Is it worth bringing my car? The Iron Lady's trusty new calculator reveals all!

[Guest Guest67761]

phew! that has to be the fastest reply ever THANKS IRONCHEF YOUR THE BEST. Bet you get this question alot. Assuming I get the car to Southampton, UK. Do you have an approx idea how much EXPENSES total before I can get the keys back & drive it away in Brisbane? Thank you in advance for your time; or perhaps point in the right direction of one of the 350 ish posts here! thx J

 

You are looking at a total cost of around $7,365 based on the figures provided and a 'best guess' at the what the Australian Customs valuation would come in at. This includes all costs that should be needed to get the car shipped to Australia, customs clearance, port fees, import duty, taxes, ADR compliance, road registration and stamp duty .. basically there should be no additional costs required as long as there are no unexpected surprises.

 

Since you are not looking at coming for a few months still then please get back in contact with us closer to the time so we can run the numbers again based on the exchange rate and other costs which may give a slightly different cost then.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

 

 

Hi Iron Chef, this is a great thread. I could not see our car on redbook, not sure if you can help ours is:

 

Fiat Ulysee Eleganza, 2004, 2 litre, 16v Diesel, 5 doors

110,000 miles, 8 seats (removable), electric sliding doors, air con, electric mirrors

UK resell price £2,500

 

Thanks v much

 

This is a model which was not sold in Australia in any form therefore there is no direct comparison for a valuation, so based on an educated estimate I would expect this vehicle to end up costing you around $7,300 to get into Australia and on the road with all costs paid. I can't advise what it might be worth once it's here so it's really up to you to decide if its worth twice the value of the car to bring it with you. Personally I would think not but if you are somewhat attached to the vehicle then you might want to bring it still.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

[Guest jdee]

Thanks Craig, Mucho appreciated; have a nice weekend. Regards J

[Guest Guest67761]

Thanks Craig, Mucho appreciated; have a nice weekend. Regards J

 

No problem at all. Let me know if you need any clarification or have any other questions at all. We are always happy to help.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

[Davina35]

This is a model which was not sold in Australia in any form therefore there is no direct comparison for a valuation, so based on an educated estimate I would expect this vehicle to end up costing you around $7,300 to get into Australia and on the road with all costs paid. I can't advise what it might be worth once it's here so it's really up to you to decide if its worth twice the value of the car to bring it with you. Personally I would think not but if you are somewhat attached to the vehicle then you might want to bring it still.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

 

Thanks so much for your time in doing this. We thought as much, and don't think we will bring it, best to sell and get something out there. Thanks again.

[sandk]

Well life is cruel sometimes.... Our car is going to be fixed rather than written off! However have talked to hubby and we think we willl buy a new one to take over, so now it gets exciting.... We like the look of the BMW 3 series touring model (an estate rather than an MPV). Is this going to be an A rated car? How long do we have to have owned the car before we can ship it over? We are looking to move over next July 2013 - so should (just) make a 12 month window. We would keep our trusty VW for main car and then the new car would sit on the drive for a year - so we also have to factor in depracation etc. Am I right in thinking it would still pay for itself? We want to have a car as soon as we get to Aus so would send new car ahead and the use VW until the very last moment. Would 3 months before we leave work in terms of shipping time? Sorry this is such a lot to ask - but any car bods out there please feel free to send me recommendations up to about £30,000 and prferabley about 1 - 2 years old, (must be at least an estate)! All help gratefully received :ssign16:

Edited May 20, 2012 by sandk

[sandk]

OOps 'depracation' is like 'depreciation' for people who cannot spell -:ssign8:

[Guest lensgirl]

Ok I've been having a tinker with this for a little while and think I've got it pretty close. I've developed an Excel spreadsheet that provides an estimate of whether or not your car is

 

Category A: definitely worth bringing, you'll do nicely out of it when the time comes to sell

Category B: only worth bringing if you love the car and/or plan to keep it for a while

Category C: not worth the aggro, you're better off selling it in the UK

 

*Disclaimers* - the estimates are based on the following:

 

1) using my services at AUD990 (it's set up for my customers, obviously!)

