Importing a car to Australia - All the facts... Hopefully!
Discussion
Spadester101 said:
Hi. Im moving to Sydney for about 4 years under 457 visa and want to bring my 911 (1986). I bought it 5 years ago before prices went silly, so my initial purchase price was relatively low (as opposed to todays prices). If I import it what value will Australian customs use? the hand written invoice from a private sale in 2013 or the current Australian market value (less some deductions). It makes a big difference especially if it brings me into (LCT) luxury car tax band, in which case i'd leave it behind (or sell) as the bill could be substantial . Anyone can advise?
Current Australian market value, but it will be discounted a bit being an import.Guys got a question re importing cars. Seems I have 3 options
1. Private Import (overseas ownership).
2. RAWS
3. Letter of Compliance
1. Familiar with Private import just need to live with car overseas for 12 months it seems.
2. How do cars get onto the SEVS list. For example it has Ferrari 360, 612 etc but no 430, 458 or 599. It has Maserati 430, Coupe and Spider but no GranTurismo? There are Zero Porches except 918 and Carrera GT?
3. "A Letter of Compliance is a statement issued by a holder of an Identification Plate Approval (IPA) stating that a vehicle complied with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) (other than the requirement to fit an identification plate) at the time the vehicle was first delivered for use in transport:. For my car this is held by Maserati S.p.A. of NSW. has anyone ever gone down this route and been successful.
Mark (NSW)
1. Private Import (overseas ownership).
2. RAWS
3. Letter of Compliance
1. Familiar with Private import just need to live with car overseas for 12 months it seems.
2. How do cars get onto the SEVS list. For example it has Ferrari 360, 612 etc but no 430, 458 or 599. It has Maserati 430, Coupe and Spider but no GranTurismo? There are Zero Porches except 918 and Carrera GT?
3. "A Letter of Compliance is a statement issued by a holder of an Identification Plate Approval (IPA) stating that a vehicle complied with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) (other than the requirement to fit an identification plate) at the time the vehicle was first delivered for use in transport:. For my car this is held by Maserati S.p.A. of NSW. has anyone ever gone down this route and been successful.
Mark (NSW)
lotuselan7 said:
Guys got a question re importing cars. Seems I have 3 options
1. Private Import (overseas ownership).
2. RAWS
3. Letter of Compliance
1. Familiar with Private import just need to live with car overseas for 12 months it seems.
2. How do cars get onto the SEVS list. For example it has Ferrari 360, 612 etc but no 430, 458 or 599. It has Maserati 430, Coupe and Spider but no GranTurismo? There are Zero Porches except 918 and Carrera GT?
3. "A Letter of Compliance is a statement issued by a holder of an Identification Plate Approval (IPA) stating that a vehicle complied with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) (other than the requirement to fit an identification plate) at the time the vehicle was first delivered for use in transport:. For my car this is held by Maserati S.p.A. of NSW. has anyone ever gone down this route and been successful.
Mark (NSW)
Be afraid, be very afraid of our Border Protection Officers. Since the unfortunate high rise fires that had dodgy cladding on them they see asbestos everywhere. Recently a tour of Maserati owners was organised by an Australian host, several cars never made it off the docks, Border Protection wanted to pull the cars to pieces just in case they found a speck of asbestos in somewhere like a head gasket for instance. Cars coming in from OS have got this treatment even when accompanied by documentation and certification by proper people that they are asbestos free. There have been some absolute horror stories doing the rounds lately. 1. Private Import (overseas ownership).
2. RAWS
3. Letter of Compliance
1. Familiar with Private import just need to live with car overseas for 12 months it seems.
2. How do cars get onto the SEVS list. For example it has Ferrari 360, 612 etc but no 430, 458 or 599. It has Maserati 430, Coupe and Spider but no GranTurismo? There are Zero Porches except 918 and Carrera GT?
3. "A Letter of Compliance is a statement issued by a holder of an Identification Plate Approval (IPA) stating that a vehicle complied with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) (other than the requirement to fit an identification plate) at the time the vehicle was first delivered for use in transport:. For my car this is held by Maserati S.p.A. of NSW. has anyone ever gone down this route and been successful.
