Importing a car - nows it only 2007 onwards?!
Discussion
So after doing research on costs, licensing etc of importing a car from the UK to NZ I now hear that the oldest a vehicle can be is 2007 due the emissions requirements?
It apparently needs to be Eur 4 compliant? (but Porsche may have had them on their 06 vehicles?)
Can anyone confirm please?
I'm guessing people importing TVRs etc are doing it under the Special Interest Vehicle (SIV) allowance?
Many thanks,
BJ
It apparently needs to be Eur 4 compliant? (but Porsche may have had them on their 06 vehicles?)
Can anyone confirm please?
I'm guessing people importing TVRs etc are doing it under the Special Interest Vehicle (SIV) allowance?
Many thanks,
BJ
From NZTA web site.....
Entry certifiers check the vehicle's compliance with emissions standards as part of assessing a vehicle for registration for use on New Zealand roads.
You may not have to prove your vehicle complies with this requirement, if:
it is more than 20 years old
it is a 'special interest' vehicle
you're emigrating to New Zealand and seeking to bring a class MA, MB or MC vehicle with you.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/classes-standards/...
Entry certifiers check the vehicle's compliance with emissions standards as part of assessing a vehicle for registration for use on New Zealand roads.
You may not have to prove your vehicle complies with this requirement, if:
it is more than 20 years old
it is a 'special interest' vehicle
you're emigrating to New Zealand and seeking to bring a class MA, MB or MC vehicle with you.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicle/classes-standards/...
Some manufacturers made euro compliant cars from 2001 on (eg. VW Audi), some much later (BMW, Mercedes about 2005). Some lower volume models (inc high performance like Audi S8) were complied to euro 4 later.
Search some older posts and there are more details. There are UK gov tables that list them all.
Dan
Search some older posts and there are more details. There are UK gov tables that list them all.
Dan
Thanks (I think). That nzta table seems to imply that only USED cars produced after 1 Jan 2009 are eligible, and they have to be euro 3 compliant. But the 2nd table seems to suggest NEW cars before 3 Jan 2008 are eligible as long as the are euro 3 compliant. All very confusing.
I’m particularly interested in porsches and ferraris. I’ll have a look back at previous threads.
I’m particularly interested in porsches and ferraris. I’ll have a look back at previous threads.
Where are you looking? The emissions Rule is here:
http://nzta.thomsonreuters.co.nz/DLEG-NZL-LTSA-T.L...
It says that emissions standards for used petrol, LPG and CNG Light vehicles certified for entry into service on or after 1 January 2012 are:
ADR 79/02; Euro 4; Japan 05; or US 2004
And the UK data for emissions is here:
http://carfueldata.direct.gov.uk/
This data lists vehicles by year and emission, in lots of separate files but you can import them all into Excel. For example, as of 2003 the only Porsches that were Euro 4 were:
PORSCHE 911 911 GT3 RS M6 3600 Petrol
PORSCHE 911 911 GT3 M6 3600 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne Turbo A6 4511 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne S Tiptronic S A6 4511 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne M6 3189 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne Tiptronic S A6 3189 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne S M6 4511 Petrol
http://nzta.thomsonreuters.co.nz/DLEG-NZL-LTSA-T.L...
It says that emissions standards for used petrol, LPG and CNG Light vehicles certified for entry into service on or after 1 January 2012 are:
ADR 79/02; Euro 4; Japan 05; or US 2004
And the UK data for emissions is here:
http://carfueldata.direct.gov.uk/
This data lists vehicles by year and emission, in lots of separate files but you can import them all into Excel. For example, as of 2003 the only Porsches that were Euro 4 were:
PORSCHE 911 911 GT3 RS M6 3600 Petrol
PORSCHE 911 911 GT3 M6 3600 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne Turbo A6 4511 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne S Tiptronic S A6 4511 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne M6 3189 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne Tiptronic S A6 3189 Petrol
PORSCHE Cayenne Cayenne S M6 4511 Petrol
In the last two to three years I've brought in a 2006 Elise 111R (that was before regs changed - I'm not sure if that's Euro 4 compliant or not) and more recently an E46 M3 (had to be sure I got a late one - mine is late 2005 - to get a Euro 4 compliant one) and a 2009 911 S.
As long as they are Euro 4 and you have a certificate of compliance (which manufacturers are obliged to give to you, but may charge) then you should be fine. The other paperwork pain is ensuring you have proper proof that you own the car...
Ken at KW Historics did the certification here for all three of mine and may be worth getting in touch with.
As long as they are Euro 4 and you have a certificate of compliance (which manufacturers are obliged to give to you, but may charge) then you should be fine. The other paperwork pain is ensuring you have proper proof that you own the car...
Ken at KW Historics did the certification here for all three of mine and may be worth getting in touch with.
I imported 2 Audis from the UK in January - with manual gearbox. I was over there so got to choose them personally, have them inspected and ensure Euro 4 compliance. Lucky I did - I got all new coil packs due to a recall that I don't think is available in NZ.
I used a company called Autohub.co.nz, who collected the cars and delivered them to port, put them in the container and shipped them to Wellington. It took 8 weeks.
On arrival they deliver them to the nominated compliance centre. They are particular on rust, which most UK cars have varying amounts of due to salted roads in winter. Euro cars may be galvanised but the subframes may not so could have surface corrosion which may need treatment. So many cars are coming from the UK that the compliance shops are used to it and so the process isn't hard.
Brakes are another common fail - new discs and pads are common but not too expensive usually. I bought a set in the UK and of course didn't need them all.
You need the UK reg paper - the V5. I had them in my name as I changed ownership before exporting. There's a part to fill in to say that the car is being permanently exported. You can claim back any road tax left, which could be hundreds of dollars. I didn't get a statement of compliance - I assumed the Audi label stating Euro4 was enough but it isn't. I don't know if these are available easily in the UK, in NZ you pay $200-$300 for it.
Costs:
You pay about $3500-$4000 for shipping, maybe more if you use a specialist who takes extra measures to protect the car.
You pay gst on the car value and shipping.
Compliance costs from $500 plus extras (statement of compliance and repairs)
1st year's registration costs about $500.
I found it an easy process.
Dan
I used a company called Autohub.co.nz, who collected the cars and delivered them to port, put them in the container and shipped them to Wellington. It took 8 weeks.
On arrival they deliver them to the nominated compliance centre. They are particular on rust, which most UK cars have varying amounts of due to salted roads in winter. Euro cars may be galvanised but the subframes may not so could have surface corrosion which may need treatment. So many cars are coming from the UK that the compliance shops are used to it and so the process isn't hard.
Brakes are another common fail - new discs and pads are common but not too expensive usually. I bought a set in the UK and of course didn't need them all.
You need the UK reg paper - the V5. I had them in my name as I changed ownership before exporting. There's a part to fill in to say that the car is being permanently exported. You can claim back any road tax left, which could be hundreds of dollars. I didn't get a statement of compliance - I assumed the Audi label stating Euro4 was enough but it isn't. I don't know if these are available easily in the UK, in NZ you pay $200-$300 for it.
Costs:
You pay about $3500-$4000 for shipping, maybe more if you use a specialist who takes extra measures to protect the car.
You pay gst on the car value and shipping.
Compliance costs from $500 plus extras (statement of compliance and repairs)
1st year's registration costs about $500.
I found it an easy process.
Dan
Re. the V5 you need to have someone there, whether it be you or an agent, to do the V5 side I think.
One car I did was already mine, so the V5 was easy.
The next one I did in person but just got the dealer I bought off to send in tne 'export' part of the V5 themselves, meaning I was never on the V5. That actually was a little bit sticky to prove the ownership chain to the authorities here, so I probably wouldn't do that again.