2) using RORO shipping from Southampton (does not include transport to get your car to the port)

3) the current GBP/AUD exchange rate

4) a customs value at 75% of the normal market value

5) includes customs duty and GST

5) a set figure for dock charges (which I've deliberately set higher than what they normally come in at)

6) includes the cost of a valuation and transport to the workshop once cleared

7) includes $1000 for minor modifications needed for registration

8) does NOT include registration costs (because you pay that on all cars, whether they're imported or bought here in Australia)

 

As you can see, I've tried to be as upfront about the costs of getting the vehicle to Australia, and I have actually over-allowed on what many bills come in at. There are a heap of variables in here and each car is different, so don't be disheartened if you get a category C - the calculator isn't meant to be the ultimate authority, but it will give you a fair guide.

What I need from you:

 

1) Year/make/model/mileage/aircon or no aircon/engine size and fuel type/transmission/body type/any distinctive features

2) Market value in the UK (be realistic!)

3) Market value in Australia (search via www.redbook.com.au and make sure you click right through to the description to get the correct price ranges - if you don't chances are you're looking at the price it was sold at when it was new)

 

Let's test it out :biggrin:

 

Vauxhall Vectra Breeze (Estate), 80,000 miles, 2l diesel, manual, air con

around £2500

Apparently a Vetra non-estate is $24990 - $39990

[Guest Guest67761]

Well life is cruel sometimes.... Our car is going to be fixed rather than written off! However have talked to hubby and we think we willl buy a new one to take over, so now it gets exciting.... We like the look of the BMW 3 series touring model (an estate rather than an MPV). Is this going to be an A rated car? How long do we have to have owned the car before we can ship it over? We are looking to move over next July 2013 - so should (just) make a 12 month window. We would keep our trusty VW for main car and then the new car would sit on the drive for a year - so we also have to factor in depracation etc. Am I right in thinking it would still pay for itself? We want to have a car as soon as we get to Aus so would send new car ahead and the use VW until the very last moment. Would 3 months before we leave work in terms of shipping time? Sorry this is such a lot to ask - but any car bods out there please feel free to send me recommendations up to about £30,000 and prferabley about 1 - 2 years old, (must be at least an estate)! All help gratefully received :ssign16:

 

The minimum ownership time frame for a personal import is 12 months and if you are cutting it really close then you need to make sure it's 12 months excluding any time spent outside the UK, so if you are off on a 2 week holiday then make it 12 months and 2 weeks ownership minimum. The new car needs to be "owned and used" by you for the 12 months as part of the approval process too so please make sure it's actually road registered, insured and legally able to be driven if required.

Once you have the import approval then 3 months allowance for shipping, compliance and road registration should be plenty of time. If you are also allowing for the import approval in the time frame too then it wouldn't work out as the approval can take 3-6 weeks on it's own.

 

If you choose the right car then it should easily pay for itself even after all costs are considered, so it just comes down to getting something you like and that will work out well financially. The best options are usually prestige European models like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Range Rover, etc. and typically you would get the best return from a vehicle which is around 3 years old at the time of import to Australia.

 

Regards,

 

Craig

 

 

Vauxhall Vectra Breeze (Estate), 80,000 miles, 2l diesel, manual, air con

around £2500

Apparently a Vetra non-estate is $24990 - $39990

 

We really need to know the year model to give an accurate cost estimate but at this stage a general guess would be somewhere around $6,800 in total including shipping, import duty, taxes, customs fees, ADR compliance, road registration costs and our service fee to assist with it all.

 

If you needed a more exact estimate and/or more information then please let us know.

 

Regards,

 

Craig

Edited May 21, 2012 by Guest67761

[Guest lensgirl]

Sorry don't know why I didn't put that! It's a 2005/05 plate

 

Many thanks

[Guest Guest67761]

Sorry don't know why I didn't put that! It's a 2005/05 plate

 

Many thanks

 

Luckily that was what I used for my estimate although it's still only a rough guess at best because we never got that model here in an estate version or with diesel engine. Also note that with the differences between your vehicle and the Vectra models sold in Australia which could cause issues with servicing and higher insurance costs, as well as trouble when it comes time to resell the car eventually.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

[mevans12]

Hi

 

Just wondered if it was worth shipping this?

