Car Importation - Thoughts and Advice?

[Blackrazor]

Hey.

I will be looking for a new car as per my other thread at some point in the nearish future, currently most likely to be an RX8.

Now, i've been advised by a friend to look into direct importation as apparently these cars are much cheaper direct than on a yard. I have absolutely no idea or experience with this, so can anyone provide any advice on what to do, what to look for, who to use, and whether the savings are worth any extra risks?

Cheers!

[Sick Puppy]

Have you done a search through the forum threads? I think Psycho Dad was getting involved in importing- PM him...

[Dell'Orto]

I dont know if RX8's will be as bad as RX7's for crash damage, so they might be a little less risky to import. If you have a look on the auction pages around, remember to add freight then GST on top of that.

[eritate]

then remember to have spare cash for unexpected costs. eg - checks by the customs etc

[Adydas]

Just out of curioisty is the hassle really worth the saving?

How much do you save approx, for the task of source, shipment and compliance etc into nz?

Ball park intrest on say a fairy common ish car you could import or find on a car yard?

GTT calinda say? 15 grand from a car yard, cost ya 9 to get it your self? or better / worse than that?

[Emperor]

RX8's are quite cheap in Japan at the moment, so aslong as you find the right deal, you can have yourself a cheaper RX8 in 5-6 weeks.

[Leon]

was wondering much the same thing myself, about Starlet Glanza V's. Because they're VERY expensive here at the moment, considering the prices of the other cars in a similar bracket. I mean FFS, $10k for a late 1990's 1300cc hatch with a turbo, and heaps of k's on them. That's Sti money, not Starlet money

[Blackrazor]

Current yard prices for good condition S-series RX8's is $30-45k, but i have seen the same on direct import sites (VehiclesDirect etc) for $20-30k. Thats a big difference in my books. And the $20-30k includes everything - shipping, GST, standard customs cost, etc. The only extra cost is freight from Auckland and the customs cost if customs decide to do a random inspection.

[andyztouring]

Check into buying thru Tau auction agent on www.tau-sales.com.,for a fee they will on your behalf buy a car at USS auctions,arrange derego papers freight etc,you pick out cars from a website,they send back a detailed auction sheet(tells you condition,any current or previous damage and expected price),I have purchased a car this way and recommend buying this way,you do need to be careful as some cars are cheaper here.You need to register with tau to get this service. Cars can be shipped directly to Lyttelton.Shipping for driveable cars is $1450 as at 25 May 06.Other costs are GST on purchase price(in japan)and freight to NZ,Port services fee-$95.00,entrytransaction fee-$20.00,customs entry-$50.00,Cartage from port to your place of choice,Customs fees$5.00,MAF fees $190.00.Then there is compliance fee and VTNZ inspection fees around $344,rego fees plus any repair costs to get compliancing done.It seems like a lot of hassle but it is reasonably straight forward,worst part is waiting for your car to arrive.I have found it can be very worthwhile bringing cars in,like my mothers 2003 Mazda 2(Demio)22kms,landed rego etc $9100,at the time $18750 in yhe yards.Hope all this makes sense .

[gurutasker]

My recommendation would be find someone who goes over there reguarly to buy cars for a car yard, or smaller sales company (There are a few around), and give them an amount you are willing to spend, and what you want. Then when they are over there the next time they will try and find the car you are looking for, and hopefully handle all the shipping/customs bullsh*t you need to deal with.

[NZcelica]

I import cars all the time, and I can tell you its not overly worth it at the moment, Japan prices are quite high as other markets such as the UK and middle east are buying in to it.
You will save some money over buying outright from a car yard, but in all honesty its a LOT of hastle.
As far as importing a vehicle soley on your own, I wouldn't advise it, find someone who imports cars and contact them.
Infact i'll have a look at some RX8 prices when landed here in NZ for ya

[RunningRich]

And keep in mind that the dealer's margins are not that high at the moment, especially for $10000 cars. A lot of Auckland dealers are going bust (I have inside info).

[sergei]

I can guarantee you that at the moment we (GVI) have very low margins on sub 10g cars. In fact our month old wholesale prices are higher than retail. So this is best time to buy cars from dealers .

[RomanV]

A guy at work was telling me about a guy on trademe who sells cars.

He imports them, puts them on $1 reserve on trademe, leaves them at the compliance centre until someone buys them, and then the person who buys it becomes the first owner.

Basically he's a car dealer with no yard, and little to no overheads. Apparently he sells about 12 cars a week this way.

Although IIRC, he imports from singapore rather than direct from Japan, which made a significant difference in the cost for some reason.

[Blackrazor]

Wonder if he pays tax?

[Arthanon]

As long as the car isnt damaged in transit, and it goes through compliance first time, it shouldnt cost too much.

But yeah, better to go through an importer.

You also have to remember that it could be weeks before the boat even leaves with your car, as they have to fill the entire ship.

We looked at importring a Caldina before we brought ours, and the lead time was at least 8-12 weeks.

[CaM]

Although IIRC, he imports from singapore rather than direct from Japan, which made a significant difference in the cost for some reason.

ew.

singapore imports = electrical and rust problems to the hems. I'd never touch one.
let alone the fact that they never go over like 50kph over there