Emmigrating to Oz - sell Boxster in UK or import?

[ed22]

Hi all

Looking to move to Oz next year. Would love some advice about whether to sell it in the UK or import to Oz my Porker.

- I've seen on the Internet that a 2001 Boxster S is worth approx 70-80$k. This would seem to be a better return than the 20k sterling I'd get here in the UK

It'd cost about 1k to export. Are there any tax implications? I'm married to an Australian and am under the impression that you can import one car once tax free

Thanks

Ed

[Hasbeen]

There can be a little import duty, & gst [tax] to pay. Import duty is now very low, & gst is 10%. How much you have to pay dependes on how long you have owned & used the car there, & is on some sort of sliding scale. It used to be free after 18 months, but could have changed. Most european stuff is MUCH more expensive here, & you should make money on the deal. We do have people who organise european delivery of new cars. An Ausy tourist
can pick up a new car, drive it for 3 months, & bring it home, &
save against the same car delivered here. Contact Australia house
in London for the latest info.

[robinoz]

Sadly you refer to a "personal" import. I did this myself and to cut a long one short you know how much shipping costs so expect to pay another 25% of the UK purchase/aussie value in tax. On a car this new there may even be no mods to do. My advice is bring it over although as my brother inlaw is a porsche salesman I know you can get a 2ndhand 996 for $90K. Also more than the UK!

[VYT]

ed22 said:

Hi all Looking to move to Oz next year. Would love some advice about whether to sell it in the UK or import to Oz my Porker. - I've seen on the Internet that a 2001 Boxster S is worth approx 70-80$k. This would seem to be a better return than the 20k sterling I'd get here in the UK It'd cost about 1k to export. Are there any tax implications? I'm married to an Australian and am under the impression that you can import one car once tax free Thanks Ed

If the car is valued at $80k in Australia then you will pay ~$20k in import duty, Import tax, GST and Luxury Car Tax. I reckon I paid $17k in total to get mt T350T into Australia and I count myself lucky at that. The car then has to be assessed against Aussie design rules which will likely be OK and you will need to get a personal import plate. Some say Personal imports do not make as much money when they are sold. I can't comment on that.

Cheers

Bob

[s4simon]

I'd say you'd be looking at $3k shipping + $16-20k import duties / taxes / LCT.

I'm just about to ship my car to Oz under the personal import scheme and I reckon I'll be up for $12-15k once it hits the ports in Oz. That's on a car that cost 17k UK pounds.

[seandudding]

I am looking at taking my GT3RS to Oz, and have decided that it's just to damn expensive to do. I am looking at $3k to ship, $20k GST plus approx $50k LCT. It's the LCT that stops me doing, it's bad you pay all the taxes here, then have to pay again in Oz.

Like the original poster I am married to an Australian.

[flyingjase]

I'm married to an Australian and was planning to export my Tuscan over there next year

I've heard a rumour (yet to be verified) that if you are an Australian citizen and have had the car for more than 12 months you avoid the bulk of the tax. ie. Put it in your wife's name

[seandudding]

flyingjase

Do you know where I can get this confirmed???

Cheers Sean

[s4simon]

flingjase said:

I've heard a rumour (yet to be verified) that if you are an Australian citizen and have had the car for more than 12 months you avoid the bulk of the tax.

Sorry to put a downer on you all, but this ain't the case. There are no loop holes in the Oz Import tax system. Anyone importing a car into Oz has to pay duties/taxes/LCT etc...

Owning a car for more than twelve months just makes it easier to get your import approval. I'm puttin my car on a slow boat to Oz in the next couple of weeks (from the UK).

[Stv]

Simon. Please let us know how you get on. There's a GTO3R here waiting to go to SA. Tnx.

[S4simon]

Brief overview of what's happened so far.

Australian resident been working in the UK for 9 years.

Owned the car (1994 model) for 3 years. New cost £50,000. Bought for £17,000.

Import approval from Oz government cost £18 and took 9 days to approve.

Shipping cost £1300 (UK to Oz) + handling and clearance at Oz end £350.

Estimated customs / sales tax / LCT / etc... another £5000. This price depends on how they value the car.

Hoping to get the car away in the next week or so.

[seandudding]

Simon

Thanks, I thought it was a little suspect, as I have spoken to several people about it...

Cheers Sean

[s4simon]

Dropped the car off at the shipping guys today in London.

It's on its way to Adelaide.

Cost: £2050 which includes shipping / customs and handling both ends / marine insurance.

Still to pay: Oz Import duties / Sales tax / LCT / GST

[Stv]

Simon. Got my residents visa confirmed this week. So should be joining you towards the end of this year. With 3R in tow hopefully.

[Steve-B]

I'm awaiting our DOTARS approval for our 2002 Caterham SV so we're one of the next to come in. I have had the valuation done here in the UK, and have owned the car since the factory made it. It appears that there are only 2 other SV's in OZ, so we're to be the 3rd. The tax implications look like £ 2K given a valuation of $ 15K all said and done. We have decided to put the car in the container with our goods, as 2X 20 ft containers vs. 1 40 ft container made the costs more sensical.

DOTARS has had our forms since last Thursday, our loading is 4.4 so we have a small window here, hopefully it will be OK

We should arrange some kind of UK PH'ers meeting in NSW later this year -- there's a number of Elises, etc all ex-UK there I know.

[Stv]

Steve. Let us know how you get on with the approval. I'm kinda in the same boat as you with respect to not many of our cars in Oz. I cant apply for approval till September - re the 12 month ownership rule - and plan to move in November so it will be tight. Hope everything goes OK for you !

[Psimpson7]

I am looking at taking my Land Rover Defender 90 out when I move out with my Australian Girlfreind next year. Presumably I wont have to worry about the LCT. I have had teh car way over a year too.

cheers
Pete

[Steve-B]

got in my hot hands my DOTARS approval Stv now. the next set of fun will be getting the various regos done, as well as insurance. Shannons is one of the leading companies here i am reliably informed that understands overseas sportscars, so they're to get a call from me early next week.

when you get your DOTARS approval, you get 4 forms. one by one you'll be giving them out at various stages before you are road legal (you do have 3 months to get this all done and can drive in that period under international treaty however).

i spoke yeterday to my shipping -receiving agent here in Sydney -- she said that an independent inspector/evaluator will be viewing my car when the container is "freed" from the ship/customs. she said that if i could provide all the supporting paperwork (UK valuation, V-5, original factory invoice, copies of my yearly payment slips) that it would go a L-O-N-G way to making the inspection value around what the UK valued it at.

so over to them for the next round, in about 4 weeks. ship with our container is scheduled to arrive Singapore sometime today, be transfered to a.n.other ship, and depart there around 29.4.......

Stv said:

Steve. Let us know how you get on with the approval. I'm kinda in the same boat as you with respect to not many of our cars in Oz. I cant apply for approval till September - re the 12 month ownership rule - and plan to move in November so it will be tight. Hope everything goes OK for you !

[Stv]

Steve,thats great news one less hurdle to get over. I must admit that the insurance aspect was worrying me a bit in that - I would'nt get any. But I've since found out there are Noble Dealers in Sydney, in Rushcutters Bay and Surry Hills. Theres also a dealer in Richmond,Victoria. So got a good chance of getting it insured. It would be a pi55er to get the car into Oz and not get it on the road. Also I guess that what your saying is the more proof of ownership you produce the better chance you have of getting a good result.

I can sense an anxiety trip taking place as the ship pulls into Sydney. Think I can see the Dockers in Singapore right now tearing round the container stacks practicing their handbrake turns.

[Steve-B]

flyingjase said:

I'm married to an Australian and was planning to export my Tuscan over there next year I've heard a rumour (yet to be verified) that if you are an Australian citizen and have had the car for more than 12 months you avoid the bulk of the tax. ie. Put it in your wife's name

It's time for the Aerosmith song -- DREAM ON. you will pay GST like everyone else i'm saddened to say. your only recourse is to do what i am right now -- get a UK valuation before sending your forms to DOTARS, and provide more documentation than you can imagine. I even provided copies of my payment schedule for my Caterham SV-VHPD -- waiting to see in the next 3 weeks what the GST bill from Oz valuation will be.