Holiday Purchase then ship back to the UK?
Discussion
Looking for some insight to understand if this is possible or whether i am day dreaming
As part of our honeymoon we have a 6-week holiday to NZ that starts in December 2020 and returns us to the UK in Jan 2021 (COVID 19 permitting of course!)
While we are in lockdown in the UK I’ve had lots of time on my hands to plan the route we want to take. We were looking at car hire and i started to wonder if it would be possible to purchase a car and then import it back to the UK.
The issues that i believe i would face (in no particular order):
Price - What would be the best website to look at to compare NZ to UK pricing. Is there an NZ version of Autotrader that is best to use showing specialist dealer stock?
Insurance - Could i get insurance cover as a non NZ resident with my UK driving license?
Ownership Log book - Will i be able to sign ownership over and still drive the car for the next 6-weeks in NZ before exporting?
Exporting - We would finish the holiday in Queenstown so i would need to understand where and at what cost i could drop the vehicle to a shipper, anyone done this before?
We land in Auckland in December, so i understand that the car purchase would have to be handled ahead of time with a specialist dealer.
Be interested to hear Any thoughts?
As part of our honeymoon we have a 6-week holiday to NZ that starts in December 2020 and returns us to the UK in Jan 2021 (COVID 19 permitting of course!)
While we are in lockdown in the UK I’ve had lots of time on my hands to plan the route we want to take. We were looking at car hire and i started to wonder if it would be possible to purchase a car and then import it back to the UK.
The issues that i believe i would face (in no particular order):
Price - What would be the best website to look at to compare NZ to UK pricing. Is there an NZ version of Autotrader that is best to use showing specialist dealer stock?
Insurance - Could i get insurance cover as a non NZ resident with my UK driving license?
Ownership Log book - Will i be able to sign ownership over and still drive the car for the next 6-weeks in NZ before exporting?
Exporting - We would finish the holiday in Queenstown so i would need to understand where and at what cost i could drop the vehicle to a shipper, anyone done this before?
We land in Auckland in December, so i understand that the car purchase would have to be handled ahead of time with a specialist dealer.
Be interested to hear Any thoughts?
kel176506 said:
Looking for some insight to understand if this is possible or whether i am day dreaming
As part of our honeymoon we have a 6-week holiday to NZ that starts in December 2020 and returns us to the UK in Jan 2021 (COVID 19 permitting of course!)
While we are in lockdown in the UK I’ve had lots of time on my hands to plan the route we want to take. We were looking at car hire and i started to wonder if it would be possible to purchase a car and then import it back to the UK.
The issues that i believe i would face (in no particular order):
Price - What would be the best website to look at to compare NZ to UK pricing. Is there an NZ version of Autotrader that is best to use showing specialist dealer stock?
Insurance - Could i get insurance cover as a non NZ resident with my UK driving license?
Ownership Log book - Will i be able to sign ownership over and still drive the car for the next 6-weeks in NZ before exporting?
Exporting - We would finish the holiday in Queenstown so i would need to understand where and at what cost i could drop the vehicle to a shipper, anyone done this before?
We land in Auckland in December, so i understand that the car purchase would have to be handled ahead of time with a specialist dealer.
Be interested to hear Any thoughts?
First (very quick) thoughts:As part of our honeymoon we have a 6-week holiday to NZ that starts in December 2020 and returns us to the UK in Jan 2021 (COVID 19 permitting of course!)
While we are in lockdown in the UK I’ve had lots of time on my hands to plan the route we want to take. We were looking at car hire and i started to wonder if it would be possible to purchase a car and then import it back to the UK.
The issues that i believe i would face (in no particular order):
Price - What would be the best website to look at to compare NZ to UK pricing. Is there an NZ version of Autotrader that is best to use showing specialist dealer stock?
Insurance - Could i get insurance cover as a non NZ resident with my UK driving license?
Ownership Log book - Will i be able to sign ownership over and still drive the car for the next 6-weeks in NZ before exporting?
Exporting - We would finish the holiday in Queenstown so i would need to understand where and at what cost i could drop the vehicle to a shipper, anyone done this before?
We land in Auckland in December, so i understand that the car purchase would have to be handled ahead of time with a specialist dealer.
Be interested to hear Any thoughts?
Price: Trade Me is the website to look at https://www.trademe.co.nz/
Prices in NZ are (much) higher than the UK, especially for anything "interesting" and the choice is very limited, unless you're looking for an "Aussie" performance Ford or Holden. When we came over in 2007 I was amazed at how much more expensive cars were, and still am
Insurance is optional in NZ
Ownership transfer can be done instantly online
Don't forget that, as well as the shipping and shipping insurance costs there will also be import costs involved at the UK end but I'm sure you know more about that than I do now
Short answer - don't bother!
Best of luck with your trip, NZ is an amazing country with beautiful scenery, especially the South Island. Roads are narrow (even State Highways are often one lane in each direction with occasional passing lanes) so it takes longer to get places than you would think based on distance and the open road speed limit (100kph/62mph).
At the moment only "New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and residents with valid travel conditions returning to New Zealand may travel to New Zealand" and they are subject to 14 days isolation in a Government-provided hotel. Hopefully, by December these restrictions will be eased, but you may still be looking at an isolation period before you can start your travels
A bold plan. Not least in its timing.
Can't see that overseas tourism will be opening up much for at least a year, but you never know.
With regards your car plan, I'm not at all sure it would be worth it unless you're looking for a particular car that's available here but not in the UK.
Check out trademe.co.nz or autotrader.co.nz for pricing information and you'll see that cars are, on the whole, a great deal more expensive here than in the UK. Certainly anything interesting will be (think £110k for a base level 911). Used prices aren't a lot better unless you're looking at the bottom of the market.
You can insure and register with your British licence, but you will need a permanent address here. Just get a PO Box address, job done (caveat, that's what I did when I first came here, but it was some time ago).
No idea about exporting back to the UK, but to get a car here from the UK typically costs around $4k plus GST. I imagine it would be much the same the other way.
In the end, I suspect you'd be better off buying a "disposable" used car and putting up with whatever money you can get when you sell it at the end.
k
kel176506 said:
Price - What would be the best website to look at to compare NZ to UK pricing. Is there an NZ version of Autotrader that is best to use showing specialist dealer stock?
Insurance - Could i get insurance cover as a non NZ resident with my UK driving license?
Ownership Log book - Will i be able to sign ownership over and still drive the car for the next 6-weeks in NZ before exporting?
Exporting - We would finish the holiday in Queenstown so i would need to understand where and at what cost i could drop the vehicle to a shipper, anyone done this before?
We land in Auckland in December, so i understand that the car purchase would have to be handled ahead of time with a specialist dealer.
Be interested to hear Any thoughts?
Insurance - Could i get insurance cover as a non NZ resident with my UK driving license?
Ownership Log book - Will i be able to sign ownership over and still drive the car for the next 6-weeks in NZ before exporting?
Exporting - We would finish the holiday in Queenstown so i would need to understand where and at what cost i could drop the vehicle to a shipper, anyone done this before?
We land in Auckland in December, so i understand that the car purchase would have to be handled ahead of time with a specialist dealer.
Be interested to hear Any thoughts?
Thanks both and i appreciate the advice and insight....
Wow cars certainly do seem more expensive in NZ for anything desirable! I’ll stick to the rental plan!
Fingers crossed that the COVID19 situation has improved by December. We booked this before the whole world was in the full midst of this pandemic so timing is not ideal but we are hopeful that things maybe returning to some form of normality but then!
Wow cars certainly do seem more expensive in NZ for anything desirable! I’ll stick to the rental plan!
Fingers crossed that the COVID19 situation has improved by December. We booked this before the whole world was in the full midst of this pandemic so timing is not ideal but we are hopeful that things maybe returning to some form of normality but then!
Cars may be more expensive than in the UK, but they're generally in much, much better condition, especially body-wise.
It might make sense for certain classics, or if you have a thing for something Australian or a JDM special (V12 Toyota Century for example?). Another possibility is for cars that don't necessarily have such a wide following in NZ.
As stated, insurance is optional here, and not too difficult to arrange.
It might make sense for certain classics, or if you have a thing for something Australian or a JDM special (V12 Toyota Century for example?). Another possibility is for cars that don't necessarily have such a wide following in NZ.
As stated, insurance is optional here, and not too difficult to arrange.
kel176506 said:
Thanks both and i appreciate the advice and insight....
Wow cars certainly do seem more expensive in NZ for anything desirable! I’ll stick to the rental plan!
Fingers crossed that the COVID19 situation has improved by December. We booked this before the whole world was in the full midst of this pandemic so timing is not ideal but we are hopeful that things maybe returning to some form of normality but then!
Good plan! I couldn't believe how expensive cars were over here when I started looking either Wow cars certainly do seem more expensive in NZ for anything desirable! I’ll stick to the rental plan!
Fingers crossed that the COVID19 situation has improved by December. We booked this before the whole world was in the full midst of this pandemic so timing is not ideal but we are hopeful that things maybe returning to some form of normality but then!
Best of luck with your travel plans, I'm sure your travel agent will keep you up to date with the NZ situation (if you have one). If not, this is a useful "News" site:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/
this is the "official" Covid-19 one:
https://covid19.govt.nz/
and this is Immigration:
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/
Exporting from QT I would guess get the car shifted to Dunedin or Christchurch then packed into a 20 footer, prob £3-4k to get it shipped to uk?
Hard to suggest anything other than Jap imports for potential interesting cars, and most of those will be old or barried etc.
Anything European will be heaps more than Uk would be
Hard to suggest anything other than Jap imports for potential interesting cars, and most of those will be old or barried etc.
Anything European will be heaps more than Uk would be
I have been getting shipping quotes for bringing a T5 camper and a Lotus Exige over from uk to Auckland the camper was £1200 the Exige was £700. This was pre covid. Using one of those R-Rak containers think they put 4 cars in a 40ft container. Cheaper than I thought it was going to be.
Yes was this company, I contacted a company called 1st move international about moving house stuff over and this was their sister company for vehicles.
https://www.autoshippers.co.uk/
https://www.autoshippers.co.uk/
Usually, those who choose to ship 4 vehicles inside a container don't mind the risk of damage.
The cars would have to be stacked like cards and suspended by cables to fit 4 inside a 40ft container, or one above the other. Not a lot of space left over.
Read the small print.
As for buying in NZ. Cars are relatively expensive to buy there, if they're nice.
Rentals are cheap. We rented an old 7-seater people carrier in 2004 for 4 weeks, to tour both islands with and I think we paid £400 from Jucy Car Rentals.
Was old, high mileage and an end-of-life vehicle imported from Japan, but it did the job fine, covering several thousand km.
Great country to go on a honeymoon. You'll be there in time for summer.
The cars would have to be stacked like cards and suspended by cables to fit 4 inside a 40ft container, or one above the other. Not a lot of space left over.
Read the small print.
As for buying in NZ. Cars are relatively expensive to buy there, if they're nice.
Rentals are cheap. We rented an old 7-seater people carrier in 2004 for 4 weeks, to tour both islands with and I think we paid £400 from Jucy Car Rentals.
Was old, high mileage and an end-of-life vehicle imported from Japan, but it did the job fine, covering several thousand km.
Great country to go on a honeymoon. You'll be there in time for summer.
Look at the r-Rak system it’s just a miniature version of how cars are transported on the road.
Petrolism said:
Usually, those who choose to ship 4 vehicles inside a container don't mind the risk of damage.
The cars would have to be stacked like cards and suspended by cables to fit 4 inside a 40ft container, or one above the other. Not a lot of space left over.
Read the small print.
As for buying in NZ. Cars are relatively expensive to buy there, if they're nice.
Rentals are cheap. We rented an old 7-seater people carrier in 2004 for 4 weeks, to tour both islands with and I think we paid £400 from Jucy Car Rentals.
Was old, high mileage and an end-of-life vehicle imported from Japan, but it did the job fine, covering several thousand km.
Great country to go on a honeymoon. You'll be there in time for summer.
The cars would have to be stacked like cards and suspended by cables to fit 4 inside a 40ft container, or one above the other. Not a lot of space left over.
Read the small print.
As for buying in NZ. Cars are relatively expensive to buy there, if they're nice.
Rentals are cheap. We rented an old 7-seater people carrier in 2004 for 4 weeks, to tour both islands with and I think we paid £400 from Jucy Car Rentals.
Was old, high mileage and an end-of-life vehicle imported from Japan, but it did the job fine, covering several thousand km.
Great country to go on a honeymoon. You'll be there in time for summer.
Old cars are chucked away in NZ either because they are crash damaged (common) or they suffer costly mechanical failure.
Therefore certain older vehicles could be considered, as the bodywork will be rust free (by UK standards).
Daihatsu Charade DeTomaso, Prelude INX or other JDM specials could be worthwhile considering.
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