So I was listening to the radio, and an interesting topic came up (2GB if you're wondering).
Do you think by allowing cars to be imported, it will benefit Australia?
I personally think that yes, it will drive the overall prices down and that it will create a much more competitive and affordable market for everyone. It's worked quite well for New Zealand, so why not the same for Australia? I would love to buy myself a car that's unavailable here in Australia, but exclusive to Japan.
What are your thoughts?
Do you think allowing vehicles to be imported would be viable in Australia?
donedeed on 22/09/2014 - 20:43
Last edited 22/09/2014 - 20:47
Last edited 22/09/2014 - 20:47
Comments
Australia doesn't manufacture cars as of the end of next year. They have all closed except for Toyata in Melbourne(?) and that winds up at the end of next financial year or so? This is what I have been told, and if its true, it wouldn't impact local manufactures as there are none left.
By 2017/18, there will be no car manufacturer left in Australia.
I understand this, it was more a case of if the market is flooded with imports easily then the needs to have the likes of the commodore and falcon would go down and they would stop production
The problem is not with overseas cheap cars, its about Australia's high minimum wage. For this very reason the manufacturing sector is becoming non-existent in every year [The manufacturing industry in Australia has declined from 30% of GDP in the 1960s to 12% of GDP in 2007].
@bargainaus:
Any evidence? German minimum wages are similar (approx $12/hr compared to Australia's $16), and they have a vibrant manufacturing base.
But, of course, I would be surprised if either country had many auto manufacturing employees on minimum wages.
Perhaps you mean Australian manufacturers were constructing cars that did not offer enough value to support the workforce's wages?
I would suggest that points to a complex set of problems in the industry, not just "the minimum wage is too high".You cant compare Germany with Australia, have you seen how efficient they are? Not to mention the relentless build quality. And a 25% difference is nothing to sneeze at, if you told a business they could save 25% on wages they would jump at it.
Minimum wage here is an indicator to compare the salary of manufacturing workforce. The benefits received by an Australian auto worker is far higher than same position in anywhere in the world.
That is why there is no textile or any type of industry which requires large workforce. Just paying salary to workforce would render the business obsolete here.
BTW, I do not think Australian manufacturers failed to keep up the quality on par to the wage, at least not Toyota. Its just that you can import cars for cheap than to have manufactured it here.
So do you really believe that a 25% cut in salary would resolve Toyota/Holden/Ford's problems? That would make them equal to the Germans (although I think you might find the German auto workers are earning more than you think).
Or is it the case that the wages they need to compete against are those in Thailand, Malaysia and Korea?
I suspect the latter, although the very high AUD certainly doesn't help local manufacturing and is one of the main reasons our wages look high.
Economics says we will all be best off if we do what we have a competitive advantage at.
For Australia, that probably demands things that are not easily trade exposed, so mining is a good one - the resources are where they are. Many personal services too, are difficult to deliver from low wage nations.The red tape (and especially green tape) of regulations we have also gives a competitive advantage for quality and safety, for example our produce.
Just dropping wages leads to a race to the bottom, that Australia will never be able to win. We need better suggestions to be competitive.
Australia has high minimum wages to avoid class conflict, to ensure every citizen enjoys a fair level of living standard. This is my understanding on this issue as being an International student, correct me if I'm wrong as I have been before ;). While this is paying off in having a balanced society (In USA the top 1% of the population owns the majority of the wealth), it has some ill-effects like the decline in manufacturing industry.
On a bright side, Australian govt is investing heavily on 3D printing tech as they've realized by now that Australia can not offer traditional mass workforce based manufacturing facility, rather the Aussie govt is trying to create a service based, no hassle 3D printing industry/environment which will require minimum workmanship. The govt spending is happening primarily on metal powder research.
@bargainaus:
I disagree. Our wage growth has been low of late. We don't earn too much. Rather its that multinationals can now build easily in countries where labour cost is very low. Plus our high Aussie dollar and government red tape have more impact than wages.
Lets not have a race to the bottom in terms of wages and conditions.I think the key point here is not about Australian wage growth, rather the wage difference with other countries.
An American new to Oz will be shocked to find out the high salary here, then again he will be shocked to find out the even higher living costs. Australians definitely earn more but they have to spend more too. That is why it seems like the wage is actually not too high. At the end of the day purchasing power becomes the factor, and leaves Australia in the same line with other developed countries. But the wage here is still high, and the high AUD just making it worse.
