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Importing a car

generalpa

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It oks I know how to attach files, just not sure whether the mods allow .xls files with embedded detail. In todays environment where you can get a virus on your computer just from looking at a webpage, it's safer to keep stuff hidden away.

I dont mind mailing it to anybody who wants it though :)
Hi Dans S4.
Just looking at bringing in a SLK280 (2005). Looks to be worth it but the paper work. Any chance of a copy of your spread sheet.
Regards Generalpa.
 

v8commy

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yeah it all depends on where from so ill asume you want to get one from japan? Then if you know exactly what type and model your after it makes it alot quicker.
The next step is to go to an importing company id say stay away from ones that are just online find a good one where you can go and speak to them in person in your home city. JDS auto imports are good (Thats where i got my car from) also justjap or japanperformancedirect are all good.
Then ask them what they have and what guarantee you will get with it. Then usually what happens is you pay a deposit and the company sorts out the import itself and the australian standards changes such as tyres, seatbelts and headlights.
On a side not if you see a nice car with good mags dont expect to get the mags because to comply with standards they are removed back to standard rims. :cry:
from there most companies charge about $500 to do the rest but if you have time its cheaper to do it yourself, what needs doing is firstly you take the reciepts of purchase and the import papers and car to a R & T approved service station and they do a pit pass check however it fails straight away because you have no australian VIN number (costs about $50). They then tell you the closest place to go and get australian compliance plates and VIN number put on (bout $70). You then go back to the service station again and they do the same pit pass again and pass you.
From there you take all your bits of paper to your rego place hand it over with something like $700 (depending on how many cylinders) and you get you rego and number plates and its all done.

I hope this helps, all i can say is go through a reputable company so you dont get ripped off and dont try and do the whole import process yourself as it can get very costly and messy as you need to organise freight purchase and storage.


what he said but go see the guy at autotech imports hes very good and wont charge you through the roof
 

ari666

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jakbob

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Anyone had any experience importing cars from the states? Obviously the big issue there would be the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. Unless its over 30 years old it can't registered as a left hand drive (in qld at least). And aside from that I imagine you'd have to go through a whole lot of the same rubbish to get it up to adr spec.
 

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Anyone had any experience importing cars from the states? Obviously the big issue there would be the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. Unless its over 30 years old it can't registered as a left hand drive (in qld at least). And aside from that I imagine you'd have to go through a whole lot of the same rubbish to get it up to adr spec.

QLD is a bit more lax but this might point you in the right direction:

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/8B12278F-E6D5-4C06-B859-FA9F670BE58A/0/VSI3web.pdf
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/800C613D-AFDF-431E-BE39-9743692D7061/0/VSI18web.pdf

Reaper
 

ari666

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And aside from that I imagine you'd have to go through a whole lot of the same rubbish to get it up to adr spec.

for newer cars, aside from changing to rhd there isnt a lot to do really. a lot of the US safety codes are tighter than ADR, so all we need to do is demonstrate compliance to US regs, which is usually a stamp or number on whatever part, i.e. headlight part numbers etc. pretty much everything has passed EU or dot these days so passing newer cars is easy.

but that doesnt get you around the whole RHD business. i am still tryin to work out how to do that in a cost effective manner. its not going well so far.

just go for a nice pre-69' camaro :) bugger all we have to do to them cos of their age. just shipping/import duties bout' a grand for engineers, maybe child restraints if its after 66 and has rear seatbelts. i think thats about it. plus govt charges (stamp duty and reg in VIC)
 

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for newer cars, aside from changing to rhd there isnt a lot to do really. a lot of the US safety codes are tighter than ADR, so all we need to do is demonstrate compliance to US regs, which is usually a stamp or number on whatever part, i.e. headlight part numbers etc. pretty much everything has passed EU or dot these days so passing newer cars is easy.

but that doesnt get you around the whole RHD business. i am still tryin to work out how to do that in a cost effective manner. its not going well so far.

just go for a nice pre-69' camaro :) bugger all we have to do to them cos of their age. just shipping/import duties bout' a grand for engineers, maybe child restraints if its after 66 and has rear seatbelts. i think thats about it. plus govt charges (stamp duty and reg in VIC)

Yeah, by the sounds of it still would be easier to get a company to do it for me. If I win the lotto anytime soon I'll get me a nice new RHD converted Dodge Ram. Otherwise I'll keep looking for an australian delivered RHD 67 Impala.
 

ari666

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i can land you a LHD impala for nix. a lot less than you will get one here. i just dont wanna drive LHD personally prefer the fisher bodys and i was lucky to score one cheap. but anything american pre 69 dont need left to right hand drive conversion. biggest cost is shipping, but a container is only 2k USD so if we can get enough guys to buy engines etc from the states and pay for shipping we can score our stuff cheap cheap cheap..

meh your call. dodge rams are gay btw.
 

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i can land you a LHD impala for nix. a lot less than you will get one here. i just dont wanna drive LHD personally prefer the fisher bodys and i was lucky to score one cheap. but anything american pre 69 dont need left to right hand drive conversion. biggest cost is shipping, but a container is only 2k USD so if we can get enough guys to buy engines etc from the states and pay for shipping we can score our stuff cheap cheap cheap..

meh your call. dodge rams are gay btw.

From memory anything older than 30 years doesn't need RHD in Vic. That gets you to 1980! :eek:. Other states vary but Vic is generally stricter than most. A mate of mine was driving around in a mid 1980's LHD 928s Porsche in WA about 4 years ago, full rego and everything.

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ari666

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yeah i to be honest, i am not really up to speed on the pre 69' and pre 89' stuff. i have only done a couple of pre 69's before where we didnt change anything, all we had to do was stamp a VIN pretty much. But the pre 89's needed to comply with all ADR's relevant for the cars year of manufacture. so we end up fitting retracting rear belts instead of lap belts, side intrusions bars etc. the rule used to be anything older than 25 years, but they changed all that to the 69 and 89 thing when they change to the RAWS system about 7 or 8 years ago.

best change ever IMO, now that you have to have a reg'd workshop it has killed all the little dcks importing their rusty sh1tboxes and giving imports a bad name.

edit* just been told that the latest car we can import and leave LHD is 1980
 
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