What to bring back as personal import?

[Gav]

OK - let your imagination run free here for a moment.

I will be OS for a couple of years and can bring back to Australia basically any vehicle as a personal import. I'm in Europe (actually Bulgaria) but can import and register right hand drive cars here, so no probs with bringing in a Jap car here first for the minimum 12 months (except for the transport costs) before sending back to Oz.

Plenty of cheap Porsches and Beemers here, but they are left hand drive and I don't want to drive a LHD car (or do the conversion) back in Oz.

I'm leaning towards an Evo 7 or perhaps an Autech S15 convertible (do a turbo conversion back in Oz of course!). Needs to be a decent sort of a car 'tho as the transport costs and rego/insurance/storage costs here will add about $10k to the vehicle.

Suggestions?

[RB20LagWagon]

Tvr

[puckish]

In Bulgaria huh. Lada ?

I'd go European. TVR's are about GBP40K new. Friend sold her two year old golf in the UK for the aussie ev. of $9000. The damn thing had a Recaro Factory int.

Look at the UK used classic market and you'll find some real steals there. If I was any longer over there I would have bought back a S8 Audi. Two years old and only $40K.

Just remeber that with any import insurance will be a nightmare, even thought they were delivered in Oz dosn't make it cheaper.

[Gav]

I'll have a closer look at what's around in the UK, but from what I have seen anything decent still looks pretty pricey.

[GTS-t VSPEC]

While I was in the UK I saw plenty of TVR's and it has just reinforced my thoughts that I want one:D

[Denver]

Gav something like a tvr would be go, or get some group A rally historey and track down a mk 5 cossie 4wd..

[Denver]

oh and while your there, stuff it full of demon tweak goodness, and any other shop you can fidn that bombs them up..

[kidd]

E36 M3

Or get a 22B rex and sell it when u get back for a killin

[fane]

you have too much money to play with gav....!!!

go the evo mate... i'll be getting an evo when i can afford one...

and my line just wont go any faster without blowing bits off the engine...

[caminperth]

I'd be leaning towards a Euro car rather than a Jap car. I'm looking at buying something in the UK to go for a driving tour mid this year round Europe and the price of BMW's is criminal. I was very surprised to find a heap of them under 5000 quid! And they are 318i's either - I think there was even an original M5 in that lot somewhere. I'd imagine your budget would be alot better than mine - go Euro pimp - Audi, BMW, Merc.

OR a completely different track to go down would be the Ford GT90. Handles like a Lotus Elise and goes harder than a Ferrari 360 - well according to Jeremy Clarkson anyhow - and I think all for under 90k..

[fane]

FORD GT90!! DO iT!!

General specifications

Country of origin

United States Produced in1995

Numbers built N/A

Body design N/A

Weight 1451 kg / 3198.9 lbs

Drivetrain

Engine V12

Engine location Mid, longitudinally mounted Displacement 5.927 liter / 361.7 cu in Valvetrain4 valves/cylinder, DOHC Fuel feed

Fuel injection

Aspiration-Quad Turbos (OMG! )

Gearbox-5 Speed Manual Drive

Rear wheel drive Performance figures

Power 720 bhp / 537.1 kW @ 6600 rpm

BHP/Liter121.5 Torque 895 Nm / 660.1 ft lbs @ 4750 rpm

Power to weight ratio 0.50 bhp/kg

Top Speed 234.9 mph / 378.0 km/h 0-60 mph Acceleration 3.10 s

Just a bit of inspiration.... I wanna see one on an SAU cruise

[caminperth]

Good Boy Fane *pats head* - but thats not the car. Maybe it's not the GT90. The one pictured above is the older generation of the car I was suggesting. As Jeremy Clarkson said about it - "Ford have been great at making cars go very very fast in a straight line, but they must have some very stright roads in America.." It definitely does not handle like a Lotus Elise!

I'll try to find pics of what I'm talking about....

[caminperth]

Found it.. It's the new Ford GT, will be released this year. Specs as follows:

Engine

Configuration Mid, longitudinally mounted Ford Modular 90º V8

Construction aluminum block and head

Displacement 5.409 liter / 330.1 cu in

Bore / Stroke 90.2 mm (3.6 in) / 105.8 mm (4.2 in)

Compression ratio 8.4:1

Valvetrain 4 valves/cylinder, DOHC

Fuel feed Sequential multi-port Fuel injection

Aspiration Eaton roots-type supercharger

Drivetrain

Chassis/body composite body panels on aluminum spaceframe

Suspension unequal length upper A-arms and lower L-arms, coil springs, monotube dampers, tubular anti-roll bar

Steering rack-and-pinion, power assisted

Brakes vented discs, all-round, ABS

Gearbox Ricardo 6 Speed Manual , Rear wheel drive

Performance figures

Power 500 bhp / 373.0 kW @ 6000 rpm

BHP/Liter 92.4

Torque 678 Nm / 500.1 ft lbs @ 4500 rpm

[NO_RSPECT]

its very mustangy

personally a nice BMW wouldnt go astray

nothing too exotic,

aston martin vanquish would be nice

maybe you can get her majestys secret service to install the tricky camera setup

[Nexus_SiX]

As were letting our imagination run...

[zanda]

haha.

I always thought that car looks like someone squeezed a mushy turd.

[Gav]

True, some nice mafia Beemers and Mercs here going real cheap, but all LHD.

Anyone know who does Euro conversions in Perth and the cost?

[NO_RSPECT]

BM Engineering in Bayswater will be your best bet i would say

[caminperth]

Gav - if you sourced the car from the UK it'd be RHD wouldn't it?

Just a thought..

[Nexus_SiX]

Zanda... must have too much fibre in your diet..or iron