Mark (NSW)
Hey folks,
I am a Kiwi (married to an Aussie), currently living in Arizona, USA. We are looking to move back in about two years and i am looking at bringing a couple of cars back with us when we return. I am thinking a Ford Raptor or some other big, V8 truck.
Has anyone done this from the US?
Has anyone bought a right hand drive car and kept driving it, or got it converted?
Thanks a lot!
Greg
I am a Kiwi (married to an Aussie), currently living in Arizona, USA. We are looking to move back in about two years and i am looking at bringing a couple of cars back with us when we return. I am thinking a Ford Raptor or some other big, V8 truck.
Has anyone done this from the US?
Has anyone bought a right hand drive car and kept driving it, or got it converted?
Thanks a lot!
Greg
muhnkee2 said:
Hey folks,
I am a Kiwi (married to an Aussie), currently living in Arizona, USA. We are looking to move back in about two years and i am looking at bringing a couple of cars back with us when we return. I am thinking a Ford Raptor or some other big, V8 truck.
Has anyone done this from the US?
Has anyone bought a right hand drive car and kept driving it, or got it converted?
Thanks a lot!
Greg
I assume you mean LHD which would be illegal in all states except WA (or do you mean NZ?) I’d bring a nice dry Arizona classic if I were you (I did) but then you’ve got the asbestos fears.I am a Kiwi (married to an Aussie), currently living in Arizona, USA. We are looking to move back in about two years and i am looking at bringing a couple of cars back with us when we return. I am thinking a Ford Raptor or some other big, V8 truck.
Has anyone done this from the US?
Has anyone bought a right hand drive car and kept driving it, or got it converted?
Thanks a lot!
Greg
Google [bot] said:
I assume you mean LHD which would be illegal in all states except WA (or do you mean NZ?) I’d bring a nice dry Arizona classic if I were you (I did) but then you’ve got the asbestos fears.
The plan is to bring a LHD truck over, then i have spoken to a few companies that do conversions to RHD, they mainly do Dodge and Ford trucks, so i get them to convert it and enjoy driving a monster truck around for a few years.I already have a right hand drive Morris Minor that has followed me from NZ -> GG -> SG -> USA , so that will be coming back with us. But before i leave i am also going to buy a big classic station wagon to cruise around in.
My understanding is that if its over 30 years old you can have it in left hand drive, so currently thinking of something like a:
1957 Ford Country Squire
which my wife does like, or something i would really like, but she loathes:
1987 Chevy Caprice Wagon
a4drk said:
Planning on going to Australia for my 50th
Thinking of shipping the car there for my arrival.
Having 3 weeks touring the country and then shipping it home
Anyone got a ballpark figure of shipping costs from the uk ?
All the ones ive seen have got import charges etc
Cheers
David
Not sure on shipping but what car is it?Thinking of shipping the car there for my arrival.
Having 3 weeks touring the country and then shipping it home
Anyone got a ballpark figure of shipping costs from the uk ?
All the ones ive seen have got import charges etc
Cheers
David
a4drk said:
Planning on going to Australia for my 50th
Thinking of shipping the car there for my arrival.
Having 3 weeks touring the country and then shipping it home
Anyone got a ballpark figure of shipping costs from the uk ?
All the ones ive seen have got import charges etc
Cheers
David
That sounds like a ridiculous idea, but google Carnet de Passage. My shipping cost from the US is posted further back in this thread.Thinking of shipping the car there for my arrival.
Having 3 weeks touring the country and then shipping it home
Anyone got a ballpark figure of shipping costs from the uk ?
All the ones ive seen have got import charges etc
Cheers
David
ETA sorry shipping cost not there and can’t remember how much. A mate paid about 3000aud a few years back for a 996 via http://www.carshipping.co.uk that’s one way of course.
Edited by Google [bot] on Saturday 28th July 00:48
So, I have just successfully imported my 2014 Porsche 991 Targa 4S into Australia. My thoughts on shipping:
There is a lot of paperwork. It is difficult to do on your own and I am glad that I had an Aussie agent do it for me. They also handled the import/conversion/registration process (it needed nothing doing).
The total cost including taxes was approx $40,000 AUS for everything. The car’s UK value was roughly $140,000.
