paulH Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 My wife ( she is Australian ) and I will be moving to Melbourne in the next 18 months . Unfortunately my car ( 21 year old BMW ) is not going to last until we move . Any suggestions of what type of new car to buy now , so we can ship to OZ when we leave . I guess I'm looking for something that will represent good value once we have taken shipping costs into account . Are some cars easier to repair and service ? Is it better to buy in my wife's name ? We have a young son , so not looking for a 2 seat sports car ( one day maybe ). I'm not one for buying cars regularly , I've had 2 new cars in 30 years , so I need something reliable . Budget is around £ 35000.00 Many thanks in advance for any ideas Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 32 minutes ago, paulH said: My wife ( she is Australian ) and I will be moving to Melbourne in the next 18 months . Unfortunately my car ( 21 year old BMW ) is not going to last until we move . Any suggestions of what type of new car to buy now , so we can ship to OZ when we leave . I guess I'm looking for something that will represent good value once we have taken shipping costs into account . Are some cars easier to repair and service ? Is it better to buy in my wife's name ? We have a young son , so not looking for a 2 seat sports car ( one day maybe ). I'm not one for buying cars regularly , I've had 2 new cars in 30 years , so I need something reliable . Budget is around £ 35000.00 Many thanks in advance for any ideas Paul Hi Paul, and welcome! Best to look at cars around your price point then see what they are fetching in Australia on www.redbook.com.au - obviously the higher the better personally I would look at something like Porsche Panamera, Audi RS4, RS5 Sportback or RS6, E63 Estate, even the Alfa Romeo Giulia QF (twin turbo V6) is worth a look. If you want luxury, find something British (Jaguar/Bentley/Aston Martin etc) as they tend to have poor resale in the UK compared to here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosseboy Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 I would look at what dealerships are near to where you will be living as some European models have dealers spread out. For example in WA, there is 1 Volvo dealer, 1 Jaguar dealer and maybe 3 BMW dealers, 3 Renault and so on. Where I live 80 kms South of Perth, it is not practicable to own some brands because of the distance to a dealer . We bought a Volvo XC60 with us 12 months old and found that the Volvo GPS could not be converted to Australia and a split tyre puncture in the first month cost 2 tyres as the tyres on it were not availble in Australia and you cannot mix on an axle. ($2000 for a puncture as I also had to buy a temporary spare tyre kit as well as it was obvious that relying on an inflation kit in Australia is not sensible). Our Renault Clio Sport was sold in Australia but some parts were different (coil, igniters etc) and had to come from France (via Sydney) so the car was off the road for 4 weeks. We did sell privately to other Europeans, but car dealers were not interested in part exchange because of potential warranty costs when they resold. I would wait and buy here from a franchised dealer so you get a warranty. But if you want to import (you have to have owned the car for12 months) then we found Iron Lady to be great. They had good local knowledge, collected the car from the dock, argued their way through bureaucracy at the dock and at the compliance centre and made sure we didnt wrongly pay stamp duty. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulH Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Thank you both for your advice . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGaroo Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 On 25/06/2020 at 21:03, paulH said: Thank you both for your advice . I would say don't bother - additionally the pound has deteriorated so much now which doesn't help. I'd buy an old ford mondeo and dump it in 18 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrowsEng Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Depending on your preferences of cars, maybe look at a nearly new diesel. In the UK they are banning diesels soon and so they are becoming quite cheap, whereas in Australia we will happily use them for years to come. A lot of Range Rover, BMW, Audi and Merc diesels are coming to Australia with owners because the resale in the UK is terrible but in Australia is still ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrowsEng Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 On 17/06/2020 at 22:17, paulH said: My wife ( she is Australian ) and I will be moving to Melbourne in the next 18 months . Unfortunately my car ( 21 year old BMW ) is not going to last until we move . Any suggestions of what type of new car to buy now , so we can ship to OZ when we leave . I guess I'm looking for something that will represent good value once we have taken shipping costs into account . Are some cars easier to repair and service ? Is it better to buy in my wife's name ? We have a young son , so not looking for a 2 seat sports car ( one day maybe ). I'm not one for buying cars regularly , I've had 2 new cars in 30 years , so I need something reliable . Budget is around £ 35000.00 Many thanks in advance for any ideas Paul Try this for a great deal: BMW I8, in UK about 35,000pounds https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10595214?utm_expid=.tpJdMtjvQA-ox8DOzal2LQ.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pistonheads.com%2Fclassifieds%3FCategory%3Dused-cars%26M%3D2897%26SortOptions%3DPriceLowToHigh whereas in Australia, about $150,000. https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2016-bmw-i8-i12-auto-awd/SSE-AD-6660690/?Cr=1 Its 4 seats, you claim to your friends its environmentally friendly and they are pretty quick and look flash. Surely this makes fiscal sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGaroo Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 that one is almost new based on miles. Closest one I found in UK is https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006160181271?postcode=sw64xd&model=I8&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&sort=price-asc&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&make=BMW&page=1 my import calculator lands that at roughly $110,000. Plus the car will be a year older and requires interest, services, mot, insurance etc. And it's still just a rusty dodgy import in the eyes of the Aussie market. Take $110k folding to that Aussie seller and I reckon you'd have a good chance of driving away. $130k defo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandM Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Does anyone know: do you have to be on a Perm visa to be able to bring your car? we’ll be coming on a priority migration visa (husbands job) and would like to bring our car as it’s suuuper low mileage (we live in London and both commute by train). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 6 hours ago, LandM said: Does anyone know: do you have to be on a Perm visa to be able to bring your car? we’ll be coming on a priority migration visa (husbands job) and would like to bring our car as it’s suuuper low mileage (we live in London and both commute by train). It has to be a visa that is either permanent or has the potential to become permanent. If it has the potential for you to remain here indefinitely, then yes it would work. Really the only ones that are a problem are tourist, working holiday and student visas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsa Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 On 12/05/2021 at 09:30, Iron Chef said: It has to be a visa that is either permanent or has the potential to become permanent. If it has the potential for you to remain here indefinitely, then yes it would work. Really the only ones that are a problem are tourist, working holiday and student visas. Got my vehicle import approval while on a long dated student visa (5 years), all other criteria matching the PIS. Must be a rare case. Even more exceptional as vehicle was already in Australia on carnet (from Japan) while on a previous, shorter student visa (1 year). Just to say that with careful planning, some flexibility can be found but adding a lot of complexity. Well worth it in my situation, and happy to have succeeded, but I do enjoy this type of administrative challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted May 13, 2021 Author Share Posted May 13, 2021 21 minutes ago, nsa said: Got my vehicle import approval while on a long dated student visa (5 years), all other criteria matching the PIS. Must be a rare case. Even more exceptional as vehicle was already in Australia on carnet (from Japan) while on a previous, shorter student visa (1 year). Just to say that with careful planning, some flexibility can be found but adding a lot of complexity. Well worth it in my situation, and happy to have succeeded, but I do enjoy this type of administrative challenge. Interesting! I know some people have tested the theory that they bring the car over here on a carnet for 12 months, then apply for it as a personal import, send it out of the country and bring it back in again. Not an easy process, but apparently it can be done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsa Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, Iron Chef said: Interesting! I know some people have tested the theory that they bring the car over here on a carnet for 12 months, then apply for it as a personal import, send it out of the country and bring it back in again. Not an easy process, but apparently it can be done. Did not need to send it out and bring it back again. Customs law in general allows to permanently import what has been initially a temporary import - it can be intentional but also a consequence of the goods being stolen for example. In my case the carnet (temporary) was switched into PIS (permanent) as a result of the PIS application leading to import authorization. I drove in Australia with the Japanese export plates for almost 2 years (until the Japanese rego, which i had renewed just before exporting from Japan, was due to expire; 1 year carnet had been renewed for an extra year at AAA) until the day i got the Australian plates. I drove to the weighbridge and the blueslip inspection with the Japanese plates, with no rush at any time between PIS authorization (which i had confirmed has no expiry date) and shaken (Japanese rego) expiration, making the Aussie rego process quite comfortable and very cheap compared to a regular PIS. The quarantine was already done on carnet but i had to file for change of import nature (small fee). I paid custom duties, GST and luxury tax the same as for a PIS based on car value at time of temporary import, not of switch to permanent, which was tricky as PIS usually calls for an expert valuation on arrival but carnet does not, and as