[Saucepan]

Hi,
I was hoping someone could offer some advice please. I'm moving over to Oz (Sydney) in a couple of months for a job and I'm pretty upset to have to leave my 335d Coupe in the UK! I'm toying with the idea of shipping it over and initial research indicates it could cost $12k. Its a lot of money but then again so are BMW's in Oz if I buy/rent one when I get there. My issue is that I dont want to commit to a long term car lease in Oz in case it doesnt work out and I go back to the UK after a year or so. On the other hand, if I ship my car over and need to sell it in Oz I assume I wont get much for it considering its a diesel and right hand drive.

If I get rid of my car in the UK could anyone recomend any good ones in Oz if I dont opt for a BMW? I really have no idea about Oz cars!

Thanks in advance!

[WOPALX]

Our government loves taxing us for new cars, especially 'luxury' cars i.e. what are often taxi's overseas. A 335 is typically a $100,000 AUD + cost when new so importing your own is a good option.

You'd need to check any additional costs on arrival, SPDRCR on this forum recently imported a Lotus so maybe shoot him a PM to see what his experience was like.

I'd however double check parts availability (although you can import parts from the UK cheaper than you can buy them here), what the situation would be with regards to warranty & if our diesel fuel suits your cars requirements etc.

The fact your car is RHD is fine and resale should still be okay as oil burners are getting more popular over here.

[cruvon]

I would say just add your cars current price+shipping(worst case price because the customs might make it a bit difficult with quarantine, storage charges,etc) and then compare a similar years models used price here, am sure you should win if you import(check redbook.com.au for a rough estimate of local new/used car prices)..Also consider using a broker to do a door to door delivery rather than trying do it yourself since will save you the stress.
How long you moving to Sydney for?..check if there are any tax implications or time restrictions for selling it locally here in nSW for when you have to finally return or looking sell earlier. If alls good I would reckon you could profit when you finally sell.

If you were looking for cars in Oz is usually sport Holdens and Fords that rule the roost here which are good esp if you wanted a workhorse to tour the country but you might not feel as comfortable without your car

[bcoz]

A 335d coupe should be unique and that may be a positive, as we currently don't have 335d's in Oz (there are 330d & 335i coupes).

There was a member (DamianJ) who imported a 330d Touring from England a while ago, see thread below. You may want to PM him re his experience.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=273885

[Saucepan]

Thanks very much for your responses, they're a great help.

[johnnydad]

I presume you have read this?

Also, is our diesel of sufficient quality nowadays?

[kaishang]

I've looked into this and I am planning on shipping a car UK-Oz.

Car costs:
Cars are highly taxed in Australia. Used cars also cost a lot. And you have to pay around 6% stamp duty even when you buy a used car, on top of the purchase price. A 5 year old 325i can still cost A$50,000 or about the same as a new 325i if you bought it in the UK.

Import costs:
You could get shipping + insurance for about A$3,000. You may be shipping household goods as well, which may make the marginal cost of including a car even cheaper if you get a whole 40 foot container.

You need to pay 5% tariff + 10% GST on the customs value. The customs value will be about 2/3 the used price of your model car in Australia. You also have to pay 33% LCT on the value over A$57k, but it is based on the customs value which is a lot less than the used price, so unless it is a very, very expensive car to start with, you will have to pay 15% tariff+GST only. I figure a total cost of about A$10k to get a 1 year old BMW into Australia incuding Oz tax and shipping.

YOU NEED TO OWN THE CAR IN YOUR OWN NAME IN THE UK FOR 12 MONTHS prior to import. The car cannot be a company car, you must be licenced to drive the car and you have to apply for prior import approval - do not just ship it; you must get import approval beforehand. There are a lot of removalist companies in the UK. Get one that regularly does cars.

Local compliance:
It needs to be inspected on arrival. This is a state based inspection and like for example your kid may find themselves studying some completely different school curriculum if they move from Sydney to Melbourne, Australian states also like to make up their own road rules. So regardless of you having import approval off the federal government, you still get the state inspection on arrival. It needs to have baby car seat anchors. ISOFIX which is fitted to current UK BMWs is OK. In WA for a private import, it is OK to have a speedo in mph as the major units and km/h on a smaller scale. Other states may make you change over the speedo, I don't know.

Fuel:
Australian diesel and UK diesel are the same standard and same sulfur content with 10ppm sulfur. AFAIK Australian unleaded has a higher sulfur content, but I'd check it out if you have a petrol car. For example the 325i in Australia uses a different engine to the UK, apparently because of the fuel quality. OTOH the 335i apparently uses the same engine. (forget this, just saw you have a diesel, so no problem).

Insurance, Local Value:
Once you get to Oz, some insurers won't insure you because it is not an Oz spec car. A lot will though, but I'd figure a small increase in insurance premium and a small amount of inconvenience looking for an insurer.

The local value will be less than a genuine BMW Australia car, but I think "who cares" You could import your car, pay $10k in tax and import charges, have it worth 20% less than a local car if you sell it, but because cars in Oz are so ridiculously overpriced to start with, you will still come out ahead.

=======

IMHO it is worth it and I'm planning on doing it. Infact if I stay in the UK for more than about 2 more years, I may sell my 330d and buy something even more expensive like a 535d which would be a $150,000 drive away car in Australia and import the 535 instead.

Of course if it is a new car, any warranty you have goes out the window.

[kaishang]

You know Oz is also right hand drive (drive on the left), yes?

Originally Posted by Saucepan

Hi,
On the other hand, if I ship my car over and need to sell it in Oz I assume I wont get much for it considering its a diesel and right hand drive. Thanks in advance!

[Saucepan]

Originally Posted by johnnydad

I presume you have read this?

Also, is our diesel of sufficient quality nowadays?

No I haven't but I will do. Thanks a lot.

[Saucepan]

Originally Posted by kaishang

I've looked into this and I am planning on shipping a car UK-Oz.

Car costs:
Cars are highly taxed in Australia. Used cars also cost a lot. And you have to pay around 6% stamp duty even when you buy a used car, on top of the purchase price. A 5 year old 325i can still cost A$50,000 or about the same as a new 325i if you bought it in the UK.

Import costs:
You could get shipping + insurance for about A$3,000. You may be shipping household goods as well, which may make the marginal cost of including a car even cheaper if you get a whole 40 foot container.

You need to pay 5% tariff + 10% GST on the customs value. The customs value will be about 2/3 the used price of your model car in Australia. You also have to pay 33% LCT on the value over A$57k, but it is based on the customs value which is a lot less than the used price, so unless it is a very, very expensive car to start with, you will have to pay 15% tariff+GST only. I figure a total cost of about A$10k to get a 1 year old BMW into Australia incuding Oz tax and shipping.

YOU NEED TO OWN THE CAR IN YOUR OWN NAME IN THE UK FOR 12 MONTHS prior to import. The car cannot be a company car, you must be licenced to drive the car and you have to apply for prior import approval - do not just ship it; you must get import approval beforehand. There are a lot of removalist companies in the UK. Get one that regularly does cars.

Local compliance:
It needs to be inspected on arrival. This is a state based inspection and like for example your kid may find themselves studying some completely different school curriculum if they move from Sydney to Melbourne, Australian states also like to make up their own road rules. So regardless of you having import approval off the federal government, you still get the state inspection on arrival. It needs to have baby car seat anchors. ISOFIX which is fitted to current UK BMWs is OK. In WA for a private import, it is OK to have a speedo in mph as the major units and km/h on a smaller scale. Other states may make you change over the speedo, I don't know.

Fuel:
Australian diesel and UK diesel are the same standard and same sulfur content with 10ppm sulfur. AFAIK Australian unleaded has a higher sulfur content, but I'd check it out if you have a petrol car. For example the 325i in Australia uses a different engine to the UK, apparently because of the fuel quality. OTOH the 335i apparently uses the same engine. (forget this, just saw you have a diesel, so no problem).

Insurance, Local Value:
Once you get to Oz, some insurers won't insure you because it is not an Oz spec car. A lot will though, but I'd figure a small increase in insurance premium and a small amount of inconvenience looking for an insurer.

The local value will be less than a genuine BMW Australia car, but I think "who cares" You could import your car, pay $10k in tax and import charges, have it worth 20% less than a local car if you sell it, but because cars in Oz are so ridiculously overpriced to start with, you will still come out ahead.

=======

IMHO it is worth it and I'm planning on doing it. Infact if I stay in the UK for more than about 2 more years, I may sell my 330d and buy something even more expensive like a 535d which would be a $150,000 drive away car in Australia and import the 535 instead.

Of course if it is a new car, any warranty you have goes out the window.

This is really helpful, thanks very much.

Re right hand drive...no I didnt know that!!!

[kaishang]

Check out:

britishexpats.com/forum/

for general stuff about Brits in various places, including Australia. There have been some threads about people who have imported cars too.

You mention seeing how it works out in Oz and maybe go back to UK if it doesn't. My personal take on this having moved countries several times: give it a go for more than a year. I've spent the first 6 months pissed-off in China, Vietnam and the United Kingdom before I got used to things and started to like and enjoy living in those countries.

[NBTBRV8]

The Government has tighten up on this, make sure you mee the criteria for an import approval.

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/motor/index.aspx

[Saucepan]

Originally Posted by kaishang

Check out:

britishexpats.com/forum/

for general stuff about Brits in various places, including Australia. There have been some threads about people who have imported cars too.

