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

[Guest tabatha]

Hi

 

We are impoting our car and have a visa,purchase receipt etc but have no forwarding address as of yet and no jobs..Just tickets booked one way and prices from shipping companies and also a oz bank account??? Wondering how if i can apply without a job confirmation,rental etc??????????????

[Guest matthew from Essex]

Hello, it's me again... now wife wants to take her Ford Focus in black color over to Oz. It's 2 years old and thinks it might be cheaper if we keep the car instead of selling it. I've heard it's not advisable to have black color car due to the weather there being very hot in summer time, is this true? Any advice given would be great. :smile:

[Guest Ladyjady]

Hi all

I am getting lost in this thread, have been reading over an hour and not found the info I need- any help very much appreciated...

 

My situatioon-

Moved over to Oz a month ago with 2 kids on 457 visa. We arrived with a suitcase each as I couldn't really afford to bring all our stuff over and i'd read so much on here about furniture taking ages, not necessarily fitting the house and having to buy stuff in the meantime. I handed my car- over to family in the UK for them to sell ASAPas low as £4K if necessary and wire the money to me as I needed it for settling. It is a 2006 Hyundai Coupe 1.6s... 5 weeks later and it still isn't sold- I am considering importing it.

 

Two key questions-

1) I have a roll on roll off estimate of £1050 but am struggling to find out exactly how much I am likely to have to spend to get it in this side?? (I can't even find the value of the car as the Oz Hyundai model is only available until the earlier version on one of the sites recommended on this thread for valuing cars)

2) Would I have issues decalring the fact that the car was mine for the 12 months prior to me moving over (the UK DVLA log book should show that it was handed over a week after I came over to Oz??

Any advice very much appreciated.

[Har00n]

hi LadyJady,

 

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, insofar as i was thinking about having my mondeo sent over.

Its also not one shown in redbook.com, as i don't think oz had this specific model (its a 53 plate Zetec s tdci.)

 

Interested to know what everyone else thinks. (i know its not a BMW or anything, but if its gonna cost around £1500, might be better to just bring this car across, as opposed to spending the same on a car when i get to oz...)

[Cal2]

thanks for all this info Iron Chef, especially about the road worthyness, and you're right it happens all over, re thinking brining the Jag over,

[Iron Chef]

Hi Iron Chef,

We are looking to ship our Mercedes C55 AMG, 2005 car. In your opinion worth the shipping hassle? Looking forward to cheaper fuel!!!

Thanks in Advance,

Donna x

 

HI Donna - yes definitely!

 

Hi

 

We are impoting our car and have a visa,purchase receipt etc but have no forwarding address as of yet and no jobs..Just tickets booked one way and prices from shipping companies and also a oz bank account??? Wondering how if i can apply without a job confirmation,rental etc??????????????

 

Bear in mind you need to meet 100 points of evidence on the list on the application form, so there are various things you can provide without necessarily providing them all. If you can't you may find you have to leave the car in the UK and bring it over once you have everything sorted over here. It's a pain in the bum because obviously you don't have your car straight away, but you're allowed to apply for an import approval up to 6 months after you arrive in Australia.

 

Hello, it's me again... now wife wants to take her Ford Focus in black color over to Oz. It's 2 years old and thinks it might be cheaper if we keep the car instead of selling it. I've heard it's not advisable to have black color car due to the weather there being very hot in summer time, is this true? Any advice given would be great. :smile:

 

Excuse me having a bit of a chuckle at this one :wink: I have three black cars in the driveway at the moment...if it has aircon, you'll be fine.

 

Hi all

I am getting lost in this thread, have been reading over an hour and not found the info I need- any help very much appreciated...

 

My situatioon-

Moved over to Oz a month ago with 2 kids on 457 visa. We arrived with a suitcase each as I couldn't really afford to bring all our stuff over and i'd read so much on here about furniture taking ages, not necessarily fitting the house and having to buy stuff in the meantime. I handed my car- over to family in the UK for them to sell ASAPas low as £4K if necessary and wire the money to me as I needed it for settling. It is a 2006 Hyundai Coupe 1.6s... 5 weeks later and it still isn't sold- I am considering importing it.

 

Two key questions-

1) I have a roll on roll off estimate of £1050 but am struggling to find out exactly how much I am likely to have to spend to get it in this side?? (I can't even find the value of the car as the Oz Hyundai model is only available until the earlier version on one of the sites recommended on this thread for valuing cars)

2) Would I have issues decalring the fact that the car was mine for the 12 months prior to me moving over (the UK DVLA log book should show that it was handed over a week after I came over to Oz??

Any advice very much appreciated.

