azyure

Hi there,

I have had a look around the forum and haven't really been able to find any information along the lines of my question - which is:

We have a non-running Lotus Esprit (1978ish) which my husband has been working on and we would like to take it to Aus with us to continue the restoration. Any ideas how we can import it? Can we just bring it in as furniture?

I also have a Ford Transit 2005 campervan (converted myself) which I would like to take - has anyone shipped their own camper in before and can let me know if they had any particular issues?

Thanks for any help!

Cass

Trevski

With regards to the lotus if you can prove you have owned it and been restoring it for more than 12 months then you can bring it as personal import.
The camper van might give you some trouble, yes you can bring it here as a personal import as long as you have owned it for more than 12 months, but the biggest problem you will have is getting the vehicle compliance here in oz, it will likely cost you a lot of money only to find that you cant register it here, because you have converted it your self it most likley will need a electrical certificate etc to say all the electrics are safe, and i very much doubt you will get any one wanting to pass it when you have converted it your self.
Sell the camper as it might be more hassel than you think

hoofie2002

If your husband is going to bring his lotus he should purchase and bring as much as possible of the spares/panels etc. he needs in the same container otherwise he is going to get crucified on shipping costs in the future.

chris955

Actually because the Lotus is pre 1989 you don't need to comply with the 12 months own and use condition. You can just apply for an import permit and bring it in. The Campervan is more complicated but as long as you can show you have owned AND used it for at least 12 months there is no problem. You have to jump through some hoops of course but it shouldn't be an issue getting it registered here, you will need to get the modifications checked by an engineer.

azyure

Hi all - thanks for replying!

My husband has owned the Lotus for about 3 years and we are trying to buy as many parts as possible to ship with it.

Since it is a non-working, pre-1989 vehicle will we still be charged stamp duty/GST etc etc on it? I realise it will still need to be cleaned and cleared by quarantine, but are all the other costs still associated with it?

As for the camper - I have also owned and used that for over 12 months, and looking at the Aus market for a similar van ($20k+) I'm kind of inclined to go through all the hassle and expense of bringing it over.

I'm a bit surprised at how complicated it is to find out exactly how much it is going to cost to import a vehicle - it's making the visa application look simple in comparison!

chris955

Yes it wont matter that the Lotus doesnt run, you will still have to pay all the same taxes and duties.
Given the level of red tape and bureaucracy over here I would be more surprised it is was a cheap and easy exercise to be honest Apparently it is to protect the local manufacturing sector but I'm more inclined to think it is about the money