You mention seeing how it works out in Oz and maybe go back to UK if it doesn't. My personal take on this having moved countries several times: give it a go for more than a year. I've spent the first 6 months pissed-off in China, Vietnam and the United Kingdom before I got used to things and started to like and enjoy living in those countries.

Thanks again for the advice.

[TaylorA]

Check the residency criteria too - you may have to be a permanent resident or prove that you intend to be. I got import approval for a bike and at the time I had to be a permanent resident - but I notice that has now changed and you can hold a temporary visa of the type that can lead to permanency.

[kaishang]

Oh btw, since your speedo will be in mph on the big scale:

There is a software hack where you an display an instantaneous digital speed readout in the OBC display screen which afaik is then user selectable between miles and kilometers per hour.

There was a thread on the general forum about this recently.

[MFKN3]

You used to only be able to import if you are an Aussie citizen living overseas for >12 months and can bring your car back with you... or if it's a model not for sale in Australia (or >15yrs old). Other that that you wouldn't be able to get it road registered. The rules may have changed, dunno.

I am presuming though, because it's a E90/92 you may not be able to, despite it being a diesel, it is more-or-less a model available here.

If you can get it here for minimal cost, go for it, as I'm sure the value over there is a fraction of Australia's ridiculous prices. You would also need to factor in resale value as it will be a "personal import" which will turn off a lot of buyers.

[kaishang]

I've bitched on here many times before about the excessive price of cars in Australia, due to:
- LCT
- stamp duty
- relatively small, right-hand drive market

But one of the other reasons is pointless local rules, like the one on child car seats. The rest of the world uses ISOFIX. It's really easy to use, you can put a seat in in well under a minute and it is very, very secure. Only Australia doesn't use ISOFIX, which means importers need to fit Australia-specific child restraints to their cars.

===================================

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/m...013-16ijv.html

An experimental child's seat is well on the path to becoming reality. But it won't be sold here, at least initially, writes Barry Park.

Mercedes-Benz is looking at turning a concept child seat showcased in one of its experimental safety vehicles into a product that owners will one day be able to buy.

Benz senior manager of accident research Dirk Ockel revealed that the car maker was in the process of developing a retail version of its experimental child's seat first shown in the ESF Experimental Safety Vehicle revealed to the world last year.

Mercedes-Benz has brought the ESF to Australia last week as part of a showcase of its work on creating cars that are not only much safer for their owners, but also other people caught up in car crashes.

The ESF - a specially modified S-Class limousine - features a number of experimental technologies that engineers are hopeful will one day make it into production.

They include inflatable beams hidden inside doors that can double in size and increase in strength in the blink of an eye before a side-on crash, a seat mounted airbag that can stop the driver and front-seat passenger from clashing heads, a seatbelt airbag, and an under-car airbag that can inflate in just milliseconds before a crash and create more friction with the road to slow a car much faster than the tyres' grip alone.

However, while some of this technology will struggle to make it into Mercedes-Benz cars any time soon, a child seat that clips into Isofix mounting brackets in the rear seats, and provides significant head and side protection than existing child seats, was in the process of becoming reality.

Ockel says the child seat uses an adjustable tubular steel frame to build a strong cell around a child, which is also fitted with side and head padding.

He says the seat has no back and uses the rear-seat's contour and padding, leaving significant legroom — and protective space — for the child compared with other versions that use a complete seat-shaped shell.

However, the child seat is unlikely to ever make it to Australia, because the version developed for Mercedes-Benz uses an the respected Isofix international fastening system that clips into two brackets mounted in to each rear seat. Most cars sold in Australia already have Isofix brackets fitted to the cars.

However, Australia uses a more confusing top-tether system where a strap running from the top of the child seat and the car's seatbelt are used to fix it in place.

Ockel is surprised to hear that Australia does not allow the Isofix system to be used in vehicles sold here. ''It's a lot simpler to use,'' he says. ''I use the top tether system when I put a baby capsule in my front seat, but the Isofix system is much easier.''

The international Isofix system is currently being considered for Australia but appears to be caught in bureaucracy.

In the meantime, the fight to get more safety gear in cars will continue.

Ockel says a convincing case has to be made for each new piece of safety equipment added to a car.

''It's often a big fight between engineers and safety,'' he says. ''Every space in a car is often taken, and we add weight while the engineers try to take weight out.''

He says one recent win for safety were the electric motors that pull passengers deeper into the seat just before a crash (and when the seatbelt is first clipped in), which were fitted to Mercedes-Benz's flagship S-Class limousine halfway through its product cycle — often an expensive way to introduce new technology to an existing model.

Ockel says the seatbelt retractors were one instance where car maker's safety experts managed to convince engineers that the need — and space to fit them — were both there.

[V1_R]

looks like bucket seats for kids. I like it.

I also agree with your antagonistic views on Australian bureaucracy!!