Car importing - timeline and costs updated for 2012
Discussion
As the other thread is 4 years old and a bit messy, I thought I would start a new one with fresh information.
This is my experience of importing a MY2011 Cayenne Diesel to Sydney.
How long
The delay between approval and ship departing is due to when the next ship with capacity was available.
How much
(The rates are Sept 2012. 1GBP=1.55AUD)
Note the above are inclusive figures. For example, 'transportation' includes a £280 low loader to the shipping agent and £500 insurance. Customs includes clearing the personal effects in the car.
Was it worth it financially?
.. so, yes.
Regarding the value (for taxation purposes), Australian customs gave it $57,500 (about £37k) which is in the area of what the importer advised to expect. I'm told this is 50% of what they think it would actually sell for, so the estimates there appear to be on the right lines.
My thoughts
I used an agent to manage each of the different stages (ie. 1 for transporting it, 1 for clearing it through customs and 1 for getting it registered for road use) and this made the process quite painless. It is possible to do this yourself and save some money, but by the time you've worked out how to do it yourself, you may as well set yourself up as an agent!
We looked at a container or a rollon/rolloff, but after finding 3 people who had experience of damaged cars we went for the peace of mind of a dedicated container.
I read a fair bit of information on the web about conformity before I came over that was incorrect. For example - draining the air conditioning or providing a signed statement that you're not an importer is incorrect. Changing the wing mirrors to flat ones / Changing both (analog and digital) speedos to kph / Removing most of the fuel from the tank... all incorrect. The agent advised me of all this (having done 5 of this model so far this year) and was right as it went through with no requirements.
Insuring it is cheaper than the UK (but we did live in London), and they will only value it (for a total loss) at $87,500 - so it will cover our costs, but won't allow us to buy another.
And that's about it... easy! We're able to sell it straight away if we wanted to but it's a fantastic car and we have no intention of doing so.
I can post a breakdown of costs & the agents used if anyone's interested.
Ben
This is my experience of importing a MY2011 Cayenne Diesel to Sydney.
How long
| Activity | Date | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Application for import submitted | 25th May | |
| Approval received | 21st June | 4 weeks |
| Ship departs London Thamesport | 12th July | |
| Ship arrives Sydney | 22nd August | 6 weeks |
| Car clears quarantine & customs | 30th August | 1 week |
| Car registration process complete | 5th September | 1 week |
| TOTAL | 12 weeks |
The delay between approval and ship departing is due to when the next ship with capacity was available.
How much
| Area | GBP | AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | £2,605 | $3,805 |
| Customs & Duty | £7,358 | $11,148 |
| Registration | £2,618 | $3,966 |
| TOTAL | £12,580 | $18,970 |
(The rates are Sept 2012. 1GBP=1.55AUD)
Note the above are inclusive figures. For example, 'transportation' includes a £280 low loader to the shipping agent and £500 insurance. Customs includes clearing the personal effects in the car.
Was it worth it financially?
| GBP | AUD | |
|---|---|---|
| Value in the UK | £40,000 | $59,200 |
| Value in Aus | £79,200 | $120,000 |
| Less moving cost | £12,580 | $18,970 |
| Less 20% as an import | £15,840 | $24,000 |
| Final increase in value | £11,768 | $17,830 |
.. so, yes.
Regarding the value (for taxation purposes), Australian customs gave it $57,500 (about £37k) which is in the area of what the importer advised to expect. I'm told this is 50% of what they think it would actually sell for, so the estimates there appear to be on the right lines.
My thoughts
I used an agent to manage each of the different stages (ie. 1 for transporting it, 1 for clearing it through customs and 1 for getting it registered for road use) and this made the process quite painless. It is possible to do this yourself and save some money, but by the time you've worked out how to do it yourself, you may as well set yourself up as an agent!
We looked at a container or a rollon/rolloff, but after finding 3 people who had experience of damaged cars we went for the peace of mind of a dedicated container.
I read a fair bit of information on the web about conformity before I came over that was incorrect. For example - draining the air conditioning or providing a signed statement that you're not an importer is incorrect. Changing the wing mirrors to flat ones / Changing both (analog and digital) speedos to kph / Removing most of the fuel from the tank... all incorrect. The agent advised me of all this (having done 5 of this model so far this year) and was right as it went through with no requirements.
Insuring it is cheaper than the UK (but we did live in London), and they will only value it (for a total loss) at $87,500 - so it will cover our costs, but won't allow us to buy another.
And that's about it... easy! We're able to sell it straight away if we wanted to but it's a fantastic car and we have no intention of doing so.
I can post a breakdown of costs & the agents used if anyone's interested.
Ben
said: Will post a breakdown when back at a PC, but as for importing a TVR.. there's a Griff for sale locally. A 1998 one that's a bit shabby... $75,000 !
Saw that one! Its all bullst dream money. I watched a tuscan on ebay barely break 30k. Problem is the local market know nothing of tvr, there just is not the demand to keep the prices up there. My Chimaera has been in storage in the uk so is going to be woth a few grand at best on the market back there. If I can get it over here for $10k its good value. Purely because I have no intention of selling, and there is no way I will get that many smiles for a 10k car over here!Gassing Station | Australia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff