The S's

:scared:
We are looking at taking with us 2 used cars as used cars in Aus seem to be more expensive than in the UK.
We were going to buy them now to take with us about Jan 2006.
I have been looking at shipping and it seems to my horror that you have to have at least 12 months proof of use/ownership to take your car.
Is this for real, and what if you ship a vehicle with only 4-6 months ownership proof.
We don't want to take to sell and make a profit we just want a decent car to start off when we get there as our current cars are a bit old.

Please help a confused Brummie.

CheekyWeetus

I believe you need to pay an import tax on a vehicle you have owned for less than 12 months. The car will also need to be inspected and registered before it can be driven on the roads or even insured. In some cases its possible you may need to make changes to the car for it to pass the inspection.

I looked at doing this in reverse several years ago and it was going to be such a headache getting the car trucked or towed from place to place with no clear idea of what, if any mods were going to be required at any time.

I am surprised that you say cars are more expensive in australia compared to the UK, I would have said that prices were comparable, if not cheaper in Australia.

Good luck whatever you decide

haggis supper

I looked into this as I have a 6 month old BMW that I really do not want to sell. However the costs are prohibitive. You need to factor in the following which I took from the website listed at the bottom and this helps determine which is the best option - buy new or ship. Good luck !:

ROUGH GUIDE / QUICK CALCULATION OF THE COSTS TO TAKE A CAR TO AUSTRALIA
(Figures in 'Orange' can be changed - other cells are fixed)

The Exchange rate used here is based on AUD - $ equals GBP - £ 2.40

Enter the Australian Market Value from www.redbook.com.au : AUD - $ 73,000
(This can be estimated from the private purchase guide prices)

Enter the UK Selling Value from www.parkers.co.uk : GBP - £ 25,500
(This can be estimated from the private / part exchange guide prices)
(Be realistic on what you may get for your car as it could be lower than expected)


UK Costs :
Cost of UK collection / delivery estimate: GBP - £ 50
Shipping Costs estimate: GBP - £ 1300
Marine Insurance Cover estimate: GBP - £ 150
TOTAL: GBP - £ 1,500

Australian Costs:
Australian port, unpacking, clearance, quarantine fees, as landed
valuation, customs fees, cleaning etc. - say... AUD - $ 2000
Australian preparation and roadworthy test - say... AUD - $ 500
TOTAL: AUD - $ 2,500

Australian Import Duty and Gst Guesstimate:
(The Import Duty (10%) and GST (10%) is calculated on the
Customs Value of the car, which is normally around 50% of the
Australian Market Value) TOTAL: AUD - $ 8,025

(Not included is stamp duty of 2% of the car value payable in some states and registration costs of
say AUD$500 which are both payable whether a car is shipped from the UK or purchased in Australia)


SUMMARY:

UK Car Value GBP - £ 25,500

UK Costs + Australian Costs + Australian Taxes GBP - £ 5,885


TOTAL OF UK CAR VALUE + ALL COSTS GBP - £ 31,385

AUSTRALIAN MARKET VALUE GBP - £ 30,417

ANY SAVING ? GBP - £ -969


Karman Shipping Limited
Timber Lodge, Plantation Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 3JB
Tel. No. (01525) 851545, Fax. No. (01525) 850996
Website: www.karmanshipping.com, Email: [email protected]
Copyright 2004