15 year rule is officially... OVER!

[funkymonkey]

just mailed this out:

****************

After discussion with DOTARS and consultation with our lawyers, we have determined some new and interesting developments with the recent termination of the 15 year old rule which was not initially clear in the media release and FAQ made available to the public.

According to the media release, vehicles purchased prior to Feb 7th 2005 can still be imported under the old 15 year old law. However, there is a brief period between the media release of Feb 7th and when the regulations are ammended during which 15 year old vehicles can still be purchased and import approval can be applied for. While no firm timeframe can be given for this period before the ammendment is made, we believe it will be approximately 3 weeks. During this time any 15 year old vehicle purchased MUST have import approval applied for before the ammendment, and the vehicle must be 15 years or older during this time, meaning only February 1990 vehicles and earlier can be purchased.

Since the exact date of the ammendment coming into effect is not known, to be safe any vehicles purchased must have import approval applied for on the same day as purchase and buyers must be able to pay for cars immediately. We expect that there will be an increase in the price of some cars (particularly those at auction) however the extent of this is difficult to tell. Whatever the case this is the absolute last opportunity to purchase some models (even if it is at a slightly higher price) and if interested people are encouraged to contact us immediately as time is short.

Regards,

The J-Spec Imports Team

****************

[NXTIME]

So my interpretation was correct

I better get going to buy that 1300HP 8 second R32 GTR...

[dekimasu]

here! here!

Well I guess the peeps who got in are really stoked! I know some guys have been saving their cash like crazy since early last year for an GTR hoping they make it before the legislation changes! maybe it will boost the R32 GTR market value back up to the 30k mark for a nice one!! ?? daaaam~

RAW's compliance is not available anymore for the R32 GTR as I understand it.

Is that right?

[blacky]

this should bring out a few people waiting to sell off their 89's at inflated prices...

[Duncan]

Workshops are underway getting compliance for R32s but of course it will be more expensive than under the 15 year rule

[slow13dude]

here! here!

Well I guess the peeps who got in are really stoked! I know some guys have been saving their cash like crazy since early last year for an GTR hoping they make it before the legislation changes! maybe it will boost the R32 GTR market value back up to the 30k mark for a nice one!! ?? daaaam~

RAW's compliance is not available anymore for the R32 GTR  as I understand it.

Is that right?

Correct. R32 compliance was available under the old system, but nobody has it under the new SEVS yet. Geoff kept promising it would come in "2-3 months". 12 months later I have a 1989 "15 year" GTR.

In any case, the decent 89 GTRs were getting up to around $23k pre-compliance, so there hasn't been much of a "bargain" recently any way.

Even when SEVS compliance comes through, it's still going to be expensive. 99% of the 1989 GTRs have too much damage to be complied under SEVS, so I expect the 1990-1994 GTRs to be similar.

[Hiroshima Screamer]

here! here!

Well I guess the peeps who got in are really stoked! I know some guys have been saving their cash like crazy since early last year for an GTR hoping they make it before the legislation changes! maybe it will boost the R32 GTR market value back up to the 30k mark for a nice one!! ?? daaaam~

RAW's compliance is not available anymore for the R32 GTR  as I understand it.

Is that right?

30!? thats what you would pay for a 92+ one already landed now days , try more like 35-40 for above board one.

[dekimasu]

30!? thats what you would pay for a 92+ one already landed now days , try more like 35-40 for above board one.

really? That much for a mint one? man! I wonder how much for myne?? I just applied for import approval for my Feb 1990 model yesterday! I rang up dotars on how long it would take to process the application.. apparently uptill the anoucement it was like taking 2 weeks but now the changes have come in its caos there and she said 3-6 weeks! WTF!!! That means I dont see my R for at least another 2 months!! well.. I shouldn't comlpain I gess.. there are more unfortunate peeps due to the rule change. :ufo:

[predator]

It's quite funny these "....but wait, you still can import!" emails over the last day or so

I think anybody doing what these guys are suggesting is taking a risk. Trying to get a "pre Feb 1990 car" because that is when the annoucement was made.. but anything post Feb-90 would most likely be subject to refusal so don't get one of them.

