Laws on importing cars

[BONDIE]

Just come back from NZ, and i tell you what - their cars over there are cheap as chips . I was looking at BMW Z4's, Nissan 350Z,and Jag's. There secondhand cars are about $20,000 cheaper than australia, and with low KM's (around 30,000km).

I went to a car yard that had nothing over $10,000 and the yard was full of subaru's, Bmw's, Altezza's, Sylines, all jap imports. Not new ones but only about 5-10 year old.

There young fellas get their licences at age 15, and they are all cruizin around in subaru,s and beemas. Its crazy.

The Nissan 350Z's around (20-30K) and Z4's around (low 30k).

Does anybody know how much mucking around i would have to do to get one into australia, taxes, australian complying.

I know we have stronger import rules, but how hard is complying these vehicles.

Because i remember seeing a 350Z on carsales pretty cheap, the guy only used it for the track racing as it was a import and he said it couldnt be registered in Australia. But I think he might have got it straight from Japan.

Oh yeah the secondhand Aurions and Ford's are pretty expensive over there and hold there value pretty good, only seen 1 aurion when i was over there. The people i spoke to, havent even heard of the aurions. It wasnt till i was in a shopping centre and there was a white sportivo was sitting there, my ol man was like whaaaa " what sort of car is that" I thought that was heaps funny. Meanwhile im droooling over evey second done up bemmma and Lexus cruizing past.

Anyways, anyone know anything about imports.

Edited February 1, 2009 by BONDIE

[SecaBoy]

i have family over there, so i go over at least once a year.. im actually going there in 2wks time...

and yes, i've thought about importing a car myself...

after all the research i did, it turns out that its really really not worth all the costs/hassle...

the only way you can import a newish car into australia that isnt on the RAWS/SEVS list, is if its a personal import... ie, the person over there has to own the car for a year and have it registered/insured and do a certain amount of kms in that year...

then you've got the shipping fees and taxes (which we get screwed royally in oz!)...

i only briefly looked into it... but from what information i gained from the authorities, it just wasnt worth it at all... :(

[JIN]

Hey mate.

First of all, I am from NZ.

And tell you what..

I guess you just should let it go because it's gonna cost at least same as buy one in australia or more if you import from NZ.

I was thinking about bring a car to OZ when I moved to Australia but I heard about taxes and complying the car on Australian road would cost nearly same as the car price..

Tried to bring a Toyota V6 Altezza which is nearly same as Lexus IS300 but just gave it up.

There's someone from NZ and he brought his altezza into Australia and he nearly spent same money to buy IS300 in australia.

To sum up, I do not recommend importing a car from NZ into Australia.

[BONDIE]

"Drink more beer, forget about the last one, get yourself another" Go the kiwi's.

Damn it!!!!!!!!

Oh well. Thanks for the info boys. I thought it would be to good to be true. Otherwise i supose every one would be doing it.

Maybey ill just have to wait till I win the lotto.

[AUR30N]

"Drink more beer, forget about the last one, get yourself another" Go the kiwi's.

Damn it!!!!!!!!

Oh well. Thanks for the info boys. I thought it would be to good to be true. Otherwise i supose every one would be doing it.

Maybey ill just have to wait till I win the lotto.

Bondie I looked into this a while back will have to dig up old info of my desktop on bussiness trip atm but here is sample of FAQ

When shipping RORO we recommend KIWI Car Carriers where possible - the main reason is that all cars carried with KIWI are covered by KIPS marine insurance automatically at no extra cost .. not a lot of people know that if a ship sinks with your car onboard, you can be held liable for part of the salvage costs unless you have "general average" insurance (which is also covered by KIPS)

Once your vehicle lands here.

When the vehicle lands in Australia we can make arrangements for all of the Customs clearance and Quarantine paperwork. You will be instructed how to make payment for the ocean freight, import duty and GST - again you are able to pay directly so you know there are no hidden costs.

