Wanting to import car, but haven't lived in the country

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  ZloyKrys on 01/02/2017 - 16:11

  It has to be in the SEVS list otherwise the only option when either yourself or your mate lives in the UK and OWNS this car for 12+ month prior to import.

  If you are after a track car, have a CAMS license and don't have plans to get it registered, then pretty much anything can be imported.

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    ycon on 01/02/2017 - 16:46

    Me OR my mate? This "mate" would need to be Australian too?

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      ZloyKrys on 01/02/2017 - 18:03

      Either Australian or PR bringing up HIS/HER car to Australia after 12+ months ownership in the UK

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  [Deactivated] on 01/02/2017 - 16:36

  You/your vehicle presumably fit the Letter of Compliance category. If not, be prepared for BIG costs in getting it made compliant and certified for use in Australia.

  I'm far from knowledgeable on the topic but anecdotally (from the little I've read and heard) by the time you jump through the hoops, pay the transport costs, foreign exchange fees, import duties/taxes/GST etc your saving will be more than gone. There will be some exceptions for rare cars I expect (ie their value here may be higher than the final imported cost).

  There are no doubt be websites devoted to importing of "special" vehicles so try google and be prepared to do a lot of reading. From memory even relatively new second hand vehicles from Japan (which are relatively dirt cheap) are generally not economical for an individual to import.

  Here's just one company who will help with the technical side - and they have a quick quote to give you an idea of the economics involved. http://www.dazmac.com.au/cars-caravan-motorhomes-shipping-fr…

  I'd be looking on google for comments from people who have done exactly what you want on car enthusiast websites. Good luck, but don't have high expectation as to large savings.

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    ycon on 01/02/2017 - 16:49

    Yep I've googled lots. I'm still a little confused about it all though.

    I'm saving around ~$20k (rather than buying in AU). I'm estimating around $7k to ship it plus the duties, so the saving would still be $13k.

    I'd say it would fit the letter of compliance, as it's a car that's sold here (a Merc AMG).

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      [Deactivated] on 01/02/2017 - 17:14

      Did you allow for the 33% LCT and cost of getting it vetted over there before purchase?

      The car may or may not fit ADRs, some of which are lower than OS standards but still cause administrative problems apparently. Hence the need for a letter of compliance from an approved body/person - which y ou'd expect would be pretty straightforward for a recent unmodified Merc.

      You don't qualify for personal import so forget trying to pull a swifty there but I see the Merc G55 AMG is on the specialist/enthusiast list so you're in luck if that's your model.

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      ZloyKrys on 01/02/2017 - 18:04

      Don't waste your time, if it's not a SEVS car or you are not in the UK with the car for more than 12 months already then there's no legal way to bring it here.

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        [Deactivated] on 02/02/2017 - 19:36

        Is the govt website wrong then?

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        ZloyKrys on 03/02/2017 - 14:55

        @Possumbly:

        The site is correct, but your understanding of it is different from what it says.

        The Letter of Compliance Option is a way to import a car that was manufactured to ADRs from the factory. Obviously, no vendor in Australia will produce such a letter except, perhaps, for a Holden that is coming from New Zealand.

        I though it's fairly obvious that EU-delivered cars will not have ADR compliance.

        For the cars that are allowed to be brought in and complied to ADR standards by RAWS workshop, there is the SEVS option. You can't take a random car, comply it to ADRs and get official reps in Australia to issue you a letter of compliance.

        Despite some naive hopes, even if the same car model has been sold here, it's in vendor's interest to issue the letter of compliance. they are not obliged to do this, never do it and never will. This supposed to be changed in 2018 when cars that comply to EU or Jap regulations will be considered compliant to ADRs.

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        [Deactivated] on 03/02/2017 - 15:11

        @ZloyKrys: Your last par is the key I guess. If it was a simple process there would be many more people doing it.

        Just found this which might put the cat among the pigeons at the pointier end of the market.
        http://www.businessinsider.com.au/cars-are-about-to-get-a-wh…

        Woops, Mumbles below beat me to it.

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  Mumbles on 03/02/2017 - 05:51

  In 2018 the Motor Vehicle Standards Act will allow new cars to be imported. Perhaps saving up for a year to buy a new car might be a simpler option.
  http://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/pf/releases/2016/Febru…