AJ100

could anyone give me advice on wether its worth taking a car to perth. ie
cost's involved and also if the air con is better on cars made for the aus market
my car is quite old a 98 523i series auto but good condition

thanks
andy

galloping gaijin

http://www.completecarcare.net.au/importing.html

Speak to these guys

h2oskineil

[QUOTE=AJ100]could anyone give me advice on wether its worth taking a car to perth. ie
cost's involved and also if the air con is better on cars made for the aus market
my car is quite old a 98 523i series auto but good condition

thanks
andy[/QUOTE

I think the shipping costs will be more than the car is worth, don't take that the wrong way, please.
We looked at bringing my wifes MX5, but the cost of a 40ft container over a 20ft, plus all the shipping costs, import duty, GST etc etc just added up.
I assume the BMW has decent aircon?

Here's some stuff copied from the web......

The Personal Import requirements are normally that Australian permanent residency is required with only one car per person allowed which must have been owned and used in the UK for a minimum period of 12 months unless the vehicle is older than 1989.

Personal Import Approval is required by sending an application form to DoTaRS in Canberra with copies of the car and personal papers and takes 3–5 weeks to obtain. Although the Approval is only required at the Australian port it should be obtained before shipment of the vehicle from the UK.

The costs due in the UK are for shipping and shipment protection payable before the day of sailing. In Australia costs are payable for port fees and container unpacking, customs fees and clearance, quarantine inspection and possibly cleaning, road safety preparation and a roadworthy test, as well as, annual registration, possibly stamp duty, and driving insurance.

Australian Import Taxes on most cars are 10% Duty (5% for ‘off road’ 4wd vehicles) and 10% Gst. Duty is paid on the customs value and Gst is paid on the total of the customs value + duty + cost of shipment. Usually the Customs Value is based on the Australian ‘as landed’ value which can be as low as half of the actual Australian market value. In only very few cases, if a vehicle was purchased before March 1998, then the CV is based on the UK purchase price less a depreciation allowance.

Valuation method advice can be obtained from Australian Customs and the destination clearance agent can recommend a local valuer for an ‘as landed’ valuation estimate. An initial guide to the full Australian market value is available at www.redbook.com.au.

Items packed inside a car travel free of charge. A list of goods is required by customs and quarantine and these would be cleared separately from the vehicle.

A guide to the costs would be £1,500–£1,700 shipping, £100–£300 shipment protection, A$2,250–A$2,750 in Australia excluding taxes, annual registration and insurance.
Here is some web sites to check.
http://www.excess-baggage.com/car_sh..._australia.php
http://www.carshippingtoaustralia.co...australia.html

Neil.

MisterTwo

A 523i of that vintage is anywhere between $25,000/$30,000 to buy http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsa...ch_distance=25 approx $10,395/£12,424. In imported one may be worth less than a local car. Also Air Con is not the same around the world - Oz spec Air is approx 50% better than UK spec.
Unfortunatly it will be difficult to calculate the Customs Duty and GST because the car will not be valued until it reaches Australia, you then may be landed with either a reasonable bill or a huge bill. It may be worth you taking the risk. You will also need to have the Speedo/odometer replaced from miles to kilometers and you will only be able to run your car on the more expensive Premium Unleaded fuel. Standard unleaded in Oz is 91 RON where as in the UK it is 95 RON. Premium here is between 95/98 RON. The fuel will still be cheaper than the UK but it is not as widely available.
You also need to think about servicing and parts - some parts may be different between the Oz and UK market cars.
We were looking at importing our cars but with the above considerations we decided against it.
Many people have imported their cars however and are extremly glad they did, others wished they had sold up and bought a local car.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

AJ100

Thanks for the information, it would be nice to keep the bmw, but looking at the stats probably better selling here, and buying in oz

thanks again
andy