to bring a Lotus Elise over to Perth in June 2013. MY10 currently 2600 miles £30,000 in White with hard and soft tops.

Is it worth buying? Always fancyed one, I would keep it for a year or so.

The main speedo is in MPH but there is a smaller digital KMH display as well, Does this pass the Aus rules or do I need to change it?

Also you stated dont tell insurance company its an PI, dont they know by the import plate.

Thanks Mate your imformation is very valuable

 

Your speedo should be fine if it's reading kms, but bear in mind you'll probably need to change the gearing in your odometer so it reads in kms also. I'm not sure how hot WA are on that one.

 

The insurance company will take your VIN and whatever the licence plate number is over here. Your VIN only says where the vehicle is built, not where it was sold, so in theory it shouldn't be any different to the ones already sold here as far as they'd be concerned at least.

 

An Elise is an ok buy, but I'd personally be looking at an Exige or an Evora. A Porsche GT3 RS would be a better bet than all of them.

 

Hi IronChef

Ok, I have finally got import license for both my Mitsubishi Raging Bull (Triton) and my wifes Mini Cooper. They are ready to be put on a ship having been de-gased and steam cleaned. I have sent you and email regarding shipping the two to Sydney...can you let me know the cost of that and getting through customs.

 

Cheers

Mike

 

PS...It took three months to get the import license so don't go by their service time of 15 days!!

 

Email coming your way - expect me to quiz you about the delays!! That's ridiculous!

[Kopper]

Hi Iron Chef

I thought the thee you mentioned are too specialist, they cost a bomb and I might not find a buyer plus will have to pay some luxury tax, might not pay, and Elise roof comes off! Hate to think about the running cost like petrol and insurance etc...

[Kopper]

Hi Iron Chef

I thought the thee you mentioned are too specialist, they cost a bomb and I might not find a buyer plus will have to pay some luxury tax, might not pay, and Elise roof comes off! Hate to think about the running cost like petrol and insurance etc...

 

I have seen a Exige 260 RGB Special Edition for £37.000 in white currently on 1700 mile, Do you think it will hold its value more and be easier than the Elise I mentioned to sell. Dont aus do convertables?

 

Thanks for your input.

[pwkl]

Hi all, I've been looking for information and stumbled here so I hope I can get some answers. Apologies if they been answered but I did search and couldn't find an answer.

 

Basically, I got import approval and the car is currently in a container on its way over, another month or so. Port will be Sydney, and it'll be for NSW.

What I don't actually know and finding it difficult to get info on, is once it lands and I've paid the customs, duty, cleaning costs etc what happens next? Assuming I have insurance, I need registering/registration plates, where do I get them? Can I still drive my car from the port to get them? What's the inspection thing mentioned somewhere on this thread? Am I allowed to drive the car to inspection or are they mobile?

 

Thanks and I'm sure there may be other questions.

Phil

[Styx]

hi Ghost,

 

we are pretty sure there are other ways to import our other bike and we will make enquiries on arrival. !

 

Has anyone got an update to this please? I have a rather special to me bike I wish to take with me to TAS but currently just fail on the qualifying period having just had it registered to me!

 

I am looking at all alternatives and appreciate the cost may be greater than the commercial value but I have no intentions of selling the bike - ever.

 

The only alternative I see could be to wait out our move for the qualifying period (not practice due to work commitments in AUS) or store it and wait for the 30 year rule to kick in (currently 15 years to go!) which if all else fails I am prepared to do.

 

Are there any negotiation / understanding logic attached to the rule given genuine non-commercial gain etc?

 

Cheers all

[Iron Chef]

Hi Iron Chef

I thought the thee you mentioned are too specialist, they cost a bomb and I might not find a buyer plus will have to pay some luxury tax, might not pay, and Elise roof comes off! Hate to think about the running cost like petrol and insurance etc...

 

It's like any car - the more expensive it is, the narrower your market becomes. If I had GBP37K to drop on a car and wanted to maximise resale potential in Australia, I wouldn't be buying an Elise. Sorry to be blunt!

 

I have seen a Exige 260 RGB Special Edition for £37.000 in white currently on 1700 mile, Do you think it will hold its value more and be easier than the Elise I mentioned to sell. Dont aus do convertables?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Australia does convertibles more than just about any other country on the planet :wink:

 

It's more a case of the people looking to buy Lotuses (Lotii?) are generally motorsport fanatics who want to hit the track on the weekend. From that perspective, a convertible doesn't appeal because cutting the roof off a car generally affects chassis rigidity. I reckon it would be a safer bet than an Elise, but have a close look at market values on them in Australia before you throw down your cash. (Of course, if you just want an awesome car to drive, then feel free to ignore all my advice!). A 340R is another option, as we never got them here any other way. Ariel Atom if you're can live with it day to day, or a KTM X-Bow.