 

I understand your predicament, but seriously, I wouldn't bother - the Coupe wasn't a big seller here, and the locally delivered cars were all 2.0 litres, so a 1.6 litre will be as popular as a garlic milkshake. You're better off selling it in the UK.

 

hi LadyJady,

 

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, insofar as i was thinking about having my mondeo sent over.

Its also not one shown in redbook.com, as i don't think oz had this specific model (its a 53 plate Zetec s tdci.)

 

Interested to know what everyone else thinks. (i know its not a BMW or anything, but if its gonna cost around £1500, might be better to just bring this car across, as opposed to spending the same on a car when i get to oz...)

 

The Mondeo is probably a break even prospect, in terms of it not being a huge money spinner, but you'll get a few years' worth of use and be able to sell it for roughly what it owes you, which, let's face it, is better than taking a huge hit on depreciation in the UK. Just double check that the TDCi engine is the same one which we got here in the later model (for ease of servicing).

 

thanks for all this info Iron Chef, especially about the road worthyness, and you're right it happens all over, re thinking brining the Jag over,

 

No worries, let me know if you need my help

[Har00n]

Cheers Iron Monkey!!

What would we do without ya!!

:yellow_guy_smiling_

[Guest matthew from Essex]

Cheers Iron Monkey!!

What would we do without ya!!

 

So true!!! Thanks again! but I think my wife would be gutted though as her car is only 1.6 L, so no point taking it with us!:no:

[Iron Chef]

lol there's actually a place in South Australia called Iron Knob - you have no idea how many of my customers send me photos of the town sign...

[supa]

Hi

 

We figure that buying decent cars here (thus saving on exchange rate differentials), taking with us and ultimately selling seems like a good idea, even taking into account taxes and transportation costs.

 

We have an 09 Subaru Outback and an 04 Focus CMax, though we could trade this up to BMW for example if that would be more cost effective for resale over there, although not sure what we could get for them.

 

Any thoughts, or are we missing something completely fundamental?!!

 

We are looking to move to Melbourne.

[Iron Chef]

Personally, I'd keep the Outback and sell the CMax for a BMW - the CMax isn't sold here so the biggest issue you'd have is nobody would have any idea what it was.

 

Aside from that, yes, you're on the right track :wink:

[Guest speedbird]

Hi Iron Chef,

 

thinking if to bringing with me to perth my 2001 911 turbo. manual. cost GBP 29,000 12 months ago. 70k miles, excellent condition.

 

if i bring it i could put it in a 40 ft container with the rest of my gear ?

 

what do you think ?

[Cal2]

and iron Chef, may I humbly requested your opinion on the following cars :notworthy:

 

VW Golf 1.4 FSi 7 years old,

Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 cd 5 years

Jaguar XF 3 years

 

all in good nick, wondering

 

selling versus buying or

 

importing, bearing in mind costs, that road worthiness thingi :cry: , and ease of getting them serviced in OZ,

 

much appreciated :smile:

[Iron Chef]

Hi Iron Chef,

 

thinking if to bringing with me to perth my 2001 911 turbo. manual. cost GBP 29,000 12 months ago. 70k miles, excellent condition.

 

if i bring it i could put it in a 40 ft container with the rest of my gear ?

 

what do you think ?

 

Definitely - guaranteed winner :biggrin:

 

and iron Chef, may I humbly requested your opinion on the following cars :notworthy:

 

VW Golf 1.4 FSi 7 years old,

Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 cd 5 years

Jaguar XF 3 years

 

all in good nick, wondering

 

selling versus buying or

 

importing, bearing in mind costs, that road worthiness thingi :cry: , and ease of getting them serviced in OZ,

 

much appreciated :smile:

 

In order:

 

No, because we never got the 1.4 here and it's too small (engine wise) to appeal to an enthusiast

 

Borderline, but I'd err on the side of not bothering - the Zafira was never much of a seller over here

 

Yes, you should do fairly well out of it

[Tiamilo]

Hi - more questions if I could please!

We are coming out on a 457 at xmas time.

I have a 2001 Integra dc5 that I had imported from Japan 3 yrs ago. It is low milage (22,000 miles). It is worth around £8500-9000. I presume it is worth taking to Aus but wondered if it will cause any difficulties having already imported the ar from somewhere else. (It was "SVA'd" with various adjustments made on arrival in the uk) If I do import this car will insurance be a problem?

 

Our other car is a Honda CRV 2.0 petrol automatic 2006 with 38.000 miles. This is my wife's car.I presume this is worth bringing, but looking at the figures on the Red Book site I ws not sure there was much in it...

 

Many thanks

 

(Will be out of the country for 3 weeks split into several trips for family holidays in the 12 months prior to travel- I presume this is allowed)

[Iron Chef]

Yes to the DC5, it doesn't matter that it came from Japan first. Insurance won't be a problem, I have connections in that area.