Trying to exploit a loophole isn't the best way to be endeared with government departments, or trying to get out of things if they did decide "ok, screw all of you, we made the rule this date, we're not processing any new import approvals, 1989, 1990, or anything 15 year".

Although obviously the lawyers might have to duke it out, it wasn't as if there hasn't been enough "forewarning" by the issue. The whole thing on the DOTORS website about 1990 vehicles was to cover their asses.. Now they probably don't have to be so generous..

But anyhow, I got my car. It's quite nice I saved a packet, which is going into other aspects of the car over time (like the rb25 conversion). If you are considering it, don't dally.

[funkymonkey]

lol we don't encourage people to buy any March 1990 cars or anything made after that... because that's a HUGE risk to take right now, and purely staking all your bets on them not amending the law by 1/3/2005.

But to buy a car made in feb 1990 or before is perfectly within the law and guidelines set by the government, there's no "loophole-ness" about it. We've had our lawyers talk to DOTARS and to the minister's office, we have the communication in writing and signed and we have been told that they don't have any issues with it.

What we found is that there's about 20-30 peole who have contacted us after months of umming and ahhing about a car, desperate for anything they can get their hands on. Almost all 89 cars that are available on japan thru mainstream sources are spoken for by most brokers now, so much so that we're lucky we've got other sources. But the whole market is gettin pretty wierd (like some brokers listing cars that have seen better days... and guys washing them ).

As an example of the frenzy in the market, for the green turbo SW20 MR2 that was on our mailing list, we've had exactly 93 people ask about it via email (and more over the phone). Around 30 or so who were ready to purchase it, 5 who were on a priority list since they have already paid the service fee, out of whom 1 walked away with the car.

The person who bought that car stands to make a $5000 profit if he sold it as soon as it arrived in australia. Most of the clients we're dealing with now are car yards and dealers, who are pretty serious on stocking up as long as the law permits them to.

[raz0r$harP.UK]

SEVS is available for the R32...GTR and GTST with build dates from 1989 - June 91 and then from June 92 to 1994 (excludes the time that Aussie delivered GTRs were available).

Currently two workshops are RAWS for the R32 but as I remember they aren't selling plates to the public.

Cheers

Vijay

[DRIFTT]

Currently two workshops are RAWS for the R32 but as I remember they aren't selling plates to the public.

Cheers

Vijay

And now since this ruling has come out workshops will spend the dollars to get R32's on their schedule.

[funkymonkey]

from memory UPI in melb can do R32's as SEVS, the other company refuses to sell plates to public and is purely using their plates for their own stockpile.

[ian]

I've just written the following to Jimbo and my local member for parliament:

 

Don't know if it will make any difference, but maybe if they had 10,000 letters like that they may have to take notice...

Yes it will make a difference! For those of you not watching what was happening a year ago, I tried to get quite a campaign going to stop or at least delay these moronic changes.. We at least slowed them down till after the federal election!

Jim Lloyd is already in trouble, so the more of us that yell about this proposal, the greater the chance we have of stopping it. Don't bother with DOTARS, go straight to the politicians!

Go to my site (http://www.r34skyline.com) and read what I've put on the front page, and if you have a few minutes and want to try and make a difference, write a letter! Otherwise you are effectively telling the government that you don't mind the changes?

We should ask for the whole thing to be scrapped - and at a minimum we should demand that the change is not retrospective, ie the cut off date is the proclamation date minus 15 years ie march 1990.

Give it a go!

Ian

[ian]

Correct.  R32 compliance was available under the old system, but nobody has it under the new SEVS yet.  Geoff kept promising it would come in "2-3 months".  12 months later I have a 1989 "15 year" GTR.

In any case, the decent 89 GTRs were getting up to around $23k pre-compliance, so there hasn't been much of a "bargain" recently any way.

Even when SEVS compliance comes through, it's still going to be expensive.  99% of the 1989 GTRs have too much damage to be complied under SEVS, so I expect the 1990-1994 GTRs to be similar.

slow13dude is right - the problem isn't getting workshops to get r32 compliance, it's the fact the most r32 GTR's aren't going to be eligible to go through SEVS anyway! Remember, no modifications, no accidents, etc etc..

And don't feel too smug if you already have one, no imports means a declining support base for you, etc etc.. So even if it pushes prices up in the short term, it won't be good for you in the long term - and aren't we all skyline nuts for the long term!?

[slow13dude]

And don't feel too smug if you already have one, no imports means a declining support base for you, etc etc.. So even if it pushes prices up in the short term, it won't be good for you in the long term - and aren't we all skyline nuts for the long term!?

I was actually looking forward to a shitload of R32 GTRs on the road. More on the road means a bigger market, which means more mechanical and aftermarket support. Plus all the young hoons buy their cheap GTR and write it off, meaning more spare parts available! But I guess not now...

[DRIFTT]

If car dealers and back yarders were not greedy it would of been left alone.

Importers of these cars were using an exemption that allows hobbyists and enthusiasts to import classic and historic cars. This exemption exists as these vehicles generally perform low mileages and are limited in numbers, and therefore represent a minimal risk to overall Australian vehicle and safety goals.

“Without such an exemption, the private importation of these types of older, collectible cars would become uneconomic.

“The closure of this loophole will only apply to those vehicles which do not fit in the classic and historic category, thus preserving the ability of hobbyists and enthusiasts to obtain older classic cars and historic vehicles.”

it's the fact the most r32 GTR's aren't going to be eligible to go through SEVS anyway! Remember, no modifications, no accidents, etc etc..

How can allowing cars that have had an accident be good for the industry, that is why CPA was stopped.

It is a fact and people will just have to learn about getting around it and buying something else.

The ruling was always made for Restoration and Club cars not daily drivers.

[ian]

I was actually looking forward to a shitload of R32 GTRs on the road.  More on the road means a bigger market, which means more mechanical and aftermarket support.

- exactly correct!

[BATMBL]

SEVS is available for the R32...GTR and GTST with build dates from 1989 - June 91 and then from June 92 to 1994 (excludes the time that Aussie delivered GTRs were available).

Currently two workshops are RAWS for the R32 but as I remember they aren't selling plates to the public.

Cheers

Vijay

There are only 2 workshops with SEVS doing R32 GTST ONLY.

Anyone can check this by going here:

http://raws.dotars.gov.au/rawswebpublic/RA...AWPubSearch.asp

it wont tell you whether they do GTST and GTR etc, but i know for a fact they they only have the evidence for GTST and not GTR, so they can only comply GTSTs. They are both in Brisbane also. they dont issue plates to public, so this is where R32 GTST & GTR prices currently in aus will go up considerably over the coming months-and remain the same over the years, whether they are 15yr olds or SEVS ones in both the new RAWS scheme and the old scheme.

R32 GTR compliance wont be available yet for at least 3-6 months, and even when one workshop manages to get all the evidence, this doesnt mean that they'll issue the plates to the public either, just like the 2 workshops for the R32 GTST at the moment not issuing to public. in the end they will make more profit by doing it this way, so why make less money when you can make more for doing the same job? especially when you are the only one in the game, or one of few?

my 2c

[ian]

If car dealers and back yarders were not greedy it would of been left alone.

Importers of these cars were using an exemption that allows hobbyists and enthusiasts to import classic and historic cars. This exemption exists as these vehicles generally perform low mileages and are limited in numbers, and therefore represent a minimal risk to overall Australian vehicle and safety goals.

?Without such an exemption, the private importation of these types of older, collectible cars would become uneconomic.

?The closure of this loophole will only apply to those vehicles which do not fit in the classic and historic category, thus preserving the ability of hobbyists and enthusiasts  to obtain older classic cars and historic vehicles.?

How can allowing cars that have had an accident be good for the industry, that is why CPA was stopped.

It is a fact and people will just have to learn about getting around it and buying something else.

The ruling was always made for Restoration and Club cars not daily drivers.

Wrong on a few counts. Many of the accidents are quite minor, and there are many many many cars driving around in Aus that have had much worse.. So why shouldn't they come in?

And if you don't think an R32 GTR isn't an enthusiast car, but a 1985 911 is, I think you'll find a few people in this forum will disagree with you!

Furthermore, there is no valid reason not to open the whole import scheme. If anything, the import rules could be argued to be the exact opposite of what they are - ie open all imports of cars LESS than 20 years old..