expert valuation could not be done 2 years late, they had to agree to my own expertise in car valuation. At some point they wanted to base the duties on carnet value (which was much higher as it serves a purpose of bond) but in the end i won against this at the Admin Tribunal. Quite complicated overall but intellectually satisfying for succeeding (maybe the only person ever to do so ?), and super low cost. Edited May 13, 2021 by nsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 On 13/05/2021 at 20:44, nsa said: Did not need to send it out and bring it back again. Customs law in general allows to permanently import what has been initially a temporary import - it can be intentional but also a consequence of the goods being stolen for example. In my case the carnet (temporary) was switched into PIS (permanent) as a result of the PIS application leading to import authorization. I drove in Australia with the Japanese export plates for almost 2 years (until the Japanese rego, which i had renewed just before exporting from Japan, was due to expire; 1 year carnet had been renewed for an extra year at AAA) until the day i got the Australian plates. I drove to the weighbridge and the blueslip inspection with the Japanese plates, with no rush at any time between PIS authorization (which i had confirmed has no expiry date) and shaken (Japanese rego) expiration, making the Aussie rego process quite comfortable and very cheap compared to a regular PIS. The quarantine was already done on carnet but i had to file for change of import nature (small fee). I paid custom duties, GST and luxury tax the same as for a PIS based on car value at time of temporary import, not of switch to permanent, which was tricky as PIS usually calls for an expert valuation on arrival but carnet does not, and as expert valuation could not be done 2 years late, they had to agree to my own expertise in car valuation. At some point they wanted to base the duties on carnet value (which was much higher as it serves a purpose of bond) but in the end i won against this at the Admin Tribunal. Quite complicated overall but intellectually satisfying for succeeding (maybe the only person ever to do so ?), and super low cost. Amazing work! I hope you kept the Japanese export plates as a souvenir. I presume they were the ones that run English characters rather than kanji/hiragana? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsa Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 Yes i did keep the Japanese plates in English (i would have thought JAF the carnet issuer would ask them back, but no). In fact i never used them because Australian regulations require you drive with the usual plates from the origin country (my mistake in message above stating i drove with Japanese export plates, in fact i drove in Australia with the Japanese plates in Japanese), police and onlookers were confused enough (many thought the plates were in Arabic). You don't even need a "J" sticker on the back of the car. Also the cars were not entirely delisted in Japan, the registration was only suspended (as if the cars were in storage and never driven on a public road for example) so technically it is possible to send them back and re-register them easily after an ordinary shaken; not sure if i'd have to pay Japanese import duties or pass any other type of import inspection in this situation, there would not be in case of return on carnet. As a consequence i do not receive a certificate of mileage upon deregistration (or maybe i could have asked for one even for suspension of rego, but did not) but as owner all along i have all maintenance docs (including previous shaken papers) to prove genuine mileage. Upon suspension of Japanese rego i did have to return the regular Japanese plates to the rego office (Samezu); the process was done months after the rego had expired with no consequence. From memory it went like this: Jan 2013: Japanese shaken (rego valid 2 years), carnet issuance by JAF (valid 1 year), shipping out of Japan March 2013: carnet entrance into Australia, quarantine (steam) cost but no customs cost, driving with Japanese plates Jan 2014: renew carnet for 1 extra year at AAA, inform JAF April 2014: submission of PIS based on very long dated student visa May 2014: PIS granted, receive VIN sticker but keep on driving with Japanese plates Dec 2014: weighbridge, do minor modifications (top tether belt anchors), blue slip Jan 2015: PIS activated, no quarantine but pay Australian import duties + VAT + luxury car tax, release JAF bond, get Australian rego, drive on Australian plates, expiration of Japanese rego July 2015: return of Japanese plates and suspension of registration at Tokyo rego office Also pay all Japanese yearly car taxes/CTP while driving in Australia on carnet, and worry quite a bit as you are in uncharted territory for a good part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted May 18, 2021 Author Share Posted May 18, 2021 6 minutes ago, nsa said: Yes i did keep the Japanese plates in English (i would have thought JAF the carnet issuer would ask them back, but no). In fact i never used them because Australian regulations require you drive with the usual plates from the origin country (my mistake in message above stating i drove with Japanese export plates, in fact i drove in Australia with the Japanese plates in Japanese), police and onlookers were confused enough (many thought the plates were in Arabic). You don't even need a "J" sticker on the back of the car. Also the cars