Need help importing a car from the US

[cowboy]

So there was a stunning 1932 Pontiac V8 on ebay US. I fell in love and put on a bid which I considered to be stupid cheap, bugger me if I didn't win it.

The car is in De Pere Wisconsin and I need to get it home but have no idea where to start. I need someone who can pick it up, transport it to port and get it into Aus. Can anyone help me out here with some advice or contacts?

[ebv8]

have a look on ebay there is a guy who advetises this for about $2500 plus taxes and so-on or call this guy
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Chevrolet...3923574&_uhb=1

[cowboy]

Nice one, cheers.

[Sioso]

Usually a few advertisers in Unique Cars magazine who do this.
Their advertised prices appear to be quite reasonable also.

[blk6t]

My friend imports cars from the UK and has imported from the US before, I can ask him and let you know some contacts. My friend had a really hard time importing a Ferrari 360, easy getting it here but because he wanted to register the vehicle in Australia, it sat in Melbourne for a couple of months waiting for compliance. The hold up was a missing tag which was sent over from the UK and some suspension components needed to be replaced. But for the price he got it in Australia for, it was worth importing.

[cowboy]

That would be great mate. Compliance isn't a problem for me being a 1932 model and the car comes with a clean title so export from the US shouldn't be a problem.

[XAVEE8]

Plenty of info on this site...

http://www.usatoaus.com/faq.html

[MercurySilver]

i thought it wasnt that easy anymore??
didnt they change laws where the cars got to be completely stock and any mods after a certain year had to have all the details and proof???

theres plenty of ads in just cars magazine
dont be fooled by the cheap ones
think its around 2500 to 3000 from memory
was looking at getting a cheapo challenger but it was just easier to by the aussie dream car (an xb)
let us know how you go and who you go with
and photos of course when the thing lands over here

[Xauterus]

Probably worthwhile asking in the American Ford section of this forum. Pedro has bought several cars from the USA. He seems to know several people over there as well.


www.usatoaus.com offer a service, but I don't have any feedback about them. Might even be worth asking about on the 0zrodders forums as quite a few guys import cars to build hot rods etc.

Your biggest hassle may be organising the freight to get it to the coast, Portland Washington or California are common ports for exporting cars from the states. You need someone to ensure it is totally spotless underneath for customs here or they charge ridiculous cleaning fees.

[SilverStang04]

PM sent

[cowboy]

The car is completely stock, the v8 is factory. I got a quote form usatoaus.com, they seem to know their stuff but it was almost 7 grand, admittedly a grand of that was for transport to the port from the seller but still seems pricey. I'll ask in the American section and ozrodders is a good idea also. Cheers.

No PM received SilverStang.

[Xauterus]

I have seen the ads for cheap importing. But is that the fee for their work and excludes all the customs fees?
There was a guy on here who imported a Dodge Charger and he went through all the costs.

[malazn mafia]

How about importing a wreck from the US? Are there still customs' duties etc? Toying with the idea of putting together a local $10k E90 3-series and a $15k USDM E90 M3 wreck for a sleeper runabout.

[rocket67]

Cowboy, You have a few steps to go through.

First, You need the seller to email you the Certificate of Title and Bill of Sale.
Once you have those you need to apply for Import approval from Dotars ( Department of Transport, Canberra.)
http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/

Make sure to do the above quickly as it takes a bit over three weeks for the Import approval to arrive. The car cannot be Imported without it.

While you are waiting - have the car transported to Los Angeles for shipping to Australia. We used Schumacher Cargo Logistics at Long Beach.
http://www.schumachercargo.com/
Contact Schumacher for a quote. I would suggest using the fast ship - Los Angeles to Australia via New Zealand. It is called the Pacific North West Route.

A good site to find a car transport within the USA is Transport Reviews.com http://www.transportreviews.com/
Scroll down the home page to get to the quote section. Have used the site with success quite a few times.
Very important to make sure the original Certificate of Title and Bill of sale remain in the car at all times. Impress this upon the seller.

As soon as the Import approval arrives email it to the Shipping Company. The car can now be shipped.

You need to then contact an Australian Customs Broker/ Receiver to handle the paperwork and fees to get it through the Australian port and do the Customs Clearance. At this point you need to bend over and spread em! Prepare yourself for a shafting at this end of the shipping!
If you like I can let you know who we used at this end.

Hope that helps.

Rocket.

[cowboy]

This is an oldish thread now, my car is currently on the water and should be available for pickup in about 2 weeks. Should, I've found that there are no guarantees in this caper, US customs seized my car for several weeks for a "random inspection". I hope it's still intact but have no way of knowing. The whole thing has turned into a bit of a nightmare actually. I won't name the company I used here but they will NOT be used again.

[rocket67]

Oh, good that you car is almost here.

Once the ship arrives it normally takes a couple of weeks to go through Customs and AQIS Clearance.

Sounds like it has not been a pleasant experience for you.

Once you take possession of the car all the problems associated with Importing become a distant memory. Importing a car takes a lot of patience! Certainly not for everyone.

Rocket.

[cowboy]

I really hope it will all be worth it mate, I'm very worried about what customs did to my car for two weeks. Apparently they are charging me for the pleasure as well. The experience has been anything but pleasant.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by cowboy

I really hope it will all be worth it mate, I'm very worried about what customs did to my car for two weeks. Apparently they are charging me for the pleasure as well. The experience has been anything but pleasant.

I doubt US Customs did anything to your car. They've stepped up "checking" containers lately but I think it's just another gouge for $. Let us know how much they charged you. Have you got your import approval?

[ozpacman]

Good to see you've got her on the water now Cowboy and let's hope that she's even better than you'd hoped!

I presently have a CB750 Honda enroute from New York however it's only just sailed and won't be due in Brisbane until mid May. As with Rocket67, I also engaged Schumacher Cargo Logistics to handle the shipping and they've been good to deal with so far. I had several months delay with the bike sitting in their warehouse waiting for a load to be made up , however they had advised me from the outset that New York/Brisbane could be slow depending on demand so I was okay with that.

This is the first time I've ever imported a vehicle and it's been interesting to work through the processes. So far so good but as Rocket correctly points out, you need to be patient!

I've been in contact with my receiving agent in Brisbane and yeah - I'm mentally preparing for the shafting. A bit of a perusal of the various fees and charges that can be levied at the Australian end has left me in no doubt that the old 'Painters & Dockers' outfit is alive and well!

Anyway, based on my experiences to date I think I'd be confident in doing it again if the right vehicle catches my eye - and we know that can happen at any time eh!

Cheers,

Russ

[cowboy]

I hope you're right. I'll definitely post what the costs were, I can see the original quote being blown out of the water. Yes, I have had import approval for quite some time now.