Current AUS value is a bit of a mystery as these cars are very rare in AUS and the value of an import is less (but no one knows how much less) than an AUS car. However, it is highly unlikely to be worth less than the total UK value + costs. As an example, lesser spec & higher mileage cars have been advertised at $300,000+ AUS.
The whole process is not fun, as the final costs are always a bit of a mystery and shipping (RORO) is a nerve wracking experience. However, the car arrived in a exactly the same condition that it left, minus the theft of the key fob (fortunately minus the key).
Other thoughts:
It will likely be a difficult car to sell as the market for performance cars here is small and Aussies have a bizarre fear of imports (that isn’t shared by Brits or Germans for example).
There is no way I could/would afford to buy the same spec car out here, even if I could find one.
Aussies usually spec cars with few extras as the luxury tax is a killer. A high spec Porsche (or similar) here is similar to an average/low UK spec or German poverty spec.
Getting the local dealers to change the satnav mapping is proving painful. They seem to be even more useless than the UK Main Dealers.
Insurance is not as difficult to get as some people make out, but for performance cars it is massively more costly than the UK. It is roughly 4 times the price here. Insurance is a dark art in Aus.
Aussie roads are not kind to performance/sports cars. Neither are Aussie Police.
FInal thought, would I do it again if I could go back 6 months? Possibly, but probably not with a Porsche. The sweet spot out here would be something like a Pajero Evolution or a V8 Jag Coupe.
There is a lot of paperwork. It is difficult to do on your own and I am glad that I had an Aussie agent do it for me. They also handled the import/conversion/registration process (it needed nothing doing).
The total cost including taxes was approx $40,000 AUS for everything. The car’s UK value was roughly $140,000.
Current AUS value is a bit of a mystery as these cars are very rare in AUS and the value of an import is less (but no one knows how much less) than an AUS car. However, it is highly unlikely to be worth less than the total UK value + costs. As an example, lesser spec & higher mileage cars have been advertised at $300,000+ AUS.
The whole process is not fun, as the final costs are always a bit of a mystery and shipping (RORO) is a nerve wracking experience. However, the car arrived in a exactly the same condition that it left, minus the theft of the key fob (fortunately minus the key).
Other thoughts:
It will likely be a difficult car to sell as the market for performance cars here is small and Aussies have a bizarre fear of imports (that isn’t shared by Brits or Germans for example).
There is no way I could/would afford to buy the same spec car out here, even if I could find one.
Aussies usually spec cars with few extras as the luxury tax is a killer. A high spec Porsche (or similar) here is similar to an average/low UK spec or German poverty spec.
Getting the local dealers to change the satnav mapping is proving painful. They seem to be even more useless than the UK Main Dealers.
Insurance is not as difficult to get as some people make out, but for performance cars it is massively more costly than the UK. It is roughly 4 times the price here. Insurance is a dark art in Aus.
Aussie roads are not kind to performance/sports cars. Neither are Aussie Police.
FInal thought, would I do it again if I could go back 6 months? Possibly, but probably not with a Porsche. The sweet spot out here would be something like a Pajero Evolution or a V8 Jag Coupe.
Jeremy-2fj2j said:
So, I have just successfully imported my 2014 Porsche 991 Targa 4S into Australia. My thoughts on shipping:
There is a lot of paperwork. It is difficult to do on your own and I am glad that I had an Aussie agent do it for me. They also handled the import/conversion/registration process (it needed nothing doing).
The total cost including taxes was approx $40,000 AUS for everything. The car’s UK value was roughly $140,000.
Current AUS value is a bit of a mystery as these cars are very rare in AUS and the value of an import is less (but no one knows how much less) than an AUS car. However, it is highly unlikely to be worth less than the total UK value + costs. As an example, lesser spec & higher mileage cars have been advertised at $300,000+ AUS.
The whole process is not fun, as the final costs are always a bit of a mystery and shipping (RORO) is a nerve wracking experience. However, the car arrived in a exactly the same condition that it left, minus the theft of the key fob (fortunately minus the key).
Other thoughts:
It will likely be a difficult car to sell as the market for performance cars here is small and Aussies have a bizarre fear of imports (that isn’t shared by Brits or Germans for example).
There is no way I could/would afford to buy the same spec car out here, even if I could find one.
Aussies usually spec cars with few extras as the luxury tax is a killer. A high spec Porsche (or similar) here is similar to an average/low UK spec or German poverty spec.