were not entirely delisted in Japan, the registration was only suspended (as if the cars were in storage and never driven on a public road for example) so technically it is possible to send them back and re-register them easily after an ordinary shaken; not sure if i'd have to pay Japanese import duties or pass any other type of import inspection in this situation, there would not be in case of return on carnet. As a consequence i do not receive a certificate of mileage upon deregistration (or maybe i could have asked for one even for suspension of rego, but did not) but as owner all along i have all maintenance docs (including previous shaken papers) to prove genuine mileage. Upon suspension of Japanese rego i did have to return the regular Japanese plates to the rego office (Samezu); the process was done months after the rego had expired with no consequence. From memory it went like this: Jan 2013: Japanese shaken (rego valid 2 years), carnet issuance by JAF (valid 1 year), shipping out of Japan March 2013: carnet entrance into Australia, quarantine (steam) cost but no customs cost, driving with Japanese plates Jan 2014: renew carnet for 1 extra year at AAA, inform JAF April 2014: submission of PIS based on very long dated student visa May 2014: PIS granted, receive VIN sticker but keep on driving with Japanese plates Dec 2014: weighbridge, do minor modifications (top tether belt anchors), blue slip Jan 2015: PIS activated, no quarantine but pay Australian import duties + VAT + luxury car tax, release JAF bond, get Australian rego, drive on Australian plates, expiration of Japanese rego July 2015: return of Japanese plates and suspension of registration at Tokyo rego office Also pay all Japanese yearly car taxes/CTP while driving in Australia on carnet, and worry quite a bit as you are in uncharted territory for a good part. That's awesome. Please tell me you didn't pay any tolls while you had those plates on. I found out from Queensland TMR that tolls legally only to apply to Australian registered vehicles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time to Jump Posted November 25, 2021 Share Posted November 25, 2021 Hello @Iron Chef I see you were last on here a while back. About to make the Australia jump and Its really hard to work out this Car import/ value/LCT thing. Are you still using the calculator you developed or has it been superseded by red tape and rule changes? Anyway any info would be greatly appreciated if you are still about. I have 2 Cars here in UK. Which if either would be worth bringing please? 1. 2019 Volvo XC90 Inscription D5 - year of manufacture - 2019 - make, model & variant - Volvo XC90 Inscription D5 - body type (coupe, convertible, etc) SUV - engine size & fuel type - 2.0L Deisel mild Hybrid - transmission - Auto - drive type - AWD - mileage - 17000 miles - any special features, options or modification - The Inscription version is volvo's fully loaded luxury version so it has most of the toys. does it have aircon Yes - realistic current UK market value - £35,000 - Australian RedBook value - $71000 - $76000 - Australian market value - $68000 which Australian state/city - QLD Brisbane 2. 2017 VW Transporter Combi Panel Van - year of manufacture - 2017 - make, model & variant - VW Transporter Combi Van - body type (coupe, convertible, etc) Commercial van - engine size & fuel type - 2.2L Deisel - transmission - Auto - drive type - FWD - mileage - 37000 miles - any special features, options or modification - Reversing camera, parking sensors, leather, does it have aircon Yes - realistic current UK market value - £24000 - Australian RedBook value - $37 - $41k - Australian market value - $$35000 which Australian state/city - QLD Brisbane Much appreciated if you are still helping out on this sort of stuff. Also I know as a dual resident I as an Australian citizen can return with 1 car that I've owned over 1 year but whats the go if I were to bring 2? both the volvo and Van? cheers charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted November 26, 2021 Author Share Posted November 26, 2021 6 hours ago, Time to Jump said: Hello @Iron Chef I see you were last on here a while back. About to make the Australia jump and Its really hard to work out this Car import/ value/LCT thing. Are you still using the calculator you developed or has it been superseded by red tape and rule changes? Anyway any info would be greatly appreciated if you are still about. I have 2 Cars here in UK. Which if either would be worth bringing please? 1. 2019 Volvo XC90 Inscription D5 - year of manufacture - 2019 - make, model & variant - Volvo XC90 Inscription D5 - body type (coupe, convertible, etc) SUV - engine size & fuel type - 2.0L Deisel mild Hybrid - transmission - Auto - drive type - AWD - mileage - 17000 miles - any special features, options or modification - The Inscription version is volvo's fully loaded luxury version so it has most of the toys. does it have aircon Yes - realistic current UK market value - £35,000 - Australian RedBook value - $71000 - $76000 - Australian market value - $68000 which Australian state/city - QLD Brisbane 2. 