Third one was done by a guy who found the car for in the UK (so bascially an agent) - he got the V5 sent off in my name to my in-laws address in the UK. They then sent it on to me, and I sent the export part back to DVLA in the UK. As it take at least six or seven weeks for the car to get here on a boat, those time delays posting stuff arent't an issue. You might have to be prepared for stuff getting lost in the post - photocopy or scan anything before putting it in the post. And don't send stuff to DVLA in the UK using the 'signed for' service as they don't have a street name on their address (it's just 'DVLA Swansea SA99 1AA' or something, and the NZ Post system can't seem to handle that - meaning the letter just disaappears. Best approach is to send it to a friend/relative in the UK and get them to forward it on...
One car I did was already mine, so the V5 was easy.
The next one I did in person but just got the dealer I bought off to send in tne 'export' part of the V5 themselves, meaning I was never on the V5. That actually was a little bit sticky to prove the ownership chain to the authorities here, so I probably wouldn't do that again.
Third one was done by a guy who found the car for in the UK (so bascially an agent) - he got the V5 sent off in my name to my in-laws address in the UK. They then sent it on to me, and I sent the export part back to DVLA in the UK. As it take at least six or seven weeks for the car to get here on a boat, those time delays posting stuff arent't an issue. You might have to be prepared for stuff getting lost in the post - photocopy or scan anything before putting it in the post. And don't send stuff to DVLA in the UK using the 'signed for' service as they don't have a street name on their address (it's just 'DVLA Swansea SA99 1AA' or something, and the NZ Post system can't seem to handle that - meaning the letter just disaappears. Best approach is to send it to a friend/relative in the UK and get them to forward it on...
Many thanks guys this is useful. So is it as easy as picking it up from the wharf and then taking it to an AA or VIN place to get the checks and registration done?
My plan is to buy a couple here and send them back and have my brother (or maybe this Ken chap) sort them for me in Auckland so theyre hopefully ready and waiting.
My plan is to buy a couple here and send them back and have my brother (or maybe this Ken chap) sort them for me in Auckland so theyre hopefully ready and waiting.
If mine was anything to go by, the shipping company can organise delivery to the compliance centre - they'll likely have quite a few cars on the boat, mostly owned by dealers, so they can do them all together. Mine were collected from my parents house and driven to the port, shipped to Wellington and delivered by transporter to the compliance shop. All I had to do was go to the compliance centre and drive them away.
Talk to some shipping companies to get a price and see what service they'll offer.
Dan
Talk to some shipping companies to get a price and see what service they'll offer.
Dan
I personally would use someone like Ken as he knows what the compliance inspectors look for (e.g. surface rust on suspension components) and can deal with it beforehand. And he'll probably only charge a couple of hours of his time unless there's lots of work to do. He's done everything from Teslas to Bentleys to Morris Minors, so I'm told. There's also a TVR place next door 
I got the shipping company to deliver to him and he then dealt with all the paperwork for compliance. All I had to do was pop in to his place with the assorted proofs of ownership, Certificate of Compliance etc, then go back again a few days later with him to the AA centre to sign for and pay for the registration - and then drive it home.
I got the shipping company to deliver to him and he then dealt with all the paperwork for compliance. All I had to do was pop in to his place with the assorted proofs of ownership, Certificate of Compliance etc, then go back again a few days later with him to the AA centre to sign for and pay for the registration - and then drive it home.
I just imported 2 diesel trucks from the UK, buyer be where if you use TG Commercials, the trucks arrived in New Zealand with a huge list of problems. Any way mechanically it has cost me thousands but everyone certainly wants their pound of flesh here in New Zealand. VINZ have been great but if you want a simple compliance cert that states they are euro 4 compliant it's $350ea through Autohub when its nothing more than a stroke of a keyboard even when both trucks were 2010. Other than this as Dan says it is an easy process but avoid getting anything with corrosion or it will be a long expensive process!
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