Getting the local dealers to change the satnav mapping is proving painful. They seem to be even more useless than the UK Main Dealers.
Insurance is not as difficult to get as some people make out, but for performance cars it is massively more costly than the UK. It is roughly 4 times the price here. Insurance is a dark art in Aus.
Aussie roads are not kind to performance/sports cars. Neither are Aussie Police.
FInal thought, would I do it again if I could go back 6 months? Possibly, but probably not with a Porsche. The sweet spot out here would be something like a Pajero Evolution or a V8 Jag Coupe.
Good work getting it over.There is a lot of paperwork. It is difficult to do on your own and I am glad that I had an Aussie agent do it for me. They also handled the import/conversion/registration process (it needed nothing doing).
The total cost including taxes was approx $40,000 AUS for everything. The car’s UK value was roughly $140,000.
Current AUS value is a bit of a mystery as these cars are very rare in AUS and the value of an import is less (but no one knows how much less) than an AUS car. However, it is highly unlikely to be worth less than the total UK value + costs. As an example, lesser spec & higher mileage cars have been advertised at $300,000+ AUS.
The whole process is not fun, as the final costs are always a bit of a mystery and shipping (RORO) is a nerve wracking experience. However, the car arrived in a exactly the same condition that it left, minus the theft of the key fob (fortunately minus the key).
Other thoughts:
It will likely be a difficult car to sell as the market for performance cars here is small and Aussies have a bizarre fear of imports (that isn’t shared by Brits or Germans for example).
There is no way I could/would afford to buy the same spec car out here, even if I could find one.
Aussies usually spec cars with few extras as the luxury tax is a killer. A high spec Porsche (or similar) here is similar to an average/low UK spec or German poverty spec.
Getting the local dealers to change the satnav mapping is proving painful. They seem to be even more useless than the UK Main Dealers.
Insurance is not as difficult to get as some people make out, but for performance cars it is massively more costly than the UK. It is roughly 4 times the price here. Insurance is a dark art in Aus.
Aussie roads are not kind to performance/sports cars. Neither are Aussie Police.
FInal thought, would I do it again if I could go back 6 months? Possibly, but probably not with a Porsche. The sweet spot out here would be something like a Pajero Evolution or a V8 Jag Coupe.
I for a long time wasn't sure why imports got hammered but I can only summise now that there is a huge fear of rust (cars here just don't tend to rust generally) and perhaps a fear of being clocked/lacking genuine history/being a bit unknown.
Pommy said:
Jeremy-2fj2j said:
So, I have just successfully imported my 2014 Porsche 991 Targa 4S into Australia. My thoughts on shipping:
There is a lot of paperwork. It is difficult to do on your own and I am glad that I had an Aussie agent do it for me. They also handled the import/conversion/registration process (it needed nothing doing).
The total cost including taxes was approx $40,000 AUS for everything. The car’s UK value was roughly $140,000.
Current AUS value is a bit of a mystery as these cars are very rare in AUS and the value of an import is less (but no one knows how much less) than an AUS car. However, it is highly unlikely to be worth less than the total UK value + costs. As an example, lesser spec & higher mileage cars have been advertised at $300,000+ AUS.
The whole process is not fun, as the final costs are always a bit of a mystery and shipping (RORO) is a nerve wracking experience. However, the car arrived in a exactly the same condition that it left, minus the theft of the key fob (fortunately minus the key).
Other thoughts:
It will likely be a difficult car to sell as the market for performance cars here is small and Aussies have a bizarre fear of imports (that isn’t shared by Brits or Germans for example).
There is no way I could/would afford to buy the same spec car out here, even if I could find one.
Aussies usually spec cars with few extras as the luxury tax is a killer. A high spec Porsche (or similar) here is similar to an average/low UK spec or German poverty spec.
Getting the local dealers to change the satnav mapping is proving painful. They seem to be even more useless than the UK Main Dealers.
Insurance is not as difficult to get as some people make out, but for performance cars it is massively more costly than the UK. It is roughly 4 times the price here. Insurance is a dark art in Aus.
Aussie roads are not kind to performance/sports cars. Neither are Aussie Police.