2017 VW Transporter Combi Panel Van - year of manufacture - 2017 - make, model & variant - VW Transporter Combi Van - body type (coupe, convertible, etc) Commercial van - engine size & fuel type - 2.2L Deisel - transmission - Auto - drive type - FWD - mileage - 37000 miles - any special features, options or modification - Reversing camera, parking sensors, leather, does it have aircon Yes - realistic current UK market value - £24000 - Australian RedBook value - $37 - $41k - Australian market value - $$35000 which Australian state/city - QLD Brisbane Much appreciated if you are still helping out on this sort of stuff. Also I know as a dual resident I as an Australian citizen can return with 1 car that I've owned over 1 year but whats the go if I were to bring 2? both the volvo and Van? cheers charlie Hi Charlie, and welcome! Of the two, the Volvo is a better bet, financially. Based on those numbers, I wouldn't bring the VW over ( althoughworth also checking Car Sales for retail prices here, as I suspect they're much higher than Redbook at the moment). Bear in mind you would only be able to bring one vehicle over, unless you have a partner who also has the correct licence for the car you want to import. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time to Jump Posted November 26, 2021 Share Posted November 26, 2021 5 hours ago, Iron Chef said: Hi Charlie, and welcome! Of the two, the Volvo is a better bet, financially. Based on those numbers, I wouldn't bring the VW over ( althoughworth also checking Car Sales for retail prices here, as I suspect they're much higher than Redbook at the moment). Bear in mind you would only be able to bring one vehicle over, unless you have a partner who also has the correct licence for the car you want to import. Many thanks. I'm concerned the volvo may bridge the LCT threshold and if so is that an extra 40% or something? Crazy rule. Now that the local car manufacture has pretty well disappeared with holdon and Ford the LCT is a useless rule is it not? I sort of get it when they were protecting the local boys but now? I'm actually Aussie although been in UK since 2000. My wife is English and has been given the permanent Spousal visa so will check to see if she too can bring a car. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosseboy Posted November 27, 2021 Share Posted November 27, 2021 Just to say check with Volvo. I brought my one year old Volvo over (a 2015 model top XC60) and thought all would be OK as Volvo confirmed the warranty would be honoured in Australia. I used Iron Lady. They helped through their agent in Perth preventing the Licensing centre from rejecting the car because they said it had non standard tinting not of Oz standard. Then RAC refused to insure it. Shannons was the only insurer who would cover it, did at a great rate and we have stayed with them because of their service and premiums. But the biggest bugbear was the GPS which could not be converted to Australian maps as Volvo said the car was built for Europe. I asked for help from Sweden as I didn't believe this and got a rather nasty note back to say it was true and in future just deal through the Australian Volvo Office. Then I got a puncture (a split which the inflater wouldnt repair), had to have the car recovered to a dealer and found the tyres were different here and had to buy 2 ($800). Also I ordered the small spare wheel realising that a puncture in the remote areas would be a problem and that cost another $1200. Then selling it was another issue as the dealer was not keen but is required by Volvo to encourage loyalty and part exchange. I sold the car privately for 25% more than the dealer offered to a European who wanted a Volvo XC 60 but wasn't bothered about built in GPS. I bought a Mazda CX5 Akera and am on my second one now. Finally it depends how near the Volvo dealership is for servicing. When I arrived in Perth there were 2 North and South of the City and I lived within 15 minutes of the Northern one. I moved South, was thinking of buying another Volvo but Volvo closed the Southern one, reduced the dealers to one IN THE WHOLE STATE , and that was going to be over an hour away. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time to Jump Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 23 hours ago, fosseboy said: Just to say check with Volvo. I brought my one year old Volvo over (a 2015 model top XC60) and thought all would be OK as Volvo confirmed the warranty would be honoured in Australia. I used Iron Lady. They helped through their agent in Perth preventing the Licensing centre from rejecting the car because they said it had non standard tinting not of Oz standard. Then RAC refused to insure it. Shannons was the only insurer who would cover it, did at a great rate and we have stayed with them because of their service and premiums. But the biggest bugbear was the GPS which could not be converted to Australian maps as Volvo said the car was built for Europe. I asked for help from Sweden as I didn't believe this and got a rather nasty note back to say it was true and in future just deal through the Australian Volvo Office. Then I got a puncture (a split which the inflater wouldnt repair), had to have the car recovered to a dealer and found the tyres were different here and had to buy 2 ($800). Also I ordered the small spare wheel realising that a puncture in the remote areas would be a problem and that cost another $1200. Then selling it was another issue as the dealer was not keen but is required by Volvo to encourage loyalty and part exchange. I sold the car privately for 25% more than the dealer offered to a European who wanted a Volvo XC 60 but wasn't bothered about built in GPS. I bought a Mazda CX5 Akera and am on my second one now. Finally it depends how near the Volvo dealership is for servicing. When I arrived in Perth there were 2 North and South of the City and I lived within 15 minutes of the Northern one. I moved South, was thinking of buying another Volvo but Volvo closed the Southern one, reduced the dealers to one IN THE WHOLE STATE , and that was going to be over an hour away. thanks for all that info. I never considered that main dealers would be less than helpful on this sort of thing. I wonder if it's like that across the board from most manufacturers such as BMW and Audi as well? So even given all those issues do you still think it was a good move to bring it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosseboy Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 I have to say that the Volvo dealer gave great service but it is seen as a foreign car and the dealer has to plug into the factory software for the UK car. So you get all the recall stuff done under warranty if they have extended it to Australia before you leave and service correctly here. But had I known I couldn't use GPS (which I really needed in Perth) I would have left the car behind because I could have put the shipping and clearance costs towards a new car. I had to hire a car anyway as the container didn't arrive until 3 weeks after us and left the UK 8 weeks before we left. If you bring the car, and we also brought my Wife's Clio Sport (which also had some tales to tell here as parts were different to the range sold here, they had to come from France via Sydney as Renault won't ship direct to Perth etc) then Iron Lady were very helpful with both cars. If it hadn't been for their local agent, I would have unwittingly paid stamp duty of several thousand dollars and would have accepted that I had to change the tinted windows on the XC60. The agent had to get info from Volvo to show that the windows were factory originals and not aftermarket additions. It depends where you plan to live. Where I live now south of Perth is over an hour to the only Volvo dealer in this enormous State. Also the roadside assistance has limitations (and expires) so a breakdown recovery more than 100 kms from a dealer becomes a cost so if we visit say Margaret River I would be worrying about a mechanical fault occurring. So I looked at dealers in Mandurah where I live and chose a car with local servicing and better nationwide dealers. That means Toyota, Mazda, Kia, Hyundai. There is Mercedes and VW here but again limited dealerships outside the City. I tested the CX5 and loved it so have now bought another one after 4 years. Hope that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosseboy Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Just to add Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Subaru as well. We brought 2 cars. My Wife is Aussie but I had a spouse visa so we had no problem bringing in 2 cars as long as they are registered in the separate names. We added my XC60 to the furniture container and then had to change all the declarations as the container had to come in the name of the car owner, not the returning Aussie. We sent the Clio later by RoRo. By the way, my Wife had more problems with Medicare and Medibank etc than I did as she had to prove that she was returning permanently. She hadn't resigned a job, the container of furniture was in my name, she had rented her UK house out and not sold it, not changed her passport to her married name, had property in Perth but it was all rented out and so on, so had to file a Stat Dec before Medicare would accept her change of residency and issue a new card. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time to Jump Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 17 minutes ago, fosseboy said: Just to add Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Subaru as well. We brought 2 cars. My Wife is Aussie but I had a spouse visa so we had no problem bringing in 2 cars as long as they are registered in the separate names. We added my XC60 to the furniture container and then had to change all the declarations as the container had to come in the name of the car owner, not the returning Aussie. We sent the Clio later by RoRo. By the way, my Wife had more problems with Medicare and Medibank etc than I did as she had to prove that she was returning permanently. She hadn't resigned a job, the container of furniture was in my name, she had rented her UK house out and not sold it, not changed her passport to her married name, had property in Perth but it was all rented out and so on, so had to file a Stat Dec before Medicare would accept her change of residency and issue a new card. Ah man, It shouldn't be that hard, should it! interesting point again re 2 cars. We have an XC90 which my wife drives and I have a high spec VW Transporter combi van. Both are in my name. Might change one of them to my wife's name and bring both. She has a permanent spousal visa so that should work as yours did. Excellent information again thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 11 hours ago, Time to Jump said: Ah man, It shouldn't be that hard, should it! interesting point again re 2 cars. We have an XC90 which my wife drives and I have a high spec VW Transporter combi van. Both are in my name. Might change one of them to my wife's name and bring both. She has a permanent spousal visa so that should work as yours did. Excellent information again thanks. You won't need to change the registration to her name, you can still bring both over (assuming your wife lives at the same address you do!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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