 

2008

Honda

Civic EX

42,000

Air Con

2.2 Turbo Diesel

Manual

Hatchback

£7,500 - £8,500

$20,000?

 

Thanks

[Guest Guest67761]

Hi

 

Just wondered if it was worth shipping this?

 

2008

Honda

Civic EX

42,000

Air Con

2.2 Turbo Diesel

Manual

Hatchback

£7,500 - £8,500

$20,000?

 

Thanks

 

As this model Civic was never sold in Australia with diesel engine it could be more hassle than it's worth unless you really love the car. The cost to get it here would mean that it would end up owing you more then $20,000 in total anyway, so again I would only consider bringing it if you are quite attached to it.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

[garetgax]

1) 2004/nissan/350z/49000 miles/aircon/3.5v6 petrol/manual/coupe/lots of carbon and other mods

2) 7k

3) 60-70K

[Guest Guest67761]

1) 2004/nissan/350z/49000 miles/aircon/3.5v6 petrol/manual/coupe/lots of carbon and other mods

2) 7k

3) 60-70K

 

The Australian price you have listed was the cost when new. A normal fairly standard 350Z similar to yours would be worth around $23,000 in Australia, however with all of the mods you have it could be as much as $28,000 so we will use around $26,000 as a basis for the calculations to get a fair estimate.

Based on these figures you would be looking at around $3,120 for shipping, insurance and customs clearance + around $3,417 for import duty and taxes + $2,190 for Australian compliance and road registration costs + $1,040 for import approval application and our fee. All up this would have the car owing you a fair bit less than it would be worth in Australia so it would be a "Category A" car which is a really good option to bring with you.

 

Please let me know when you are ready to start the process and we will be happy to help.

 

Best wishes,

 

Craig.

[Guest icedgem]

Is it worth shipping:

1. 2010 Golf Estate SE TDI/7000 miles/air con/2.0 diesel/manual

Modifications: front and rear parking sensors, touch screen audio system for Ipod

2. 15,000 pounds

3.28-30 k

 

many thanks

[corkonian]

Have another one for you if you wouldn't mind...

 

0.99 litre 2005 Toyota Yaris, 135,000kilometres

Air-conditioning, petrol, five-door, manual, five gears

Market value in Ireland - €3,500

Market value in Oz - $8,500 - $10,000

 

Should mention that our sponsor is paying some relocation costs, which is why we’re actually considering taking the car…

[Guest Guest67761]

Is it worth shipping:

1. 2010 Golf Estate SE TDI/7000 miles/air con/2.0 diesel/manual

Modifications: front and rear parking sensors, touch screen audio system for Ipod

2. 15,000 pounds

3.28-30 k

 

many thanks

 

Based on these figures it would end up costing a little more than a similar vehicle would be worth in Australia, therefore unless you are quite attached to this specific car I would probably suggest selling it before you leave.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

 

 

Have another one for you if you wouldn't mind...

 

0.99 litre 2005 Toyota Yaris, 135,000kilometres

Air-conditioning, petrol, five-door, manual, five gears

Market value in Ireland - €3,500

Market value in Oz - $8,500 - $10,000

 

Should mention that our sponsor is paying some relocation costs, which is why we’re actually considering taking the car…

 

I think this car might be work around $7,500 to $8,000 realistically on the Australian market. The cost to get it here would be somewhere around $3,650 + $1,040 for import approval and our fee + $1,450 to get it on the road ($6,140 in total) which means the car would owe you more than $10,500 all up. Normally I would say it's not worthwhile however if the entire cost is being covered then thats great, otherwise if they only cover the freight costs then it's not a real winner.

 

Let me know if you need any more information or have any questions.

 

Cheers,

 

Craig.

[wonder]

Hi There,

1) 2010/peugeot 308cc SE/24000 miles/aircon/convertable/1.6/manual/5 gears/superb condition

2) UK Value: £12000

3) Market value in Australia : Private: $29k - $33, Trade: $24,5k - $27k

 

Moving to Melbourne

 

Also, if you could give me an idea of cost breakdown, have been looking for exactly this!

Edited May 24, 2012 by wonder

[axle]

Hi

Will be moving to Perth within the year so ;

Range Rover Vogue 2007

Supercharged

Air Con

UK value £28,000

Oz valur $75,200-$82,600.

No idea about the costs at all so a bit of a brake down would be loverly ,

Thanks.

Edited May 24, 2012 by axle
Rubbish typing

[Guest Guest67761]

Hi There,

1) 2010/peugeot 308cc SE/24000 miles/aircon/convertable/1.6/manual/5 gears/superb condition

2) UK Value: £12000

3) Market value in Australia : Private: $29k - $33, Trade: $24,5k - $27k

 

Moving to Melbourne

 

Also, if you could give me an idea of cost breakdown, have been looking for exactly this!

 

Based on the figures you have provided you should be looking at costs of just over $10,000 in total to get the car shipped to Australia with all taxes paid, certified to meet Australian standard and road registered in Melbourne. Here is a breakdown of the costs you are likely to see:

 

-- shipping costs --

$1,513 ocean freight

$193 shipping insurance (optional)

$1,500 customs & port fees

$1,088 import duty

$2,454 GST

 

-- road registration costs --

$750 ADR compliance

$150 roadworthy certificate

$600 registration (12 months)

$870 stamp duty

 

-- other costs --

$50 import approval application

$990 Iron Lady Imports fee ('A' Package)

 

We can help you import and register your car in any state of Australia, however being here in Melbourne myself means that I could off a little extra assistance if needed too, so please feel free to ask if there is anything I can help you with at all.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

 

 

Hi

Will be moving to Perth within the year so ;

Range Rover Vogue 2007

Supercharged

Air Con

UK value £28,000

Oz valur $75,200-$82,600.

No idea about the costs at all so a bit of a brake down would be loverly ,

Thanks.

 

Working with the values you have listed I calculate the following costs you transport of your vehicle to Perth including everything needed to meet Australian standard and have it registered ready to drive:

 

-- shipping costs --

$2,028 ocean freight

$451 shipping insurance (optional)

$1,500 customs & port fees

$2,813 import duty

$6,154 GST

 

-- road registration costs --

$800 ADR compliance

$600 registration (12 months)

$3,656 stamp duty

 

-- other costs --

$50 import approval application

$990 Iron Lady Imports fee ('A' Package)

 

Looking at the current vehicle value and the costs involved in getting it to Australia and on the road with everything paid it works out that this car would owe you around $11,000 less than the lowest private sale market value you had listed. Considering the Range Rover models sold here in Australia are the same specification as in the UK it's very likely that you would be able to sell it for normal Australian market value which could get you more than $10,000 profit. Imported models usually only sell for less than Australian morels if they are a different or lower specification, have no service history, are in worse condition, etc. so assuming your vehicle is as good as expected for something only 5 years old then it should be a good option to bring it with you.

 

Please let me know if you are keen to get start with the process. Keep in mind that it will take around 3-6 weeks to get the import approval, then another 6-10 weeks to get it to Australia and on the road.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

[wonder]

Thanks Craig, if you can send me your contact details, as soon as we know when visa's are through I will surely contact you! What would be your view on taking this car - which category do you see it in, and how easy would it be to resell as an import?

 

Also, do you cover motorcycles at all? Bike in Question is a 2010 BMW F800R with 4000 miles on the clock?

[Guest Guest67761]

Thanks Craig, if you can send me your contact details, as soon as we know when visa's are through I will surely contact you! What would be your view on taking this car - which category do you see it in, and how easy would it be to resell as an import?

 

Also, do you cover motorcycles at all? Bike in Question is a 2010 BMW F800R with 4000 miles on the clock?

 

I think all up the Peugeot will end up owing somewhere around $4,000 to $6,000 less than replacement value in Australia so it's not a bad one to bring along. If it was closer to $10,000 less then I would give it a Category A but as it's just a little less I would go for Category B ... it's not a huge money maker but it would still be worthwhile as long as you don't mind a little bit of paperwork ;-)

We can help with the bike also. You are allowed to bring one vehicle per person so you could bring the bike in your name and the car for your wife. I would need to call around to get a quote for the bike if you keen to bring that too.

 

You can email me directly at craig@ironladyimports.com anytime, or call my Australian mobile phone on +61 414 502 250 (0414 502 250 from within Australia) if you need anything urgently.

 

Best wishes,

 

Craig.

[Guest Murphydawg]

Appreciate advice on these two:

 

Porsche Cayenne S 2006 Black metallic

Aircon

60K miles

Extras: 20" Turbo Alloys, Panoramic Roof, Denion/Bose Stereo System

UK @ value £17,000

AUS Redbook value range $50-55K

 

Harley Davidson Sportster 883 Iron 2011

1000miles

UK Value @ £7K

AUS value ?

 

We are migrating to Sydney in October.

 

Many thanks,

 

Paul

[Guest Guest67761]

Appreciate advice on these two:

 

Porsche Cayenne S 2006 Black metallic

Aircon

60K miles

Extras: 20" Turbo Alloys, Panoramic Roof, Denion/Bose Stereo System

UK @ value £17,000

AUS Redbook value range $50-55K

 

Harley Davidson Sportster 883 Iron 2011

1000miles

UK Value @ £7K

AUS value ?

 

We are migrating to Sydney in October.

 

Many thanks,

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul,

 

The Porsche is a no-brainer really. The RedBook value is a little off as I found that these vehicles are currently selling for around $55,000 to $60,000 roughly. This specific vehicle would end up owing you more than $17,000 less than a similar replacement vehicle would be worth in Australia, so either to keep and use or to resell it would be a winner. Here is a cost breakdown using our full service 'A' Pakcage to get you started:

 

-- shipping costs --

$2,020 ocean freight

$272 shipping insurance (optional)

$1,500 customs & port fees

$2,250 import duty

$4,954 GST

 

-- road registration costs --

$800 ADR compliance

$150 roadworthy requirements

$600 registration (12 months)

$1,350 stamp duty

 

-- other costs --

$50 import approval application

$990 Iron Lady Imports fee ('A' Package)

 

If you are moving in October and assuming you wanted to send the Porsche ahead so it would be ready to use when you get to Sydney, then you should look at applying for the import approval as soon as you can as it will take around 3-6 weeks minimum to process, then usually another 9-14 weeks for the rest of the process. You can apply for the import approval anytime as long as you meet all of the criteria (12 months ownership, Australian visa, etc) at the time of application.

 

Let me know as soon as you are ready to get started and I will be happy to help.

 

I can't give an exact costing for the Harley without shopping around for quotes if it was to be shipped on it's own. Normally I would suggest having a bike included in a container with your personal effects, in which case we could quote on the rest of the costs like import duty, taxes and on-road costs.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Guest67761

[Guest Murphydawg]

Hi Paul,

 

The Porsche is a no-brainer really. The RedBook value is a little off as I found that these vehicles are currently selling for around $55,000 to $60,000 roughly. This specific vehicle would end up owing you more than $17,000 less than a similar replacement vehicle would be worth in Australia, so either to keep and use or to resell it would be a winner. Here is a cost breakdown using our full service 'A' Pakcage to get you started:

 

-- shipping costs --

$2,020 ocean freight

$272 shipping insurance (optional)

$1,500 customs & port fees

$2,250 import duty

$4,954 GST

 

-- road registration costs --

$800 ADR compliance

$150 roadworthy requirements

$600 registration (12 months)

$1,350 stamp duty

 

-- other costs --

$50 import approval application

$990 Iron Lady Imports fee ('A' Package)

 

If you are moving in October and assuming you wanted to send the Porsche ahead so it would be ready to use when you get to Sydney, then you should look at applying for the import approval as soon as you can as it will take around 3-6 weeks minimum to process, then usually another 9-14 weeks for the rest of the process. You can apply for the import approval anytime as long as you meet all of the criteria (12 months ownership, Australian visa, etc) at the time of application.

 

Let me know as soon as you are ready to get started and I will be happy to help.

 

I can't give an exact costing for the Harley without shopping around for quotes if it was to be shipped on it's own. Normally I would suggest having a bike included in a container with your personal effects, in which case we could quote on the rest of the costs like import duty, taxes and on-road costs.

 

Regards,

 

Craig.

 

Thanks very much Craig; great advice. I will have a think about it and get back to you.

Regards,

Paul