 

With the CR-V it's probably worth it if you like the car and know its history. I wouldn't be a money spinner, but it may help lessen the depreciation you would otherwise have taken on selling it in the UK.

 

Holidays are allowed during the qualifying period, you just need to own the car for the extra time to compensate for it.

[JBO76]

I have spent quite some time looking into the option of shipping a a BMW X5 to Australia and thought it would be helpful to share what I have found out so far.

 

 

 

Following on from pretty comprehensive analysis, I have come to the following conclusions:

 

• Shipping your car will save you one extra hassle when you relocate (having your own car could also provide helpful familliarity if you have young children) but this will be offset but the administrative hoops that you will need to jump through
  

 

 

• Whether this is a good move economically depends on how long you are likely to own the vehicle for:
  

 

 

If you are looking to keep the car and run it into the ground (depending on the vehicle you take) the cost of exporting + UK value is likely to be lower than purchasing the car in Australia. In the examples I looked at the saving was in the region of 25% butt this saving could be offset by higher costs of insuring an imported car.

 

However, if you think you might sell the car at some point then it is possible that you will not recover your costs.

I have spoken to 3 different garages and each said that the resale value of imported cars is approx 50% of an Aus spec. car. This sounds like a lot to me but the general view was that non Aus spec cars were not popular and selling on would be very difficult. If this really is the case then the best option might be to find an imported car and buy that!

 

I have looked at a number of different cars and concluded that the AUS$ resale value needs to be just over 2.0 - 2.5 x the GPB£ value for your to breakeven i.e. that the cost of UK purchase/shipping/tax/registration is equal to the Aus$ value.

 

I found a really helpful spreadsheet posted on the Moving2Melbourne website (see details and link below) which sets out all of the costs that you are likely to encounter when shipping your car and although many of them are small, they really add up.

 

Link to moving2Melbourne here - thanks for your really helpful website guys!

 

 

http://www.moving-to-melbourne.co.uk/news/574/general-australian-news/importing-a-car-to-australia/

 

 

My worked example below is based on importing a used BMX X5 Sport 3.0d - 2004 with approx 100kms on the clock. It is worth noting that I have based the resale or street value on the "trade in" price in the red book - this represnts a 17% discount to the resale value. I find it hard to believe that the resale value of an import is really as low as 50% of an Aus spec equivalent but if this is the case then the value will be much lower than that used in my example.

 

I cannot claim to have put the spreadsheet together - I would love to hear from you if you thik that these costs or assumptions are not realistic.

 

SUMMARY

 

Australian Dollar to UK Pound 0.6493

UK Value of Car £12,500

AUS Street Value $29,000

AUS Customs Valuation of Car @65% $18,850

 

Total Cost of Shipping £6,157

Replacement Cost in Australia £18,831

UK Value + Shipping £18,657

Total Gain £173

 

DETAILED COSTING

 

Shipping

UK Charges

RORO Shipping from UK to VIC £700

Insurance (2% UK Value) £250

 

£950

 

Customs Duty & GST

Customs Value $18,850.00

Customs Duty (10% Customs Value) $1,885

GST (10% Value + Duty + Shipping) $2,073

Luxury Car Tax @ 25% over $57,180 $0

Total $3,958 (£2,570)

 

 

Australian Agent Charges

Agency (Estimated) $200

Quarantine Entry Fees $25

Customs Entry Fee $35

Air Conditioning Fee $50

AQIS Fees / Quarantine $300

Local shipping charges $200

Customs Levied Customs Entry Fees $72

 

Total $882 (£572)

 

Australian Compliance Charges

Vehicle Valuation (done in UK) $220

VASS inspection $290

Personal Import Plate $76

Roadworthy Test $85

Child Seat Anchor Point (optional) $500

Total $1,171 (£760)

 

 

Charges from Vic Roads (DVLA)

Appointment Fee $10

Inspection Fee $22

Registration Fee $168

Transport Accident Charge $356

Insurance Duty $35

Number Plates $27

Motor Vehicle Duty $754

Total $1,374 (£892)

[Iron Chef]

A few of the valuation figures are a little bit out, but aside from that you're spot on with all the costings you've done there.

 

Regarding the value of imported cars - if you ring a car dealer in Australia and say "my car is imported from the UK, what do you think it is worth?", EVERY ONE to a man will tell you they're not worth anything over here. But funnily enough, if you were to offload your vehicle to them at 50% of its local value, it would reappear on their lot at full price...

