unsure if we should import our cars??

[sarab]

We are just in the process of trying to sell our cars in the UK and I have been looking at what they would cost to buy again in Oz.

We have one Mini Cooper 2006 (no a/c) 65k and one Peugeot 307 2004 with A/C 55k but are in good condition.

Having looked at the cost of similar cars and what they are worth in Oz I am very tempted to look at importing them.

 

Do you guys in Oz think it is a good idea?

[zara283]

Hi there, we were looking at doing the same too with our truck. You will find there are several threads about this.

 

The best person to contact on here is Iron Chef he has his own website as well & he imports cars to OZ.

 

We have decided against it for now as we haven't owned our truck for a year yet, which will be July, but we are hoping to be heading off before July. Best of Luck

[richselina]

Hi, we looked at importing our Porsche Boxster as they are about double the cost in Australia but b the time we took into account the shipping costs, import taxes, modifications to Australian standards and the devaluation of an imported car on the used car market it made no sense. Also, the paperwork, steam cleaning etc etc is to much hassle so we'll sell and buy a slightly older one when we get there.

 

Hope this helps.

[JoandJon]

We've imported our car, but it's not going to save us much money to be honest - and it's a pfaff (although Iron Chef has helped!)

 

The main reason we brought our s over was because we couldn't sell it for a reasonable price so we crunched the numbers and figured it was worth it - but it does take ages!!

 

If the car doesn't have air-con (unless you can get it installed) don't bother, you'll end up hating it

[mxh]

I also looked into bringing in my Boxster when I came over. However, whilst initially it seemed a very good idea (ie comparing what I would get for it in the UK against what it would cost to buy something similar in Aus), once shipping, cleaning, taxes etc were taken into consideration it was closer, but still looked OK. However, I was warned that resale of an imported car in Aus may be difficult, and would definately attract a lower price than if it were imported officially (no hard evidence on that one - just what I gleaned from a bit of research of various forums), so I decided not to bother.

 

With regard to the Mini and the Peugeot, I'd check that the same cars were imported to Australia officially - if not, then there may be issues with getting spares for them, which will obviously add to the cost.

 

And as for air-con, I don't necessarily agree that you 'need' it - the only times I've used it in our car (in Sydney) in the last 2 years was to check that it still works. But I've never been a lover of air-con anyway - always preferred the windows open. Although I think if I lived in Cairns or Darwin I might change my mind!