Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

Have owned a well maintained RX8 for past 10 years and thinking whether it would be worth taking it over. If i sell in the UK, i may get around £2k (or $3600). Looking at Australian market they are much more expensive to buy. Noticed that cars are very expensive to buy in Australia...

Would you suggest to bring it over? Heard getting an import permit is a pain and the costs can be quite high to transport the vehicle...

Is it worth the hassle and the costs?

Suggestions please...

Thank you in advance,
R

Re: Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

You've owned a car in the UK for 10 years yet according to your earlier thread you're still on L plates?
https://britishexpats.com/forum/aust...icense-926533/

How does that work? :unsure:

Incidentally second-hand cars hold their value for much longer here. So second hand cars can seem expensive compared to their UK equivalent.
New cars are not especially expensive in Australia. It's dependent on the manufacturer. European cars are more expensive. Japanese and other asian made cars are often much cheaper than in the UK.

To ship a car worth only $3600 is most definitely not worth it.

Re: Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

Thanks for the reply... Oops the previous post was my wife... :)

I found asian cars much cheaper when i was looking at them on carsguide or carsales - seems an interesting market.

Have a lot of sort out before we get there - no idea where we are going to live and i have work near Mascot.

Re: Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

Cars are not necessarily more expensive here. A lot of Asian, and some European, cars are cheaper than the UK. 2nd hand tend to cost more, but then you get more for them when selling. Fuel is significantly cheaper, whereas registration costs more. I find that insurance is less expensive in Australia

If this car has sentimental value to you then bring it, otherwise sell

Re: Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

Thank you for the great piece of advice here... well i love the RX8 but feeling that it may be too much hassle to get it over and hence the question here. Having looked at the carsguide and carsales websites, I think i may just buy a basic car such as Kia Rio to start with there and then try to forget the Rotary...

Re: Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

I brought my RX7 over, but its a long time ago. At the time it was worth about GBP 3,000 but replacement in Australia was $18,000. I put it in a shared container and shipped it over without any issues. I drove it in Australia for 6 years before selling it for $10,000 so for me it was well worth it. It was a car I knew and trusted, and I had no issue selling it as a personal import vehicle.

Check out carsales.com.au and look at current value for the same car here. Unlike UK there are loads of rotary specialists here too, maintenance is not an issue.

Re: Is it worth bringing the car from the UK?
 

Shipping (cars) from UK to Australia

From other posts, this is what I've learned: (Comments 3,4 and 5 apply equally to household goods and furniture)

1. UK cars are inevitably salt damaged from the winter roads, and this decay will continue whatever treatment you give it. (There is generally no salt on Oz roads!)
2. The safety regulations on the various models sold around the world are generally different, and you could find the car impounded unless you can prove it conforms with Aussie regulations. You would then have to spend a huge amount on conformance assuming you can find a mechanic. And parts. (Or pay handsomely to get it destroyed in a manner which prevents the non-conforming parts reaching the second-hand market)
3. A car is a very inefficient use of container space, so the container weighs light Light containers, often containing household items are therefore loaded at the top the ship. In the sun. And so could bake at (up to) 60C all the way across. And all your rubber seals, oils, lubrication points, battery, leatherwork, fuel tank etc, could well be shot. And the worst thing - you'll not know this when your car is finally released to you from customs.
4. The sailing time is quite short - 4-5 weeks if the sailing is direct. Allow 3-4 months if the container meanders from port to port round Asia first (as cheaper shipments sometimes do). It could take another 4-6 weeks to get consolidated and wait for a ship at the UK end, and 3-4 weeks to clear the port at the Australia end. So worst case 6 months total.
5. Finally, the cost of any shipment is far higher than the difference (if any) between your UK sell price, and subsequent buy price of an equivalent when you arrive in Australia.