FInal thought, would I do it again if I could go back 6 months? Possibly, but probably not with a Porsche. The sweet spot out here would be something like a Pajero Evolution or a V8 Jag Coupe.
Good work getting it over.There is a lot of paperwork. It is difficult to do on your own and I am glad that I had an Aussie agent do it for me. They also handled the import/conversion/registration process (it needed nothing doing).
The total cost including taxes was approx $40,000 AUS for everything. The car’s UK value was roughly $140,000.
Current AUS value is a bit of a mystery as these cars are very rare in AUS and the value of an import is less (but no one knows how much less) than an AUS car. However, it is highly unlikely to be worth less than the total UK value + costs. As an example, lesser spec & higher mileage cars have been advertised at $300,000+ AUS.
The whole process is not fun, as the final costs are always a bit of a mystery and shipping (RORO) is a nerve wracking experience. However, the car arrived in a exactly the same condition that it left, minus the theft of the key fob (fortunately minus the key).
Other thoughts:
It will likely be a difficult car to sell as the market for performance cars here is small and Aussies have a bizarre fear of imports (that isn’t shared by Brits or Germans for example).
There is no way I could/would afford to buy the same spec car out here, even if I could find one.
Aussies usually spec cars with few extras as the luxury tax is a killer. A high spec Porsche (or similar) here is similar to an average/low UK spec or German poverty spec.
Getting the local dealers to change the satnav mapping is proving painful. They seem to be even more useless than the UK Main Dealers.
Insurance is not as difficult to get as some people make out, but for performance cars it is massively more costly than the UK. It is roughly 4 times the price here. Insurance is a dark art in Aus.
Aussie roads are not kind to performance/sports cars. Neither are Aussie Police.
FInal thought, would I do it again if I could go back 6 months? Possibly, but probably not with a Porsche. The sweet spot out here would be something like a Pajero Evolution or a V8 Jag Coupe.
I for a long time wasn't sure why imports got hammered but I can only summise now that there is a huge fear of rust (cars here just don't tend to rust generally) and perhaps a fear of being clocked/lacking genuine history/being a bit unknown.
Its interesting that personally imported European cars are frowned on here while Japanese imports are generally liked. But my experience is mixed on that front as I've just recently traded in our UK imported Mazda RX8.
I had an initial offer for trade of around $8K but when i told them that the car was a UK import, the trade value dropped to $3K. The dealer who is a good friend of my brother did a favour to me and rang all his contacts in the trade that he knew and he finally manage to broker a trade in value of $5K but that was after spending a number of days speaking to all his contacts. If i persisted and with a bit of luck selling privately, i guess i could get about $10K+ even as an import and around $17K if its a local delivered car.
I've imported 3 cars from the UK. Would i do it again? Absolutely not, especially with any car that is above LCT value. Even with something that is cheaper and 'good value' by local standard, its not worth the stress when it comes to selling and not likely to sell quickly even if you are prepared to sell it below market value. I'd imported my cars for my personal enjoyment and not to make a profit. But with the draconian police enforcement here. It really makes driving un-enjoyable these days.
RORO was 1,800 GBP. Good old covid…. I fully expect to have my pants pulled down when/if I try to sell. It’s ludicrous as the car will essentially be identical to an Aussie spec car (or significantly better). However, the cheapest rough equivalent Targa over here is currently up for $300k, which is for a poverty spec 4 and not 4S. I suspect that I will drive mine until it becomes a properly ‘old 911’ as nice cars out here are ludicrously expensive and most buyers (if there are any) will probably try to take the p1ss.
Agree that the Police here are more draconian and profit hungry than UK Police. I get that speed kills, but the speed traps all seem to be in areas where there is little chance of accidents, but lots of opportunity to catch people. Typically on the only bit of dual carriageway after a long slow stretch where traffic builds up behind grandma. As for double demerits on a holiday weekend….
Agree that the Police here are more draconian and profit hungry than UK Police. I get that speed kills, but the speed traps all seem to be in areas where there is little chance of accidents, but lots of opportunity to catch people. Typically on the only bit of dual carriageway after a long slow stretch where traffic builds up behind grandma. As for double demerits on a holiday weekend….
