Some ins and outs of buying your own

[Sydneykid]

Hi guys this is a collection of quotes I have written over the last few months on my experiecnes with buying a Stagea, getting it complied under RAWS and then registering it in NSW. I hope there are some learnings for others in there...

Hi CoolPC, it doesn't always go as planned. I purchased ours on 6th May, it left Japan on the 12th May and arrived on the 3rd June, which was 1 day late against the Kiwi Car Carriers shipping schedule. Quarantine held it for 5 working days until they released it. It took 2 days to travel the 10 k's and get from the dock in Brisbane to the compliance shop. Then it spent 10 working days getting physically complied as promised. But DOTARS took another 17 working days to complete the paperwork as it had a later model LHS rear door, which eventually had to be changed. It then took 4 working days to get from Brisbane to Sydney and arrived here on 22nd July. So if you get yours in under 2 months, registered and ready to go, consider yourself lucky.

Yep all that is absolutely correct, except ours was an early 1997 build. My problem is why did DOTARS insist on crash testing (at a cost of ~$25K) when the later model doors (with better side intrusion bars) are already approved? It is simply illogical. If I need to replace a door now and buy a new one from Nissan, I will get a later model one, as they don't make the earlier one any more.

All it needed from DOTARS was a recognition of the fact that vehicle manufacturers do rolling updates. So newer model parts will appear in earlier model cars. If the earleir model is approved and the later model is approved then the rolling update should be approved.

What it means is, anyone who imports a Stagea from now on will have to pay back their share of the $25K that was waisted on the crash test. In my case, I had to waist $500 on a used earlier model (unsafer) door and then get it painted. As I said, totally illogical.

Hi Gary, good to see another Stagea on the go. Mine arrived 5 weeks ago and is still getting complied. Typical Nissan problem with rolling updates, where they use some new model parts at the end of the run of old models. In my Stagea's case that was a rear left hand door, it has the later model intrusion bars and all the other 3 doors have the early model intrusion bars. So it is stuck in no man's land with the beaurocrats at DOTARS. Hopefully it will be sorted out next week. We have a race meeting to go to next weekend and I need the Stagea tow car.

Hi Guys, having finished with the DOTARS bureaucracy, I am now dealing with the effen RTA bureaucrats.

It's all my fault, I made a big mistake, I paid for my greenslip on line

Me = "It is good enough for renewing, so it must be good enough for first time rego?".

RTA = "Didn't you know that when registering a car for the first time you have to have the original of the greenslip with you".

Me = "Well the NRMA let me do my greenslip on line and one of their questions is "is this a first time rego?". I have the screen printed receipt with the policy number and the receipt number and the vin number of vehicle".

RTA= "No, the receipt number from the NRMA and the policy number aren't good enough." "There are other numbers on the ORIGINAL greenslip that we need."

Me= "I have the NRMA on my mobile now, what numbers do you want?"

RTA = "listen, I told you, we need the original of the greenslip."

Me ="Why?"

RTA = "That's the system"

So now I have to wait until the original greenslip is posted out to me by the NRMA.

Time for an update..............

Two weeks working interstate, so down to the RTA with the ORIGINAL greenslip.

RTA= "All the paperwork is now in order"

Me = "Great where's my rego?"

RTA = "Bad luck, you have been selected for a random inspection"

Me = "No problems, let's go"

RTA = "Sorry, but you have to book it in"

Me = "Next Saturday?"

RTA = " Sorry the Inspection Stations are only open Monday to Friday"

Me = "But I work"

RTA = "So XXXXday, at YYYYYYYYY"

Me = "Then they will register it?"

RTA = "On no, you will have to come back here to register it"

Me = "That means a whole day off work"

RTA = "Sorry, that's the system

Time for the last update.....

Took the Stagea along for it's Identity Check.

Waited for 30 minutes in the que, I had an appointment but that doesn't matter.

Only took them 40 minutes to agree the engine and chasis numbers.

Asked question " Must have been my bad luck getting a random inspection?'

RTA Inspector, "Oh no, we inspect ALL RAWS Imports for their first rego".

"Why"

"It's the system"

Went back to local RTA, waited in the que for 45 minutes. They finally took my money and I now have a fully complied and registered Stagea

[sewid]

Thanks Sydneykid. Very interesting. Good to know that im going to get reamed by the RTA once the car gets here.

One question: Why did DOTARS give you a hard time. Was your car the test car for a RAWS?

I plan on making a similar post when the GTR is here. Story so far:

- Car purchased on 19th August

- Good point: Received pics of the car today

- Bad point: Car still in Japan

[Guest RedLineGTR]

How bloody annoying…it’s the system..blah

Well at least its all done now but such a hassle.

[Sydneykid]

One question: Why did DOTARS give you a hard time. Was your car the test car for a RAWS?(

I can't say they gave ME a hard time, the problem is they refuse to recognise the FACT that Nissan (and most other car manufacturers) do rolling updates. If they run out of early model parts they use later model parts, this happens most frequently at the end of the model run. If the early model part is approved and the later model part is approved, then having the later model part on the early model chassis should not be a problem. Let's face it if I went along to Nissan to buy a (superceded) spare for an early model, I would get the later model part anyway. It's a REALITY and DOTARS simply refuses to recognise it.

I just had the bad luck for it to be a door, it could have been a windscreen wiper, or a radiator, or a turbo, or a gearbox etc. No one would have cared about them. I guess it could have been worse, it might have been all 4 doors.

[pentae]

This beurocratic bullshit boils my blood every time.

[Duncan]

I love their "Its the system" quote

but I guess the person behind the counter isn't responsible for it they are just doing their job

If you want some fun with the RTA try losing a trade plate and replacing it quickly. It was a laugh a minute for about 3 weeks.....

[sewid]

I love their "Its the system" quote

but I guess the person behind the counter isn't responsible for it they are just doing their job

I used to think this as well but for many places it IS up to the person behind the counter. So it is their fault that they ruined your life!

For example when I was registering a business name at the Dept of Fair Trading, the rules are arbitrary as to whether your business name is "taken" or "too similar" or "allowed". The business name I was registering was deemed to be too similar to an existing company name, even though the industry was completely different, the spelling was completely different and mine was two words where the other was 1 word.

Just to show how arbitrary it really was and how much discression the stupid counter staff really have, I went to another Dept of Fair trading office in another suburb and my business name was registered without issue and has never been challenged since...

F'ing waste of my time.