If you choose container shipping, you may be invited to attend as the container is opened and your vehicle is unpacked - otherwise it will normally be transported directly to the RAWS workshop for compliance. The work necessary to meet ADR standards varies considerably for different makes & models, but all vehicles have fluids & filters replaced (oil, air & fuel) and almost certainly require new tyres to be fitted, then it must be passed by an approved engineer. Once the compliance work is all done and you have made payment for it, you can then take the car to arrange registration (we can help with this if necessary - please ask)

Now you enjoy your new car.

Your new car should be ready to register in around 10 to 12 weeks from the time of purchase. All prices given are only estimates and do not include on-road costs, but will normally include full ADR compliance - you will need to contact your local authority for registration prices (VicRoads, RTA, etc.) Prices could vary depending on the final auction sale price and current exchange rate.

Be the envy of your friends, drive your dream.

Vehicle import laws.

Australia has some of the most strict import laws prohibiting the import of most vehicles. The basic law states that a vehicle may only be imported if it has never been sold locally in full volume. This applies to vehicles that are essentially the same vehicle with different badging. (eg. Ford Laser & Mazda 323)

A vehicle is considered to be a different model if it varies substantially in design to a local car, as is the case with the Nissan 300ZX which was only ever available here in a 2+2 seater version, so we can import the Jap spec 2 seater cars. Different engine type or size does not classify a car as a different model. Once a vehicle is deemed to be a different model it must pass the S.E.V.S. criteria in order to be allowed for import.

Specialist & Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (S.E.V.S.)

All vehicles are now judged using the new S.E.V.S.ruling system. There is no easy way to explain this quickly but basically vehicles must meet 2 out of the following 4 criteria:

Be significantly different in appearance to vehicles sold new in Australia

Have unusual design features to anything sold new locally

Performance greater than 105kw/ton, or unusually good economy

Be featured in specialist publications (eg. High performance imports, Zoom, etc.)

They have a web site that keeps an updated list of all vehicle types that have been reviewed for import and approved or declined. Go to S.E.V.S.

What about cars not listed there?

Obviously not all cars would pass these criteria. Most of the popular ones would have been judged already, but if there is a vehicle that you think would be eligible for import that is not listed, let us know and we will lodge an application for you.

Import approval.

Just because the vehicle type has been approved for importing, it doesn't mean you can just buy one and ship it here. Any vehicle that comes into Australia needs to have an import permit issued by DOTARS in Canberra. Under the new laws, the import approval for SEVS cars must be lodged by the compliance workshop (RAWS), but as usual we will be here to help with this part of the process if necessary.

Personal Imports.

You can import any car as a personal import if you have owned and used it for at least 12 months overseas first. You still have to apply for an import approval for a personal import. You will need to provide registration and insurance paperwork to prove ownership history and use of the vehicle. We can provide assistance to help you every step of the way.

Importing 1988 and older cars.

Any vehicle built in 1988 or older is allowed for import into Australia without restriction, however as with any other vehicle you will need to get an import approval from DOTARS in Canberra. These older cars do not need to go through the normal SEVS compliance process, although you will need to do some basic modifications and get an engineers report proving that the car meets the relevant ADR's for the year of manufacture - the work necessary for this will vary between different cars and from state to state .. generally speaking you should allow around $800 to $1,300 for compliance work on most popular 1988 models

Azza73

[robie]

"Drink more beer, forget about the last one, get yourself another" Go the kiwi's.

Damn it!!!!!!!!

Oh well. Thanks for the info boys. I thought it would be to good to be true. Otherwise i supose every one would be doing it.

Maybey ill just have to wait till I win the lotto.

Bondie I looked into this a while back will have to dig up old info of my desktop on bussiness trip atm but here is sample of FAQ

When shipping RORO we recommend KIWI Car Carriers where possible - the main reason is that all cars carried with KIWI are covered by KIPS marine insurance automatically at no extra cost .. not a lot of people know that if a ship sinks with your car onboard, you can be held liable for part of the salvage costs unless you have "general average" insurance (which is also covered by KIPS)

Once your vehicle lands here.

