Importing a car from Europe

C

chodaboy

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Fellow Frogger
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Oct 12, 2004
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Location
Clonbinane, Victoria, Australia
Hi all, I wanted to know if anybody here has bought a car from overseas and can shed any light on what's involved?

I have a particular model on my bucket list which was not sold in Australia. I believe there are a single-digit number in the country as private imports. One recently came up for sale, the first I've ever seen, with a stratospheric price which didn't drop for 3 months until the ad went "on hold," something I've never seen before.

A bit of scouting has shown that they are somewhat readily available in Western Europe in the 10-15k euro range (approx 15-25k dollarydoos) for good examples.

Is there an outfit who could act as an agent for buying a car from overseas and handle everything from inspections to transport and Auatralian permits? It seems quite difficult to do it yourself, aside from the inherent risk in buying a car sight unseen from halfway around the planet.

Also wondering, if anyone has done this, what the associated costs are for a car in this price range. I can't imagine it's cheap but I'd like to know if it's a viable option or not.
 
Aside from the import rules and issues relating to meeting ADRs and registration in your state, be mindful that sea freight costs on many routes have risen significantly in the past year and also that Border Farce are actively enforcing the no asbestos rules. If they suspect there is asbestos and want to ring fence the vehicle and engage a specialist for invasive testing, the cost can be many thousands.
 
You will need to give us more info on the car you are looking at. If it is pre 1/1/1989 it will be an easier job. Is it only available in LHD?
I brought in two Alpine GTA Turbos and an NA GTA in 2004 to 2006 from the UK. I complied these cars myself. Rules change all the time.

There are businesses in some countries set up to remove and certify that all asbestos has been removed, but customs can choose to do their own tests at your expense. You are not allowed to strip the parts off yourself at Customs or use a mechanic you know to remove the parts for their asbestos inspection. Some have had their cars left I many pieces after these inspections.

I would suggest roll on roll off (RORO) rather than paying the extra for a container. Be prepared to have Customs seemingly find more things for you to pay for. the fuel to be drained from your car and tools, spares, and any decent stereo to be stolen.
The insurance companies will not cover these items.

Without having given you much info at this stage, I would do it again for the right vehicle.
 
alan moore said:
I would suggest roll on roll off (RORO) rather than paying the extra for a container. Be prepared to have Customs seemingly find more things for you to pay for. the fuel to be drained from your car and tools, spares, and any decent stereo to be stolen.
The insurance companies will not cover these items.
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Sad but true. I know someone who had literally everything that was not bolted down knocked off. Parts, tools, radio. Aerial broken. Worst of all, a fork lift prong through the side.

The authorities have to justify their existence. Be prepared for them to check in between the seams in the wheel wells, finding dirt, and necessitating the world´s most expensive steam clean - despite the importer having done a thorough job himself before shipping for this very reason.
 
When I imported my Alpine A110 the previous owner only sent the car in a container. The keys and other spare parts and official Papers were sent in a separate package that turned up a couple of weeks after the car did. So would be wise to ship all the bits that are easily pilfered in a separate package, would be well worth the extra cost.

I consider very fortunate that I did not experience any of the horror stories that you hear. The only thing was that the car was very dirty duco when I got it, but that was easily fixed with a wash.
 
I had my first GTA sent in a container and the next two RORO, with no damage done. Don’t bother getting the car cleaned at wherever it comes from. I spent 200 Pounds getting the first car cleaned, to have it cleaned again for $450, to then actually spend 4 hours with a pressure washer and the car on stands to actually clean it.

This was during the mad cow disease time. Should have seen the amount of soil going t down the gutter. All that was successfully done during the previous cleanings was to fill the spark plug holes full of water.
 
alan moore said:
I had my first GTA sent in a container and the next two RORO, with no damage done. Don’t bother getting the car cleaned at wherever it comes from. I spent 200 Pounds getting the first car cleaned, to have it cleaned again for $450, to then actually spend 4 hours with a pressure washer and the car on stands to actually clean it.

This was during the mad cow disease time. Should have seen the amount of soil going t down the gutter. All that was successfully done during the previous cleanings was to fill the spark plug holes full of water.
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The underneath of my A110 was spotless, was just the dirt on top, looked like it had been in a dust storm
 
Remember the most important piece of paper is the import permit its not expensive and is easy to fill in, BUT you can't import the car without it. Its a must have.
 
I have imported a lot of cars on roll on roll off ships [mostly MGs in the early 80/s] including my current 504 Cabliolet 10 years ago and have never had any damage or theft [many had parts in the boot which are not covered by insurance]
 
chodaboy said:
Col, how did you go with your car, did you see it beforehand or have it inspected, or just trust the seller?
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Never had it inspected, just got the seller to send pics that I asked for, which he did. I bought it off Ebay of all places back in 2005.

I have only ever bought 3 cars without inspection, the A110 (Dinalpin) from Mexico, a Fuego from S.A. and a R12 from down the coast which I bought for $100.
 
chodaboy said:
It's a Citroen Ami 6 sedan, so pre-89 isn't a problem but asbestos might be.
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Fabulous car. Do it!!! Good luck with the process - from a local (Perth) experience, getting the asbestos-free paperwork in place is well worth the effort.
 
What a lot of old hoo-haa the asbestos debate has become, How many of us over 60s would be carrying a few asbestos barbs internally and no one says a word about it. ;)
 
I am also looking at importing a French classic from overseas.

Importing a car actually seems easier than buying locally (for me and what I want, at least) at the moment, and while not exactly cheap, it seems like I can get a very tidy car, exactly what I want, for not much more than if the car were available here. Don't forget that you have to spend roughly $5000 just to get a car from over there to your place here, possibly a lot more than that. Some prices o/seas look great until you calculate all of the import costs.

I would strongly recommend using a broker. You could DIY import but from my reading there are many traps. In any import scenario, it takes time and there is arguably more potential for damage etc, as noted above. Ultimately, you don't really know what you've got until you're looking at it, but is it worth the risk? I reckon so!

There are some odd rules at the moment while the Motor Vehicle Standards Act is in transition. You can import a car 25 years old, but if LHD can't register it in some states until it's 30-plus years old. That might change as of July 1 when the MVSA comes into effect, as those states may (or may not) harmonise their rules. For an Ami 6, this MVSA change should not make any difference to you... I think.

The are lots of speculator prices overseas too, at least where I have been googling, but also still some good cars at good prices, and far more choice than here.

I'd love to ship a car out of France, but prices are rising quickly and (unless someone can tell me otherwise) I hear it is very difficult to buy and ship a car from France unless you are there yourself.

If you are looking at historic registration, in some states there is a very straight-forward process, which is that you just need a roadworthy certificate (provided of course the car has met all federal requirements for import). So things like headlights must dip to the left for example, but you don't need things like door intrusion barriers fitted. But you need to confirm all this with your state and car club, as some need an engineer's certificate and all sorts of changes like ADR-spec seat belts etc.
 
Apologies in advance for the necropost, but the itch has still not been scratched and I'm wondering if anyone may have any experiences in the last couple of years with importing a car of this vintage while somehow managing to have it cleared of asbestos and certified as such before it leaves the country of origin?
 
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