 

Hi all, I've been looking for information and stumbled here so I hope I can get some answers. Apologies if they been answered but I did search and couldn't find an answer.

 

Basically, I got import approval and the car is currently in a container on its way over, another month or so. Port will be Sydney, and it'll be for NSW.

What I don't actually know and finding it difficult to get info on, is once it lands and I've paid the customs, duty, cleaning costs etc what happens next? Assuming I have insurance, I need registering/registration plates, where do I get them? Can I still drive my car from the port to get them? What's the inspection thing mentioned somewhere on this thread? Am I allowed to drive the car to inspection or are they mobile?

 

Thanks and I'm sure there may be other questions.

Phil

 

You will need to get the car towed from the port, and get a workshop to do the necessary modifications (although they are generally minor) for registration. Email me for more info.

 

Has anyone got an update to this please? I have a rather special to me bike I wish to take with me to TAS but currently just fail on the qualifying period having just had it registered to me!

 

I am looking at all alternatives and appreciate the cost may be greater than the commercial value but I have no intentions of selling the bike - ever.

 

The only alternative I see could be to wait out our move for the qualifying period (not practice due to work commitments in AUS) or store it and wait for the 30 year rule to kick in (currently 15 years to go!) which if all else fails I am prepared to do.

 

Are there any negotiation / understanding logic attached to the rule given genuine non-commercial gain etc?

 

Cheers all

 

It's a government department...surely you've watched 'Yes Minister' at some point

 

What sort of bike is it?

[Styx]

It's like any car - the more expensive it is, the narrower your market becomes. If I had GBP37K to drop on a car and wanted to maximise resale potential in Australia, I wouldn't be buying an Elise. Sorry to be blunt!

 

 

 

Australia does convertibles more than just about any other country on the planet :wink:

 

It's more a case of the people looking to buy Lotuses (Lotii?) are generally motorsport fanatics who want to hit the track on the weekend. From that perspective, a convertible doesn't appeal because cutting the roof off a car generally affects chassis rigidity. I reckon it would be a safer bet than an Elise, but have a close look at market values on them in Australia before you throw down your cash. (Of course, if you just want an awesome car to drive, then feel free to ignore all my advice!). A 340R is another option, as we never got them here any other way. Ariel Atom if you're can live with it day to day, or a KTM X-Bow.

 

 

 

You will need to get the car towed from the port, and get a workshop to do the necessary modifications (although they are generally minor) for registration. Email me for more info.

 

 

 

It's a government department...surely you've watched 'Yes Minister' at some point

 

What sort of bike is it?

 

Hi I'm pretty sure I have sent over a couple mails direct to Ironchef for guidance before – I know you guys are really busy so waiting patiently. In response it is a 97 GSXR1100W Street fighter – not a broken bike rebuild but a mint example show standard bike.

 

Cheers

[Kopper]

Thanks Iron Chef

 

Your blunt opinion is what I wanted. Elise it is then!:wink::wink:http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Guest Donnick]

Hi Iron Chef

 

We are moving to Melbourne and hope to export my BMW. I am half way through the application form but an stuck on the 100 points.

 

We have a State Sponsored Business Visa sub 163, We intend to start a business, therefore No Employer or job. We will start to look at a rental property when we are in temp accommodation in Melbourne, therefore No rental agreement. We are renting out our house in UK (as we only have the temp visa as yet), No house sale. We currently run our own business so No resignation .

 

We can manage 25 points as we do have an Australian Bank Account.

 

Have you come across this problem before and do you know anyway around it?

 

Any advise would be very much appreciated.

[Iron Chef]

Hi I'm pretty sure I have sent over a couple mails direct to Ironchef for guidance before – I know you guys are really busy so waiting patiently. In response it is a 97 GSXR1100W Street fighter – not a broken bike rebuild but a mint example show standard bike.

 

Cheers

 

Ah gotcha, I remember seeing it come through, I'll get on to it. My apologies if my email responses are a little slow at the moment guys, Iron Lady has grown very fast, so I'm setting up contracts and things so I can offload my 'bread-and-butter' Iron Chef work to a sub-contractor, which always seems to take longer than I'd hope!