Jeremy-2fj2j said:
RORO was 1,800 GBP. Good old covid…. I fully expect to have my pants pulled down when/if I try to sell. It’s ludicrous as the car will essentially be identical to an Aussie spec car (or significantly better). However, the cheapest rough equivalent Targa over here is currently up for $300k, which is for a poverty spec 4 and not 4S. I suspect that I will drive mine until it becomes a properly ‘old 911’ as nice cars out here are ludicrously expensive and most buyers (if there are any) will probably try to take the p1ss.
Agree that the Police here are more draconian and profit hungry than UK Police. I get that speed kills, but the speed traps all seem to be in areas where there is little chance of accidents, but lots of opportunity to catch people. Typically on the only bit of dual carriageway after a long slow stretch where traffic builds up behind grandma. As for double demerits on a holiday weekend….
Agree that the Police here are more draconian and profit hungry than UK Police. I get that speed kills, but the speed traps all seem to be in areas where there is little chance of accidents, but lots of opportunity to catch people. Typically on the only bit of dual carriageway after a long slow stretch where traffic builds up behind grandma. As for double demerits on a holiday weekend….
- This is a great string, doing research myself re bringing my 07 Cayman S over to Melbourne...cost me GBP 17.5K in 2017, would be worth $40-50K here I'm guessing taking into account the "Import Penalty" mentioned..but my intention is to keep and enjoy rather than sell...I'm from Tasmania originally, some epic roads there to be driven....and totally agree re the level of Police activity here (more $$ than lives driven?)...as for the standard of local driving in general...!!
@Jeremy-2fj2j , would be interested in knowing who you used to bring your Porker over, as your post is most recent. Also interested in view re the RORO V container approach. Cheers all!
Craiglm68 said:
- This is a great string, doing research myself re bringing my 07 Cayman S over to Melbourne...cost me GBP 17.5K in 2017, would be worth $40-50K here I'm guessing taking into account the "Import Penalty" mentioned..but my intention is to keep and enjoy rather than sell...I'm from Tasmania originally, some epic roads there to be driven....and totally agree re the level of Police activity here (more $$ than lives driven?)...as for the standard of local driving in general...!!
@Jeremy-2fj2j , would be interested in knowing who you used to bring your Porker over, as your post is most recent. Also interested in view re the RORO V container approach. Cheers all!
Let us know how you get on though.
Jeremy-2fj2j said:
RORO was 1,800 GBP. Good old covid…. I fully expect to have my pants pulled down when/if I try to sell. It’s ludicrous as the car will essentially be identical to an Aussie spec car (or significantly better). However, the cheapest rough equivalent Targa over here is currently up for $300k, which is for a poverty spec 4 and not 4S. I suspect that I will drive mine until it becomes a properly ‘old 911’ as nice cars out here are ludicrously expensive and most buyers (if there are any) will probably try to take the p1ss.
Agree that the Police here are more draconian and profit hungry than UK Police. I get that speed kills, but the speed traps all seem to be in areas where there is little chance of accidents, but lots of opportunity to catch people. Typically on the only bit of dual carriageway after a long slow stretch where traffic builds up behind grandma. As for double demerits on a holiday weekend….
Super interesting as may be moving to Sydney in 6 months and was looking at importing my 997 911 GTS (Manual) as you say "like for like" a similar car is over 300k AUD. Reading your thread though it may not be worth it for the overall hassle and then the ongoing pain/cost of ownership in unfun things like insurance. But the pull is the fact that once out there, I couldn't rightfully justify (and I don't think I could live with) paying such a premium to own a 911.Agree that the Police here are more draconian and profit hungry than UK Police. I get that speed kills, but the speed traps all seem to be in areas where there is little chance of accidents, but lots of opportunity to catch people. Typically on the only bit of dual carriageway after a long slow stretch where traffic builds up behind grandma. As for double demerits on a holiday weekend….
MC99 said:
Super interesting as may be moving to Sydney in 6 months and was looking at importing my 997 911 GTS (Manual) as you say "like for like" a similar car is over 300k AUD. Reading your thread though it may not be worth it for the overall hassle and then the ongoing pain/cost of ownership in unfun things like insurance. But the pull is the fact that once out there, I couldn't rightfully justify (and I don't think I could live with) paying such a premium to own a 911.
I assume 997 is a typo?I reckon any 911 import is a good idea if you can.
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