When the vehicle lands in Australia we can make arrangements for all of the Customs clearance and Quarantine paperwork. You will be instructed how to make payment for the ocean freight, import duty and GST - again you are able to pay directly so you know there are no hidden costs.

If you choose container shipping, you may be invited to attend as the container is opened and your vehicle is unpacked - otherwise it will normally be transported directly to the RAWS workshop for compliance. The work necessary to meet ADR standards varies considerably for different makes & models, but all vehicles have fluids & filters replaced (oil, air & fuel) and almost certainly require new tyres to be fitted, then it must be passed by an approved engineer. Once the compliance work is all done and you have made payment for it, you can then take the car to arrange registration (we can help with this if necessary - please ask)

Now you enjoy your new car.

Your new car should be ready to register in around 10 to 12 weeks from the time of purchase. All prices given are only estimates and do not include on-road costs, but will normally include full ADR compliance - you will need to contact your local authority for registration prices (VicRoads, RTA, etc.) Prices could vary depending on the final auction sale price and current exchange rate.

Be the envy of your friends, drive your dream.

Vehicle import laws.

Australia has some of the most strict import laws prohibiting the import of most vehicles. The basic law states that a vehicle may only be imported if it has never been sold locally in full volume. This applies to vehicles that are essentially the same vehicle with different badging. (eg. Ford Laser & Mazda 323)

A vehicle is considered to be a different model if it varies substantially in design to a local car, as is the case with the Nissan 300ZX which was only ever available here in a 2+2 seater version, so we can import the Jap spec 2 seater cars. Different engine type or size does not classify a car as a different model. Once a vehicle is deemed to be a different model it must pass the S.E.V.S. criteria in order to be allowed for import.

Specialist & Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (S.E.V.S.)

All vehicles are now judged using the new S.E.V.S.ruling system. There is no easy way to explain this quickly but basically vehicles must meet 2 out of the following 4 criteria:

Be significantly different in appearance to vehicles sold new in Australia

Have unusual design features to anything sold new locally

Performance greater than 105kw/ton, or unusually good economy

Be featured in specialist publications (eg. High performance imports, Zoom, etc.)

They have a web site that keeps an updated list of all vehicle types that have been reviewed for import and approved or declined. Go to S.E.V.S.

What about cars not listed there?

Obviously not all cars would pass these criteria. Most of the popular ones would have been judged already, but if there is a vehicle that you think would be eligible for import that is not listed, let us know and we will lodge an application for you.

Import approval.

Just because the vehicle type has been approved for importing, it doesn't mean you can just buy one and ship it here. Any vehicle that comes into Australia needs to have an import permit issued by DOTARS in Canberra. Under the new laws, the import approval for SEVS cars must be lodged by the compliance workshop (RAWS), but as usual we will be here to help with this part of the process if necessary.

Personal Imports.

You can import any car as a personal import if you have owned and used it for at least 12 months overseas first. You still have to apply for an import approval for a personal import. You will need to provide registration and insurance paperwork to prove ownership history and use of the vehicle. We can provide assistance to help you every step of the way.

Importing 1988 and older cars.

Any vehicle built in 1988 or older is allowed for import into Australia without restriction, however as with any other vehicle you will need to get an import approval from DOTARS in Canberra. These older cars do not need to go through the normal SEVS compliance process, although you will need to do some basic modifications and get an engineers report proving that the car meets the relevant ADR's for the year of manufacture - the work necessary for this will vary between different cars and from state to state .. generally speaking you should allow around $800 to $1,300 for compliance work on most popular 1988 models

Azza73

so wat this means basically if i wanted to import a stock standard auris with a desiel engine in it id have no chance but if i could find a 2door that would be ok

[robie]

wow i just looked up euro toyota and such a car exists sr180 2.2 D4D 3door hatch 177hp/400nm

I WANT ONE!!!!!!!