Glad I didnt import into Vic then, 4% of Customs valuation is expensive...and thankfully doesnt apply in WA. Standard regn is about $230. 4% would have added another $1,800 to my bill !!
Still I'm sure I'll spend that on the speeding fines over the next few years !! :curse:

So when you buy a second hand car in WA you have no transfer duty payable to the government ?

buying a second hand car is not the same as importing a car that you already own. stamp duty applies to the former, not the latter. importing your own car, i guess by definition, is not a transfer of ownership.
I asked about stamp duty when I registered the car. the woman looked at me as if i was an idiot (no comments please) and said "but you own the car already"......
I wasn't gonna argue !!

Interesting as in Victoria you certainly do have to pay Stamp/Transfer Duty on an imported car. They treat it that you are in fact registering a newly acquired used car. Rip off quite probably, but it is what happens here.

Hi i have just recently imported our 2 cars from the uk into australia (brisbane) if you want to know all the pitfalls and costs let me know i will tell u the 2 cars i imported were a 2002 bmw 5 series diesel and a 2003 audi tt

One important fact is you must have owned the vehicle 12 months previous to export and they do check!!!!!!!!!!

Hi I am also interested in shipping my small car to WA, however on my log book I have owned it from sept 1st, I was hoping to send it in.a container towards the end of august, I will have owned the motor over 12 months by the time it arives,ok? My shipping guy says" he's checked with head office and that's fine." Or is he trying to get another 2k for a 40 footer? I can't just ship it later because my 175 visa expires sept 5, thanks.

you have to apply to canberra before you ship your vehicle you have to get a acceptance letter from canberra before they will load it it on the ship you have one half and they send the other to the place were it docks.
you can only apply for this when you have owned the the car for 12 months not before. It also takes 6-12 weeks to get the acceptance from canberra.
You also need this letter to apply for the mod plate in qld or you will not be able to register it in qld anyway!!!!!!!!

I understand where you say get in touch with me if you need to know the answers,but BA god bless him has done all the leg work and worked it out to be around £5k upwards!!! for a say £15k vehicle!!
I wanna take a £4k motorbike,but again im led to beleive it will cost around £1500 alone for taxes/rego etc etc(this will be in my house container too)

Yep it's called the VBS10 Approval to Import which you obtain from DOITRL (formerly DOTARS) and you can read about it in my article (including links to the various relevant government documents) which also describes all the identification and evidentiary paperwork you need to provide

Out of interest what state did you ship them too ?

I also read on the Pistonheads website that someone imported a Lotus Elise into NSW and also quoted stamp duty in his costs. It's because of these posts that I was expecting to pay.
Would it be worth bringing cars in thru WA to avoid the duty then shipping it to Vic or NSW...or would you still have to pay duty when you regd it there ?
If not, prob only worth doing it with expensive cars???

No, it's when you register the car with the local Transport agency. So yes you would be charged.

To be honest in my experience it's only worth it if you either 1) absolutely love the car beyond life itself or 2) it is an old classic car in "mint" condition. Sadly all these shipping companies only ever really give you the shipping costs and paint a rosy picture of the costs and process, which considering it's their business is not that different to a guy in an electronics shop telling you to buy a 60" HD LCD TV because the picture is "buff"! There are many more costs associated with bringing the car over which I found out to my cost. So now I try to help people realise the true cost of importing, not least of which is the time it takes to complete when you should be focusing on the actual emigration process and moving your belongings out. Looking back on it now it was a staggeringly selfish thing that I did bringing my TT out and leaving the house and rest to my wife.

An example of importing an expensive car? I did one a while back for someone, it was for a 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S with an Australian street value of ~A$210,000 (Customs Value ~A$136,500). The Import Duty and GST amounted to A$71,000 (A$42,000 of that was LCT) and the total import estimate on-the-road to on-the-road in Victoria was £40,000 (A$88,500)!

[QUOTE=bigAPE;7303919]
There are many more costs associated with bringing the car over which I found out to my cost. So now I try to help people realise the true cost of importing, not least of which is the time it takes to complete when you should be focusing on the actual emigration process and moving your belongings out. Looking back on it now it was a staggeringly selfish thing that I did bringing my TT out and leaving the house and rest to my wife.

QUOTE]

well i did both the shipping of personal effects AND the car shipping so I can afford to be sanctimonious !!
Their are only 4 TVR Tuscans in Oz (I think), 3 now in Perth, and I absolutely dont regret bringing it. Absolutely the prettiest car around....just need to escape the speed traps !! :curse:

Wow, that's a dude. Well done man
Seriously, if there was ever a car to bring here it's a Tuscan. One of the most beautiful cars ever produced. I'm seriously envious. Now if only they had the speed limits over here to enjoy it (which is the reason I am currently upset with my tuned TT). I love it to death but am too scared to drive it hard. The second she gets frisky on the red line and you push her, you're so far over the speed limit it would get you banned... very sad.

[QUOTE=BATS666;7304808] who did you ship with?
I even wind my window down when i see a TVR coming, they make a lovely noise..VVVRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM! "quality"
I'll give you a wave when we get to Halls Head in August.

[QUOTE=bu1lder;7305889] Karman Shipping. They were OK, but the idiot that drove the car into the container in the UK chipped the door when he got out (bashed it into the side of the container) and has completely buggered the new paintwork. It's only small chip, but boy does it stand out. Irreparable, as they dont make the touch up paintsticks anymore !!
Apart from that, it's fantastic to have it somewhere that I can drive it after 2 miserable summers in the UK.
Pity the local Old Bill are obsessed with radar traps.
That kinda takes the fun out of it !! :curse: