Shipping a 964 from UK to Australia
Discussion
Moving to Oz on a permanent basis in early 2007. My initial thoughts were to sell my P&J and pick up a new one when settled down under. However they seem to be as rare as hens teeth and quite pricey in Queensland. Hence the idea of shipping. Has anyone tried this or know about sea freighting cars? I'm assuming it can't be any more expensive than putting the dog through quarantine for 4 months!
One of the guys on Rennlist did just this last year - thread here:
[url]http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums[/url]
[url]http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums[/url]
Really interested in this as at some point I will be moving to Australia and taking me RS with me.....one slight problem is that I have been told that the Aussie RTA don't allow left hookers...is this correct ? Sincerely hope it isn't otherwise I'll have to go shopping for that RHD 993 GT2 I've always promised myself !
I was working down in Oz for a year in 2004 & wanted to import my Z8 for the year. It was so much hassle that I didn't bother in the end. But if your emigrating there, then it will definitely be worth it.
First of all I would say, don't take anything as red, there's ways around most things (apart from the tax that is usually payable). In my case the customs people wanted an indemnity of 100% of the cars value in case I left it in the country for longer than 12 months - about £50K at the time.
For the tax liability & all else, check the latest information on the Ozy Customs web site, the rules change frequently, so don't rely on the experiences of others.
My Z8 was a LHD & this was the final nail that prevented me from a temporary import, I was rejected at every insurance company In Oz that I contacted, in the end, I was referred to Lloyds in London. But again, check the latest rules. At the time, the Ozy road people didn't allow LHD cars, but there are ways around this, special exceptions & the like.
In general you'll face loads of 'show stoppers', but its Australia, for every 'show stopper' there's a work - around, just be prepared to spend loads of time sorting it all out & prepare yourself for a huge tax bill - although this would be reflected in its resale value in Oz.
Some handy web sites:
www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4781
there's also special rules for immigration etc, so check very carefully the latest rules.
www.rac.co.uk/web/knowhow/going_on_a_journey/driving_abroad/carnet_notes.pdf
this is more for temporary imports
When your there, be prepared for poor quality roads between major towns/city's, highway patrol police waiting in every hiding place along your route to relieve you of speeding fines with a small town attitude to match. For example, a drive from Sydney to Byron Bay will take about 12 hours at the local speed limits, dodging pot holes along the way. Go above 60MPH on the Freeways & there will be an irritating accent in a uniform waiting to be rude to you & relieving you of some local tax dollars.
My advice would be to leave your car here for a year & make sure you actually like living down there first. Believe me, its not everybody's cup of Tea...
First of all I would say, don't take anything as red, there's ways around most things (apart from the tax that is usually payable). In my case the customs people wanted an indemnity of 100% of the cars value in case I left it in the country for longer than 12 months - about £50K at the time.
For the tax liability & all else, check the latest information on the Ozy Customs web site, the rules change frequently, so don't rely on the experiences of others.
My Z8 was a LHD & this was the final nail that prevented me from a temporary import, I was rejected at every insurance company In Oz that I contacted, in the end, I was referred to Lloyds in London. But again, check the latest rules. At the time, the Ozy road people didn't allow LHD cars, but there are ways around this, special exceptions & the like.
In general you'll face loads of 'show stoppers', but its Australia, for every 'show stopper' there's a work - around, just be prepared to spend loads of time sorting it all out & prepare yourself for a huge tax bill - although this would be reflected in its resale value in Oz.
Some handy web sites:
www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4781
there's also special rules for immigration etc, so check very carefully the latest rules.
www.rac.co.uk/web/knowhow/going_on_a_journey/driving_abroad/carnet_notes.pdf
this is more for temporary imports
When your there, be prepared for poor quality roads between major towns/city's, highway patrol police waiting in every hiding place along your route to relieve you of speeding fines with a small town attitude to match. For example, a drive from Sydney to Byron Bay will take about 12 hours at the local speed limits, dodging pot holes along the way. Go above 60MPH on the Freeways & there will be an irritating accent in a uniform waiting to be rude to you & relieving you of some local tax dollars.
My advice would be to leave your car here for a year & make sure you actually like living down there first. Believe me, its not everybody's cup of Tea...
Further to the above. The Z8 couldn't be converted to RHD but there were exceptions in place that would allow me to get it into the country, the insurance was the sticking point. As a Porsche could be converted to RHD, then you would be stuck with getting it converted to RHD. You would need a statement from Porsche saying that your specific model could not be converted to RHD to get around this or have government contacts (Corruption is big down there). If you go for the conversion, then get it done before you go, customs will not release the vehicle until its done & you don't need any local bods touching it.
Also, as I recall, all car imports have there engines steam cleaned by customs just in case any English butterflies are trying to gain access to there precious little rock.. This has caused problems for others & so should be fully investigated.
Ive got a lot of notes from when I was down there trying to do this, if I can find any more useful snippets, ill be sure to post them.
Also, as I recall, all car imports have there engines steam cleaned by customs just in case any English butterflies are trying to gain access to there precious little rock.. This has caused problems for others & so should be fully investigated.
Ive got a lot of notes from when I was down there trying to do this, if I can find any more useful snippets, ill be sure to post them.
Wonderfull entertainment to read how uncouth all those poor colonial criminals are doing. I must remember to do some forlock tugging and bowing to the master race at some stage here.I certainly hope the advice was meant to be funny- it isn't,but that is not news.
The links in a post to Govt sites are usefull but need wider explanation. First issue is that you are able to take into Australia if you have owned for some time.Issue if you changed vehicle close(within 12 months??) prior to arrival could be an issue. Either way you need import approval( follow links to forms).
LHD-- you can import. Register as everyday driver -no,it is too new.What you are able to do is register for limited use eg Rally Reg-- which basically allows you to go to and from motorsport venue and to and from workshop. You need competition licence. Some of this is subject to change soon-- I hear 90 days use could be allowed.Situation varies from state to state.You could convert to RHD and reg as daily everywhere.
Hope that helps!
The key question is what/how you are intending to use the car.
The links in a post to Govt sites are usefull but need wider explanation. First issue is that you are able to take into Australia if you have owned for some time.Issue if you changed vehicle close(within 12 months??) prior to arrival could be an issue. Either way you need import approval( follow links to forms).
LHD-- you can import. Register as everyday driver -no,it is too new.What you are able to do is register for limited use eg Rally Reg-- which basically allows you to go to and from motorsport venue and to and from workshop. You need competition licence. Some of this is subject to change soon-- I hear 90 days use could be allowed.Situation varies from state to state.You could convert to RHD and reg as daily everywhere.
Hope that helps!
The key question is what/how you are intending to use the car.
Silver3 said:
Wonderfull entertainment to read how uncouth all those poor colonial criminals are doing. I must remember to do some forlock tugging and bowing to the master race at some stage here.I certainly hope the advice was meant to be funny- it isn't,but that is not news.
WTF?!!! This suggests there was some ozzy bashing going on in the thread, or that there was some massive misinformation, and there doesn't seem to be. Or did I miss something. The advice in this thread seemed particularly pleasant, good spirited and potentially useful.
The advice you gave in the rest of your post was very helpful and interesting, but the intro para seemed extremely odd.
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff