BigWillieStyles

I recommend doing a lot of reading. A brief run down. Assuming you are bringing in cars that are post-1989, you are going to want to bring cars in through Specialists Enthusiasts Vehicle Scheme. 1.You will need to find out if the car you are bringing in is on the eligible list. You also need to make sure the car has no accident damage history, no structural rust, and no extensive mods. 2.Then find a compliance shop that has plates to comply. 3. Once purchased, (or before), you will need to apply for approval. The compliance shop will do this on your behalf. 4. Car is shipped. 5. Car arrives. Customs broker assists with getting car released. 6. Pay tax, shipping, customs fees, and tax again. 7. Transport car to workshop - car is complied to meet ADRs. 8. Register car. A lot of variables affect price.

That is shocking. Plus it looks like its got some serious accident damage history with the entire panels from one side and the boot replaced. That shouldnt have been complianced! It needs to be compulsory for imports to be sold with their de-registration papers. If they cant supply dereg certificate, go somewhere else!

Wouldnt DOTARS have a record of the km listed on the original approval which would have been prior to import?

Have you considered importing yourself? The cars I bought in Japan always had their log books.

The government used to allow some visitors to bring their car on a temporary permit, but I believe these may be limited to a time frame of 3 months. I couldnt find anything on the DOTARS website, so they may have removed this. I doubt you will find another way to import. Why not sell the GTR, and buy something that is unique from Australia to take back? All the info about importing is listed on the DOTARS website. Australia is much stricter than the UK in terms of importing. Australia has a local car industry to protect and thousands of jobs.

You have to be careful with using exporters who arent familiar with Australian requirements for imports. Some car dealers in Japan pay Tradecareview to put their cars they have for sale on the site and there are many hidden dangers in such an approach. Personally, I would go with a local importer who can help you find the right car and has a better understanding of the complexities when importing a car into Aus.

Dont bother trailering it. Just get a temporary road permit from your state road authority. Allows you to drive the car around to the workshop and back from the docks. A cover note from an insurance company is also a good idea. Heaps! You will be slogged for customs duty of 10 percent of the value of your car (they will have a valuer make an estimate of current value), and then another 10 percent in gst ontop of the customs fees and shipping fee. Also remember you will be taxed again when you get around to registering the car. Then there is also customs broker fees which should be around 500 dollars at either end. Ive done two personal imports btw.

Really? Whats the deal with that? I would imagine that the whole drivetrain would have been soaked in salt water. Also would expect they wouldnt meet the SEVS criteria due to having extensive damage!?

I cant really fault the guage looks itself, but the quality does leave a bit to desire. There are a few marks on it, but figured I would keep it and give it a try. I was worrying it would be like this one,

Well, I havent installed it yet, and was thinking of returning it. Then looking at buying a genuine one but just wanted to work out the differences so Im not ripped off. I know what your saying though.

Hello all, I rushed into a sale on ebay and bought a cheap gauge ($70) that says its an Apexi Boost EL2 Gauge. It was pretty cheap and while that to me suggests that it is a fake, I cant work out the difference between a fake and a real. If it is a fake, its very well done, even has a barcode sticker that shows the contact details for Japan in Japanese. The back of the pack has Japanese instruction and the box looks exactly like every other ebay Apexi gauge. It has a clear vacuume pipe? Do Apexi use clear vacuume or black? Just trying to work out the differences. Does anyone else have a genuine EL2 gauge? Will

Kms arent a good measure of quality. They are likely genuine. The fact of the matter is its nearly a 10 year old car.

pm sent regarding item.

I might see if I can make it to this, would like to see what my Subaru puts down stock.

yeah the later models have the black/red comb seats if I remember. They dont look as good the plain red ones. But the headlights in the later models look pretty cool. Buy the earlier model and buy a set of new headlights. You could get a much cheaper one if your willing to buy one with over 100,000kms. I am definitely getting one of these one day.

You probably cant get insurance for the car from the auction to the port, but at each stage, when the car changes hands, the car is checked over, and your customs agent in Japan should be able to trace that sort of stuff if something major happened. Same in Aus as well. Shipping with Kiwi, all cars are insured but doesnt include inner cargo. I was personally really worried about the process, but after doing it twice now, I havent really had much to worry about. I have heard of horror stories though. You can expect minor things to be taken, I had my gear knob pinched on my first car. And on my Legacy, someone has replaced the rear view mirror with a different one. Quite funny actually, and I prefer the one they put on

check again

Hello Im selling my Subaru Legacy GT-B. I would actually like to keep the car but have to purchase an auto for my wife and I to drive as my wife doesnt drive manual. I owned and just personally imported the car myself. The details are below; Subaru Legacy GT-B 1999 (twin turbo 280hp) 54,000kms (log books) Manual 5 speed HID headlights Fog lights Dark window tint (factory) Climate control Electric options; seats, mirrors, windows. Silver colour 17inch alloys Fujitsubo axel back exhaust (Not loud but has a nice boxer note) Cusco front strut brace Cusco front stabilizer Cusco rear stabilizer The car has never been in an accident, and I have never had any mechanical problems. The car drives very smoothly and has heaps of grip to match. I have always stored the car in an undercover carpark and have never driven the car offroad or in snow. It has heaps of little gadgets and pockets and would make an awesome car for someone who wants a practical car with heaps of grunt. The car can be viewed at the workshop in the city over the next couple of weeks. Once its engineered, I will be getting a RWC for easy registration. $21,500 Negotiable Call (03) 9482 5285 [email protected] William

It says on the auction sheet that it has burns on the carpet. Was probably a company car for some self employed salesman who smoked alot.

All those sports cars that show up in searches as Police cars in Japan like the GTRs and FD rx7s, etc are actually used by highway patol officers, not your regular Police officer. The katakana is a bit small to read, cant make it out but it does have an aftermarket muffler.

Thanks champ, rang them and am working it out now.

Guys, I really need some advice on a place where I can get my car engineered that has a aircon license so my car can be processed in customs, it arrives next week. The engineer I was originally going to use told me that he didnt have a gas license. According to my customs broker, I need to provide a license number or apply for a license myself (400dollars two week wait) to have the car processed. The car is a 1999 model, so the aircon gas doesnt have to be removed. My first Personal import didnt require it, but they claimed that it was because they dont charge for the first. Any help with this would be great? Any suggestions on an engineer in Vic or Brisbane that has a license. I am planning on calling some engineers today. I tried SSV in melbourne, but they dont know how to do a Personal import and dont have a gas license. Thanks William

Im amazed at the people who said 25K is a lot for an R32. Usually everyone is bagging out the people who are looking at spending peanuts on a 32. People judge the market prices on the lower end of the price range, but when you actually go look at the cheaper cars, they have lots of flaws. Every car I have ever bought I have had to go higher than I expected to get quality. Just make sure it is quality. Have to agree, been there done that, wont do it again.

Heres a link - Goo Any car agent in Japan should be able to source from goo. If youve got 70K to import one of these, you could probably afford to get a modified one and take the mods off for compliance. Then again, most are stock anyway.