@bargainaus: The Germans are phenomenal the way their manufacturing industry sponsor further education and training for their employees. High wages; not a problem.
Just dropping wages leads to a race to the bottom, that Australia will never be able to win. We need better suggestions to be competitive.
Agreed, just that the "Minimum Wage" itself is a concept mostly disliked by Economists.
All it does is keeps the Unskilled out of whatever jobs they could get or pass by, raising unemployment and sending more low value jobs overseas.
Unions too I would think.
From what I have heard, Australian airlines are struggling to remain competitive as well.
@dexx: I agree. i work for the QLD goverment. last year premier Newman "approved" a 2.2% wage increase. this is less than the CPI. and this was after nearly 2 years of negotiations with the union. Newman basically said "this is all you're getting"
meanwhile Newman arranges to have himself, and cronies, a 22% payrise
if the German government left the auto industry stand on its own it would be gone in no time.
Your dot point list was last valid in early 2013. Since then Ford, Holden, and Toyota have announced all local car manufacturing will cease after 2016. And it will never return.
"Knowing very little about the topic…"
Beware any post beginning with these words. And really, you have to question the wisdom of upping a lengthy post on a topic that you admit to knowing "very little" about. Much of the above is either wrong, or has been irrelevant ever since Toyota announced that they were "outa' here like last year"; which will leave us with zero cars manufactured here in Oz-land. I.e., ALL cars will be imported, within a few years. So in a way it's a bit of a mute point.
That said, the OP seems to have some erroneous idea that we're not allowed to import cars into the country, off our own bat. This is simply completely false. We are, and always have been.
Knew some people that bought their cars (from Japan or Japanse car import biz) at good discount due to Japan's scheme of taxing/penalising old cars, and by 'old' it was probably 5 years. So they'd get exported and people around the world snap them up.
Interesting way to get a car for a good price. Just make sure it it a common make and perhaps even model, like Toyota Camry so you can get parts etc.
Boy racer type cars are popular, Subaru WRX used to be imported heaps before, now it's Lancers and the like.
when I lived in Japan I bought a 5 year old celica with 80,000kms on the clock for AUS$4000.
used cars in Japan are cheap. you can pick them up at auction for little.
Nice! Yeah they just churn them out and they snap them up. Maybe it's like hipsters and their iPhones, they upgrade every year or two. But I also think it's some pollution reduction thingy. Congestion and smog in cities.
Each year the cars, usually, get more fuel efficient so that would factor in also.
nuh, it's the "skaaken"/roadworthies every 3years - then every 2 years, they cost a fortune so it is sometimes cheaper to buy a new car.
most cars have very low Kms. i remember walking through a car scrap yard and seeing 5 year old nissan micras with less than 35,000 ks on the clock.
Just make sure it it a common make and perhaps even model, like Toyota Camry so you can get parts etc.
You can't import a car that's already sold domestically.
Under current rules no, but the point of the discussion is relaxing of laws due to manufactures packing their bags.
What about the 50+ makes already selling cars? How would they feel if you could import their cars for cheaper? It's not just about protecting local manufacturers (no longer relevant), the distributors for the already imported models wouldn't want to see a scheme like this ever take off.
@gokhanh: Yes. Lets put the needs of business ahead the needs of the 23 Million people of Australia.
I'm not against this scheme, but cars at affordable prices are not a "need" as far as businesses are concerned. Why would the government introduce a scheme that would see a drop in revenue?
you can import if you had been using the car for at least 12 months for personnal use.
Hmm interesting. Some of the people I know got some models that had highly replaceable parts. Maybe they are fairly interchangable, belts, brake pads, filters etc.
OK I meant a common enough car like how a Camry is here, so that when you travel you can just pull up to just about any mechanics shop and get it fixed, rather than some rarer model where no one else in Australia really drives it and thus have to wait 2 weeks for part to arrive.
I don't understand your post, because as adam implies, there's nothing stopping anyone from importing cars into Australia/ ti happens all the time. It's always been allowed, provided the car is "street legal".
In the 80's you could easily import Japanese cars for a song. Then the government overhauled import taxes making it not worthwhile. However some enterprising people still import half-cut cars from Japan and build a whole here.