 

Thanks Iron Chef

 

Your blunt opinion is what I wanted. Elise it is then!:wink::wink:http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Haha well that's the point - if you've always wanted an Elise, better to get the car you're happiest driving rather than worrying too much about what resale it will have here

 

Hi Iron Chef

 

We are moving to Melbourne and hope to export my BMW. I am half way through the application form but an stuck on the 100 points.

 

We have a State Sponsored Business Visa sub 163, We intend to start a business, therefore No Employer or job. We will start to look at a rental property when we are in temp accommodation in Melbourne, therefore No rental agreement. We are renting out our house in UK (as we only have the temp visa as yet), No house sale. We currently run our own business so No resignation .

 

We can manage 25 points as we do have an Australian Bank Account.

 

Have you come across this problem before and do you know anyway around it?

 

Any advise would be very much appreciated.

 

Shoot me an email if you'd like me to bounce a few things back and forth. A letter from your accountant saying you're winding up your business in the UK will suffice for a resignation letter.

[the_whites]

We are bringing our 2008 Honda CRV over to Melbourne. It was originally purchased new by us in Brisbane but we are not sure on what the procedure is once the car arrives. It has an Aussie Certificate of Conformity plate. Do we need to get it through a roadworthy test. We know that we need to convert the speedo back to KM/h and then it will be back to Aussie spec.

 

Can anyone advise on the procedures?

[Guest Megan123]

Hi IronChef,

 

Apologies if this has already been asked but we have had our car degassed before transporting it to Perth and wondered if anyone knows which form needs to be filled out to show proof it has been done?

 

Kind Regards

 

Megan

[Iron Chef]

We are bringing our 2008 Honda CRV over to Melbourne. It was originally purchased new by us in Brisbane but we are not sure on what the procedure is once the car arrives. It has an Aussie Certificate of Conformity plate. Do we need to get it through a roadworthy test. We know that we need to convert the speedo back to KM/h and then it will be back to Aussie spec.

 

Can anyone advise on the procedures?

 

It's pretty straightforward - you still need an import approval, but there's no need to prove anything else aside from taking a pic of the compliance plate.

 

Even better, you won't have to pay customs duty or GST on it either, so it will be fairly cheap, relatively speaking. Speedo will need to be in km/h but probably not much else - if it was roadworthy in the UK, it should be roadworthy here too.

 

Hi IronChef,

 

Apologies if this has already been asked but we have had our car degassed before transporting it to Perth and wondered if anyone knows which form needs to be filled out to show proof it has been done?

 

Kind Regards

 

Megan

 

Hi Megan - did you email me today? If you did, I've already sent you a reply :biggrin:

[s4nju]

hi all

 

Just wondering if it would be worth shipping our 2006 BMW X3 M-Sport 3 litre which is worth £11k and has 65k on the clock.

 

What sort of cost would i be looking at for all the duty and other paper work?

 

Hope to hear feedback.

 

Thanks

[pwkl]

Only you can decide if it's worth shipping, check out some local values for your car (redbook) then guestimate about spending 30-35% of your £11k worth to get it shipped & through customs (not including insurance, registration)

[DBphoto]

Worth bringing a Honda Jazz 2006 model with 40K miles on the clock? After reading this thread it would seem, perhaps not since red book suggests I could buy one for about $9k and the same will sell for £4K here - assuming it'll cost about $2.5K plus hassle to ship. Have I got this about ball park?

 

Next question. I am aware of the 12-month prior ownership and drivership requirement for personal import of a vehicle. Does this mean that it is not possible to import a vehicle that I haven't owned for that long? Or does it mean it is just very expensive? Before I discovered this thread I was thinking of buying a used VW transporter van that I'd then convert myself to a camper given how expensive campers seem in Oz.

 

Cheers

David

[fourcorners]

Hi David,

Unless the VW camper is older than 1989 you would really struggle to import it if you haven't owned it for 12 months. The only other way is to get a letter of compliance - we tried that with our motorbike and Suzuki Australia couldn't help us. We owned the bike for 11.5 months prior to us flying but they approved the importation, so there is a little leeway.

Lauren

[Iron Chef]

hi all

 

Just wondering if it would be worth shipping our 2006 BMW X3 M-Sport 3 litre which is worth £11k and has 65k on the clock.

 

What sort of cost would i be looking at for all the duty and other paper work?

 

Hope to hear feedback.

 

Thanks

 

In a word, yes. Email me for a breakdown of the costs.

 

Worth bringing a Honda Jazz 2006 model with 40K miles on the clock? After reading this thread it would seem, perhaps not since red book suggests I could buy one for about $9k and the same will sell for £4K here - assuming it'll cost about $2.5K plus hassle to ship. Have I got this about ball park?

 

Next question. I am aware of the 12-month prior ownership and drivership requirement for personal import of a vehicle. Does this mean that it is not possible to import a vehicle that I haven't owned for that long? Or does it mean it is just very expensive? Before I discovered this thread I was thinking of buying a used VW transporter van that I'd then convert myself to a camper given how expensive campers seem in Oz.

 

Cheers

David

 

If you love the Jazz, then bring it over, but you won't save any money on buying one here. There are different schemes for importing cars to Oz that don't require the 12-month limit. Hopefully things will be quiet enough over the Christmas/New Year break that I can add that info to the ILI website! Your options are fairly limited in terms of make and model though.

 

Hi David,

Unless the VW camper is older than 1989 you would really struggle to import it if you haven't owned it for 12 months. The only other way is to get a letter of compliance - we tried that with our motorbike and Suzuki Australia couldn't help us. We owned the bike for 11.5 months prior to us flying but they approved the importation, so there is a little leeway.

Lauren

 

Their leeway is 2 weeks, so you must have struck a very generous assessor

[Guest bbor]

We imported a car several years ago, to get round the 12 month ownership thing we rang the dvla before we purchased the car and they said believe it or not...whatever purchase date you put on the form is the purchase date they print on the return rego papers. The only issue is this we can think of is if their is an outstanding speeding\parking fine. so if you wish to import a car to Oz you could purchase it and ammend the rego accordingly, but i cant guarantee the dvla will not change your date, worked for us. The mistake we made is we purchased a crappy CLK which was a nightmare from start to finish, if you do go for it purchase a car that is worh more in oz than UK ie the Jag XK is a good example or a Range Rover Sport. Make sure its in A+ condition too and clean as a whistle and use a reputable exporter from the UK not a dodgy B*stard like we used who took 6 months to send it over and only then because interpol were chasing him for us.

[DBphoto]

If you love the Jazz, then bring it over, but you won't save any money on buying one here. There are different schemes for importing cars to Oz that don't require the 12-month limit. Hopefully things will be quiet enough over the Christmas/New Year break that I can add that info to the ILI website! Your options are fairly limited in terms of make and model though.

 

That's what I thought about the Jazz, so it'll be sold here.

 

On the import of the VW Transproter, I'd be very interested in the costs of other schemes you mention and would be grateful if you could mail/message me when/if you have a chance to add the info to your website. Just to be clear: we are talking about a low-mileage and clean unmodified VW Transporter Van that I can buy inexpensively here that I would DIY convert or have converted to camper in Oz. Also it doesn't have to be that van. Much of the cost/benefitt calculation is based on the seemingly massive cost difference between such vans here £9K vs double that in Oz.

 

Cheers

David

[Guest cromane]

I am living in Australia on a permanent visa and plan to get a container sent here from Ireland next July, there is a lexus at home that my father wants me to have but I will not own it for 12 months, is there any way I can import it (pay extra duties)? I will have house hold goods in the container.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Cromane

[Iron Chef]

Cromane - in a word, no. Read the first post on here and or jump on my website (in the link below) and it should explain everything.

[gaunty]

Hi Iron Chef

 

We've got our PRV for Victoria and are doing our activation trip in March with a view to making the move in 18 month/ 2 years. I'm actively looking for work in Perth at the moment as well. I've an '03 Mazda 6 estate 90K on clock that I've owned since '06. It's roughly £4300 at moment. Do you think this would be worth bringing over?

 

Regards

 

Gaunty

[Iron Chef]

Gaunty, only if you've had good service from it and want to keep using it. Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense to bring it from a financial perspective.

[Guest oldmarried]

Hi Iron Chef

We aren't in the position to apply yet as we don't have our visas but want to get everything ready as we will have a pretty quick turnaround to get the import approval before we ship out. We have owned the car since August 2008 and it is registered on the V5 in my husband's name. We can't find the purchase invoice but we did buy it from a Toyota main dealer. Even if we get it we think that it was purchased in my name rather than his. I am the main applicant and have a job which I already have a contract for and will have the evidence of resignation from my current job so enough for the 100 points. Husband is currently self employed so won't resign from his job and won't work in Oz until the children are settled. So two questions:

How do we handle the Import application? Do we just apply in joint names and so between us have enough evidence to substantiate the application?

Do we need to get the purchase invoice for the car or given that we have a V5 which shows we acquired the car on 27/08/2008 is this sufficient to demonstrate purchase of the vehicle?

 

many thanks