 

Sure you may not get quite as much as a locally delivered car, but Australian car dealers are sharks, just as they are anywhere else in the world. If they smell blood, they're in for the kill. All things equal, 85-90% of a local model's value is probably closer to the mark. Hell, if you sold your X5 privately, I doubt half the potential buyers would even bother to check if it was a locally delivered model...

[JBO76]

Thanks Kristian

 

That makes sense to me. I put myself in the position of a prospective buyer and think "would I go for a 50% discount for an import? "

 

I would buy an import all day long at a 50% discount! Your figure of 85% feels a lot more realistic and this is roughly in line with using the trade price listed in the red book.

 

Just wanted to check with you whether the customs duty is corrrect at 10%? I have seen this listed as 5% elsewhere.

[Iron Chef]

Sorry yes, it has dropped to 5% as of the start of 2010. GST is still at 10%.

 

I was replying to your PM as you were replying in here! Ha!

[Guest Lpkm]

Hi Iron Chef,

 

I have a 2004 BMW 3 series Convertible (320ci MSport) with approx 55k Miles (88k Kilometers) on the clock. I bought it a year ago for £13,000 and looking on auto trader UK today its looks to be worth around £10,000 here which is rather annoying. Anyway, a similar spec and age car in Aus seems to be in the region of $30k-$35k which equates to around £20,000!! So upon reflection it appears cost effective to take the car over using the personal import scheme when I have my 175 (permanent residency visa) granted. I meet the other criteria for personal import i.e owned the car for the last year etc..

 

Would I hae to pay all these taxes if its a personal import? What kind of figure would I be looking at to import it? Surely not £6k like the above example?

 

Thanks

 

Luke

[Guest ireneking]

Hi Ironchef

 

Would it be worth bringing my Honda Jazz 1.1 it is a 2005 model with 26,000 miles on it. It is worth about £4000. Excluding, the shipping costs could you give me an idea of how much the extras (customs/duties) would cost.

 

Thanks

 

I

[John and Alexa]

Hi Iron Chief

 

We too are in a dilema whether to import our car. Its a 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo with 45k miles. We paid 34k for it 6 months ago but we are not likely to hit aussie shores for another 12 months. Is it worth paying all the import tax (as we don't seem to be able to get a rough estimate of how much tax it will cost once landed) or should we think about selling it in the UK? Any thoughts??

 

Thanks

 

John

PS I like the GTR 34 track car you have on your site & could be tempted with similar if you can find one when we land :-)

[Iron Chef]

Hi Iron Chef,

 

I have a 2004 BMW 3 series Convertible (320ci MSport) with approx 55k Miles (88k Kilometers) on the clock. I bought it a year ago for £13,000 and looking on auto trader UK today its looks to be worth around £10,000 here which is rather annoying. Anyway, a similar spec and age car in Aus seems to be in the region of $30k-$35k which equates to around £20,000!! So upon reflection it appears cost effective to take the car over using the personal import scheme when I have my 175 (permanent residency visa) granted. I meet the other criteria for personal import i.e owned the car for the last year etc..

 

Would I hae to pay all these taxes if its a personal import? What kind of figure would I be looking at to import it? Surely not £6k like the above example?

 

Thanks

 

Luke

 

Make sure you're not confusing pounds with Aussie dollars in some of those figures Luke, no it wouldn't be quite as high as that figure for your car. I think it's worth bringing it over - it won't be a huge money spinner, but at least you won't lose as much as if you sell it over there.

 

Hi Ironchef

 

Would it be worth bringing my Honda Jazz 1.1 it is a 2005 model with 26,000 miles on it. It is worth about £4000. Excluding, the shipping costs could you give me an idea of how much the extras (customs/duties) would cost.

 

Thanks

 

I

 

Hi Irene - sell it over there, it's the 1.1 litre engine that would make it worth very little over here, and hard to service too.

 

Hi Iron Chief

 

We too are in a dilema whether to import our car. Its a 2003 Porsche 911 Turbo with 45k miles. We paid 34k for it 6 months ago but we are not likely to hit aussie shores for another 12 months. Is it worth paying all the import tax (as we don't seem to be able to get a rough estimate of how much tax it will cost once landed) or should we think about selling it in the UK? Any thoughts??

 

Thanks

 

John

PS I like the GTR 34 track car you have on your site & could be tempted with similar if you can find one when we land :-)

 

Definitely bring it, a better investment than property or the share market at the moment!

 

While I think of it, for anyone who has been to my site and come away not really knowing where to look for more info, I'm in the process of rebuilding my site, so there will eventually be a new page purely devoted to immigrants bringing their personal imports with them. I'm still happy to answer inquiries via email in the meantime.

[John and Alexa]

Thank you for the reply - will have to look into it a bit deeper I think