movingtonewzealand

Hi everyone,

Having looked at costs of cars on TradeMe, we've noticed how much more expensive used cars are in NZ.

We are looking at transporting our car out there, and were wondering what you can put in it, if anything. OH needs to bring tools specifically as he works in construction.

Does anyone know if you can bring anything in your vehicle, if so which company did you use?

MrsFychan

We were advised not to as Customs will take a much closer look as they will expect you are trying to import stuff you are not allowed to. Also bear in mind that the car would have to be compliant to NZ standards. We contacted AA.co.nz and gave them our model number, engine number and a few other details and were told it should be ok. When we got here and it went off for the check they literally pull it apart, panels and all

escapedtonz

There's no reason why you can't fill your car with household stuff assuming you are putting the car in to a shipping container. Our shippers mentioned we could do that so we didn't waste the space the car takes up, but in the end we sold the car and bought here.
If the container is gonna be inspected by customs and/or MPI it won't be because you've put a few items in the car, it'll just be because they've chosen it at random or there was something questionable on the container x-ray scan and they wanna have a look.

Yes used cars are more expensive here. They last many more years than they would in the UK. They don't rot as there's no road salt and are often run in to the 300 000 KMs/400 000KMs on the odometer before a person trades it in for a fresh car. Many of my colleagues run cars in excess of 10/12 years old with getting on for half a million KM's. Fuel, vehicle license and insurance are all much cheaper in NZ so it means the costs of keeping a car on the road is much reduced over what you will be used to allowing a person to spend more on the car. There is also none of the UK new car snobbery and keeping up with the Jones's. A car is to get from A to B and that's it. No-one cares what car a person drives.
It amazes me the hoops a person has to go through to export a car to NZ as when you see some of the sh1t on the road here you'll wonder why you've bothered paying out all that money for cleaning, shipping, compliance, warrant of fitness, registration and vehicle license.
I suppose the reason why used prices are high is because they last so long and there isn't the demand for them as much here with the low population.
There's also some cracking deals to be had on new cars if you shop around. We recently bought a new Mitsi Outlander 2.4 XLS 7 seater for $36990 instead of $47990 list price so in our heads when stood in the showroom were thinking wow 18 thousand quid for a brand new 4x4 SUV with 10 year warranty yada yada....we'll have one of them !

Not wise to use the RORO service (roll on roll off) as you may find parts of your car and the stereo mysteriously disappearing. Cheaper, but a lot riskier.

BEVS

Just wanted to say hi to yo and welcome to BE. Love your avatar by the way.

Hazelnut

We had two removal firms round. Two said we couldn't put anything in the car because of customs needing to check and being unhappy at having to completely unpack and then repack your car, possibly resulting in high level of broken goods. One company said we could do it and would be fine.
Our car is now older and we've made the decision to sell here and buy new over there. We tend to buy new then run them until they go to the scrap heap.
Factor in costs for hiring a car in the UK once youve had your wn car cleaned you really don't want to run it around and get it dirty again before it goes in the container. Then you'll need to hire a vehicle in NZ until your own arrives and is processed. We also struggled to find anyone who would steam clean the car and provide a certificate to say it had been cleaned to NZ standards, hence deciding to sell if we can get the visas we're chasing.

Justcol

My understanding is nothing goes in the car

movingtonewzealand

Thank you, ours is the little one, who's coming with us to NZ!

movingtonewzealand

Thanks everyone for your input. Consensus sounds like to sell and buy there. OH's company is paying for 2 weeks car hire so we will have some time to look around and buy.

Also we haven't owned our car for a year yet and I believe that that is one of the requirements. Please correct me if wrong.

KOH2

Correct.
Family members had to delay their departure because of this requirement.

If they had to do it again they said they wouldn't bother because of all the hassle and cost.

We've got cheap runarounds that we'll dispose of before we leave and then buy something reasonably cheap over there. For me a car is just a means of getting from A to B and as long as it's reliable I'm not too bothered about the rest.

escapedtonz

Owning a vehicle for minimum 12 months isn't a requirement. You can export any vehicle regardless how long you have owned it, but if it you have owned it less than 12 months you will be charged GST (15%) of it's NZ value by customs, which for a new or newish car can be quite considerable and cost prohibitive.

RobClubley

I left a few tools in the back, CDs in the glove box etc and was told I was lucky to get them back, as small things tend to go walkabout after cars are unloaded.

My car was damaged during the import checks too - scratches, one the size of a 50c coin down to bare metal, screws missing, plastic trim tabs broken etc. where they checked seatbelt mounts.

Oh and they "Jacked" the car with a forklift blade, damaging the sills.
All fixed under transit insurance, but all done in NZ after I first inspected the car at the movers.

And - weird one this. I don't have my original spare wheel. I found this out about 8 years later. It's a VW factory 16" steel wheel as it should be, but it has a part worn directional tyre on it, not the brand new non-directional Continental tyre it should have. They must have pulled them out of different cars then put the wrong ones back. Hmph.

simonsi

You can't put anything in the car, it will be removed from the container and taken to clear customs in its own right, seperate to the container contents.

escapedtonz

Nope.
It's only the RORO service where you are not allowed to place personal effects in the vehicle as this would not be accepted by the captain of the vessel.
If it's going in a container you can fill it with whatever you like so long as it can be safely driven in then lashed to the inside.

simonsi

Sorry I wasn't making it up, that was my actual experience. And driving in isn't the problem, you can't drive it anywhere in NZ prior to certification etc so it may be lifted onto trucks etc etc

http://www.customs.govt.nz/news/reso...sheet%2029.pdf

OP can decide for themselves, the risks are spelled out as is that certain shipping companies don't apply it due to those risks.

tinalouie

How much is the road tax and petrol/diesel at the mo , also who is the best insurance company. Do you have to start fresh with no claims even if you have 20 years in UK?