I thought you can already import cars into Australia? I have had a few friends import cars from agents who buy them at actions in Japan. If you're interested, I can ask them for the websites they used and for more information :)
You certainly can import cars into Australia under certain conditions. Just off the top of my head:
- They aren't/have never been sold through a dealership here (e.g. can't import an Evo X, but can import an Evo VII/VIII) OR
- You've lived overseas and owned and used the vehicle for 12 months before coming to Australia
Probably several other scenarios which I don't know about.
And of course they must comply with our safety rules and regulations - they'll be formally inspected by some government entity.
you need to have paid insurance for the car as well for the full/minimum 12months.
I could have brought back my celica but would have had to have paid import duty (calculated on the value of the same model in Aus via red book) as even though I had owned the car for nearly 4 years, i had only had insurance for 9 months on it (received a company car and the celica sat in my drive way unused)
DFAT list all the stipulations for importing a car.
e.g. aircon gas has to be a certain type.
Yes, I'm aware of that. But as jzdhgkd has answered already, there are many rules and regulations around it. So we're very limited to what we can import. That being said, the process is extremely complicated and tedious.
No it's not. You just pay the duties/taxes, import it, get it inspected, then register it.
HAHAHAHA. No. You don't "just" pay the duties/taxes, import it, get it inspected and then register it.
The whole process it far more convoluted than that, I'll tell you now.
First, Japanese cars often do not have the correct child restraints required for Australia.
They need to be retrofitted, ad if you have a wagon this is usually a big bar running across the cargo area.Second, fuel filler needs to have a restriction flap thing added to it.
Third, better hope to god that the car doesn't have Xenon/HID lights without auto-leveling. Good luck trying to retrofit that. Better get real friendly with the engineer, real quick like.
Some cars even need to have side intrusion bars retrofitted to them. Who knew that you can retrofit a side intrusion bar?
There are dozen upon dozens of little traps that you'll fall into when importing a car into Australia, its stupid.
Yes, please. Would like to see the links.
Also can you ask them a brief rundown on the process? Was it worth it for them, or just cause they wanted unique cars?
Safety shouldn't be an issue as they would be subject to local compliance and Japanese safety standards are at least as good as ours.
The biggest hurdle I see is that it would absolutely wipe out the local 2nd hand market. All the car dealers would find their stock is worth a fraction of what they paid for it - who would buy a local 2nd hand car when they could buy an import for a fraction of the price? So car dealers would likely be dead against it.
Given the death of local car manufacturing I don't see it being a massive issue for them.
Many/most would be brands we are familiar with - apparently Australia already has an extremely diverse car market. I would anticipate most imports would be from Japan (given the RHD, proximity, familiarity and local enforced age turn-over) and would be familiar makes (maybe not models) servicing and insurance shouldn't be too problematic.
I actually think its a good idea and have always felt we were getting screwed on pricing. So long as transport and local compliance costs are not too excessive there's potential there.In addition to the points above:
It also increases the number of dodgy cars with questionable roadworthiness, as seems to be the case in NZ.
But please, if you are going to listen to 2GB, take everyhing they say with a truckload of salt. Ray Hadley and Alan Jones have both been called out for spreading misleading, ill-informed or unverified information on a multitude of occasions. I'm not referring to this topic specifically, just in general.
EDIT: spelling
Yep, just watch Media Watch for 12 minutes every Monday night. Alan Jones is a repeat offender, it's an embarrassing disgrace.
I love cars but would be against a model that makes us like NZ. Some of the completely stuffed Jap imports they happily drive around should be put in the crusher.
I respectfully disagree. Jap imports are generally just as safe as local vehicles and will be good for those who can't afford a new car here in Oz. The 'dodgy' imports you're talking about are ridiculously rare.
Source: I drove a Jap import in NZ for over 10 years, drove it to almost 300,000 km on the clock. It was a very safe, reliable car from day 1 and the only 'major' issue it ever had was a temperature sensor, which I replaced for $80!
I don't see why it has to be secondhand cars available for import only. If the rules did change I would have a new Toyota Crown Athlete Hybrid on the way asap, followed shortly by a Vellfire or El Grand. I think these cars don't make sense (volume wise) in the Australian market and is probably why they aren't available here.
There is data floating around (that I cant find again) that the average age of a car on Australian roads is 10 years whilst in New Zealand its closer to 5 years. Think of all the safety and fuel efficiency improvements that have happened over the last 5 years and I think anything that allows the country to reduce the age of its cars is a great thing.
Unfortunately, I fully expect the loud and highly monetised industry spokespeople to pervert the political system and ensure than the population remains worse off.
I currently own a imported car from Japan, I did most of the importing myself and it was great fun choosing a car from a Japanese car yard and then buying a car only based on pictures and a inspection. Majority of the cars from there are in very good condition.
My next car will be the Toyota Crown Hybrid or the Mark X (poo's all over the Aurion).
Japanese cars are far superior to anything we can build here!
Not too sure about the average age of a car AUS vs NZ statistics.
http://www.ehinz.ac.nz/assets/Factsheets/2012-data2013-relea…
NZ cars generally are used for 3 more years.This is probably related to less discretionary income due to lower salaries (as the manufacturing went out of NZ)
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_resul…
Average Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) AUD 4,392.07 A$ NZD 2,966.39 A$And even with market deregulation, prices (same website link) remain relatively static (as there's always someone who wants a cut).
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) AUD 27,490.00 A$ NZD 28,863.44 A$
I'd like to buy, use and import a motorhome from the UK or Ireland, right hand drive. There is a much wider range there at better value than available here. The EU has very stringent regulations. Modifications required here should be as minimal as changing power points and gas, which to be fully certified here should come to well under a grand.
But the reality is that compliance, import rules, etc make this very difficult. There is a local authorised importer here of just one or two makes but his mark-up is unacceptable. So here we are forced to buy from a limited and very expensive range of availability. Used prices here are very high, showing demand exceeds supply and showing that this market needs to be opened up.AUS DID ALLOW VIRTUALLY ANY CARS, not already sold, TO IMPORTED 10 OR SO YEARS AGO!!
Are you guys totally unaware? OMG
Everyone who had their eyes open had a Soarer, Silvia, Skyline, FTO, Q45, Sera, Supra, Hilux Surf…etc… I had the GTO! (That is a 4WD + 4WS Turbo-charged monster…) yee har!!
Then the socialists changed the law to only 1988 and older…
Like the blind leading the blind in these forums. Yes they were true bargains! And in far better condition than any local car and arguably safer because they are the more luxury models.
If you still want one, there is still a few back-door loopholes to get them… even the older models are still great cars now.
AUS DID ALLOW VIRTUALLY ANY CARS, not already sold, TO IMPORTED 10 OR SO YEARS AGO!!
Then the socialists changed the law to only 1988 and older…Would that be the socialist government of comrade John (Lefty) Howard between 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007 ?
OMG Like I was totally unaware, how could I be so blind !!!
lol… both parties in Oz are socialists these days. Both love bringing out the ban stick and nannying you from cradle to grave.
Both love bringing out the ban stick and nannying you from cradle to grave.
socialists != fascists
fascists!= bully boys
I think that had more to do with having young guys buying a hot skyline / silvia / etc cheaply and wrapping it (and a car load of their friends) around a telegraph pole while demonstrating their sic drifting skillz… Conveniently the rule changed to 1988 when the old 15 year rule was about to let in sub 10k 1989 R32 gtr's
yes, i heard similar things. I heard it was mainly because of the 80series Landcrusier was just about to be eligible.
Imagine people paying a third of the price for a better spec'ed model which is, of course, is so prolific here, and Toyota Australia had been so successfully milking for years. - DEALERS COULD NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!!!
Hell yeah, $9,000 for a new car!
The curious thing I keep hearing about through the media is that imported used cars are 'unsafe'. Really? Do Japanese new cars sold in Japan lack air bags, crumple zones, seat belts, collapsible steering columns? Do the Japanese make lousy cars for their own folk while they export the best cars to Australia?
The only real problem I see with importing used cars is that manufacturers lose track of the vehicles so notifying customers of recalls is much more difficult. Recently I got a recall notice for my almost decade old Mitsubishi Lancer. That wouldn't happen if I bought it from a second hand dealer in Japan.
After 2017 there will be no Australian car industry to protect. The only protection given by government will be to restrict trade so that our 100% foreign owned multinational car brands can make more profit on new cars here.
It's my money, my choice. If I want to buy a 5 year old Japanese second hand import rather than a 10 year old local second hand car then I should be able to. The money saved will be spent in other areas of the Australian economy.
WOW, my imported car is from 1999 it has 4 airbags (2 front and 2 side), ABS, ESC, full house electrics, electronic headlights.
In actual fact the better Japanese cars are sent to car yards for sale, where the ok condition tend to be sold at auctions, which then are sold overseas.
There are many cars in Japan that haven't been imported to Australia yet, but they never make lousy cars for their own.
NO, do you test your airbags when you buy a car? It's a Japanese made car, I have more confidence in a car from Japan than anything made here.
Just spoke with the person whom complianced the car, the only way to test an airbag is by actually setting it off. So, I definitely wont be doing that.
However these cars have a diagnostics so it actually checks if the airbag is working and it's not it will let the driver know. Perils of technology.
lol you sound like you've had a few airbags tested on you
Yeah, It's not that I drive a Honda, Subaru or Merc because I am not a supporter of local jobs. It's because most of us want to drive more popular and reliable car since we are putting a commitment near a home loan deposit.
If the government is going to keep restricting trade, then the market research is a bit skewed and biased. Let the Australians buy the cars they want and maybe we can learn something from it, rather than telling what we want.
If we were to focus in the Australian economy there are many other aspects to look at. But Holden and Ford are a joke, It's basically the overpriced Proton of Australia.Yup. My friend has a new Ford… keeps breaking down. lol.
There is a reason why they are closing down. There is always a reason why people don't buy their cars.in 1975 my parents bought a ford cortina. they sold in 1986 as it caught fire whilst we returning to melbourne. they then bought a ford fairmont XF. they gave it away in 1992 as it was crap and was forever breaking down. dad poured so much money in to th at piece of shit. my dad wrote numerous complaints to Ford and with no resolve. they then bought an ex-lease 2 year old magna off my uncle (his business vehicle) for $8000 with 35,000ks on the clock. they had that for 10 years without an ounce of trouble. they traded it in in 2002 with 350,000+ kms on the clock. they bought another Magna (new this time) and still have it as their spare car -not a single problem with it and over 300,000ks
ford = 2 shit cars
mitsubishi = 2 cars and 20 years with not a single problem
Yes, because car dealers are scum. The only thing worse than a used car dealer is a new car dealer.
Bought a new car last year, worst purchase experience ever. The car is great, the dealer was horrendous and added zero to the transaction.
The only issue would be making sure warranty and consumer laws can still be relied on. The car manufacturers need to piss off the dealers and allow consumers to buy direct.
The only thing worse than a used car dealer is a new car dealer.
wrong, a personal injury lawyer is worse than a used car dealer.
Seriously would collapse the 2nd hand car market, why would anyone buy a bomb when you can get a 10 year old BMW that has had yearly safe for road tests and in decent mechanical condition for 5k shipped from UK?
get a 10 year old BMW
every tried servicing a 10 yr old any European car, You'd have to import 2 at once so you could raid the other for parts everytime you needed something.
Japanese cars instead (Toyotas and Hondas) are one of the most cheapest for service and parts.
better make sure you can afford the maintenance or know how to work on them yourself. the cost of the car goes beyond just the purchase price.
10 year old euro cars are packing a lot of electronics. have fun with the bill shock when one of those develops gremlins.
Can't wait until current, ridiculous laws are removed. I doubt safety laws here are more stringent than in Europe / Japan – after all, all safety standards are invented, designed and implemented over there, we’re just end users. Also, under current law the taxation is based not on the purchase price – but local price of the car. What a scam. To allow import of 2nd hands car would also impact prices of new cars – that are just insane, certain models cost 2x what you pay for in Europe. I can understand that policy 5-7 years ago when AUD was much weaker, but unfortunately stronger dollar didn’t translate into lower prices – leaving more in the pockets of local dealers.
Copied from Prestige Motorsports Facebook page:
Have you had your say yet on changing Australia's Import Regulations ? 20th October is the deadline for submissions. Remember, this may be the only chance you have for the next 20 years so it's worth spending the time to put something together. The Govt. is actually asking for your ideas on how they can change the regulations to best effect.
You can send submissions to [email protected]
Saying that everyone should drive cheap sports cars is counter-productive !
Make your views count — if you want to be taken seriously, set out your reasons for change and explain their benefits based on safety, emissions, cost and social factors.
Not happy with the proposed 5 year rule ? Tell them why you think it should be 6 or 7 years based on international standards. Tell them why SEVS should remain and in what form to retain the specialist models we have now. Put forward a workable scheme for maintaining the quality of imports and simplifying the compliance and regulatory process.
Here are the download links you need:
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/mv_standards_act/f…
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/mv_standards_act/f…
I have only been back home from Japan on work for 2 years, brought myself a 2005 Nissan Cube 7 seater rider. only cost me approx $5000 aud. brought it back as a personal import as i love the hell out it of.
I now have a new mazda 3 work car but doesnt have that vibe a used import has lol. hard to explain must be the used japanese car smell
what are the rego costs (and other equivalent compulsory expenses) like there?
expensive. the shaaken/roadworthies are the reason Japanese get rid of their cars after 5 or so year. they can cost over $4000 every 2 years. (disclaimer : please note I am going off my experience from 10 years and a different exchange rate)
You can view a full list of cars that are eligible for import into Australia for road use under the SEVS import scheme here: http://rvcs-prodweb.dot.gov.au/sevs/sevsindex.htm
Asides from personal imports, you can also import and comply any car built in 1988 or earlier, or import cars which can never be complied or registered for race/rally use if you have the appropriate CAMS license.
When I visited New Zealand in 2004 I rented a Toyota Starlet that clearly was imported from Japan second hand. 60k km on the clock. It still had the original car yard sticker from Osaka and a red button near the gear shifter with Kanji on it. I swear, that thing was an utter death trap. It was built to Japanese standards and was… actually better than the Starlet my family owned in Australia. The Japanese second hand import had a driver's side air bag while the official Australian version didn't.
The whole argument that Japanese second hand imports are 'unsafe' is spurious. There was a time, over 15 years ago, when ADR required side intrusion bars and proper center rear seat belts. Japan didn't have that. But it's 2014 now and honestly, how many people looking for a decent mileage second hand car are going to import something 20 years old? Very few I imagine.
So I was listening to the radio, … (2GB if you're wondering).
Right wing Nut job, they'd cancel your OZB membership for listening to that channel.
So you think all ozbargainers are left wing do you? Ummm… have a good think about which side of the political fence is the one who promotes fiscal responsibility.
If your going to appear a nutter - at least try to be the nutter who understands the difference.
So you think all ozbargainers are left wing do you?
Not all , most are.
which side of the political fence is the one who promotes fiscal responsibility.
I'm on the side that promotes Fiscal Responsibility(Libs Ofcourse), unfortunately people see it differently when it comes to other people's money.
there's no reason why this wont work
current system protects dealers and overseas manufacturers who seek to maintain current high pricing of imported models
australia has 22 mil people
the EU over a billion
so why do we need special ADR and rules? we dont
we are a small proportion of the RHD market (ie, JP and UK are the biggest and we should take our lead from these)
+1 to all this, well said.
Half a billion in the EU… Just a touch short of your (very off) estimate.
But yeah, we should allow imports.
You can Import
Obtain a Vehicle Import Approval (VIA) from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (Infrastructure) prior to shipping your vehicle/s. Phone: 1800 815 272 (Australia only), or +61 2 6274 7444 (International callers), Fax +61 2 6274 6013, email [email protected]. Further information can be obtained by visiting the Importing Vehicles into Australia webpage at www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports
Pay customs duty, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and luxury car tax (LCT) where applicable and obtain clearance from Customs control the port of entry.
Obtain quarantine clearance from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Biosecurity after the road vehicle has arrived at the port of entry. For more information visit the DAFF Biosecurity website at www.daff.gov.au/aqis
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4371.aspAgain. It is not that simple, far from it.
when dealing with bureaucracy, nothing is as simple or as straightforward as you would expect.
Knowing very little about the topic, first thoughts is it would have some positive and negative affects.
Pros:
Cons:
My prediction is if they did legalize it, they would slap some serious taxes on all purchases, would require expensive tests and roadworthys to get registered, insurance would be a premium, repairs would be a premium and in summary only the deep pockets that must have a car will do it, not the general population.