Importing your own car to New Zealand

[Jack4688]

What kind of period are we talking? I've owned it since May 2013. I was thinking I might have to do some preemptive replacement of some parts while I'm still here but then I'll have spent all my money

At the very least I wouldn't want to have to try to find some MkIII Golf Recaros again, get them retrimmed in quattro script cloth (assuming I can actually process an order on auditradition ever again), get an exhaust bypass valve fitted, a New Zealand remap, some Avuses for winter use, BBS LM reps, a Nardi steering wheel and a mesh S2 radiator grille let alone the non-cosmetic parts to keep handy

Christchurch or Dunedin are where I'm thinking of, but really it's wherever I can get work so I can get into the country. May I ask why on earth you left???

[ColonialNomad]

What kind of period are we talking? I've owned it since May 2013. I was thinking I might have to do some preemptive replacement of some parts while I'm still here but then I'll have spent all my money

12 months is one of the criteria. You also need to be holding a relevant NZ permit and you're not permitted to sell the vehicle 24 months after importation.

The rest are shown in the link below:

http://www.newzealandmovers.co.nz/images/brochures/new-zealand-movers-guide-to-importing-motor-vehicles-into-new-zealand.pdf

Christchurch or Dunedin are where I'm thinking of, but really it's wherever I can get work so I can get into the country. May I ask why on earth you left???

Your success will vary according to the skills and experience you offer. The NZ government is shamelessly opportunistic when it comes to who they approve visa for. You either need to be capable of paying a shitload of tax, be capable of generating a shitload of jobs or be capable of filling a skill shortage.

The other thing to be mindful of is the culture. Don't go over there thinking its like the UK. The UK has a far more tolerant and forgiving culture. The reasons why I left were to do with not being able to find a job there. What I do is highly specialised and the positions available had gatekeepers or were awarded to people who matched an extremely exacting (i.e. unreasonable for the role) person specification. There's also a widespread culture of bullying in the workplace over there which is why so many NZers are well practiced at affability, humility and deference. Christchurch is particularly bad. I can wholehearedly recommend Dunedin though - very genuine and down to earth people, on the whole...outside the work place.

[Jack4688]

Have I interpreted this correctly? It appears I would not have any tax to pay to bring my S2 into New Zealand:

CUSTOMS
Motor vehicles can be imported free of duty and tax (GST) provided they are imported by a person who…
• Has arrived in New Zealand; and
• Holds a New Zealand/Australian passport or one of the above relevant visas/permits in New Zealand at the time of importation of the motor vehicle; and
• Has resided outside of New Zealand for more than 21 months; and
• Has owned and personally used the motor vehicle for at least 12 months prior to importation into New Zealand
• Do not sell the vehicle within 24 months of importation

That is of course on the basis that I will obtain a working visa. $300 for quarantine inspection upon arrival in New Zealand and $200 on top of that should it require cleaning. Structural Inspection, Compliance and Registration are approx $1025.

This statement worries me slightly:

The certification process also
consists of a physical inspection of the vehicle to ensure that:
• The vehicle has not been modified
• Replaceable components are original, or replacements comply with approved standards
• The vehicle and its components and systems are still within safe tolerance of their state when manufactured.

[ColonialNomad]

You are entitled to bring personal effects into the country GST and import duty exempt and cars can be included in personal effects so long as you can meet the criteria. A similar arrangement exists when bringing vehicles in from NZ to the UK as well.

Get the car meticulously cleaned ahead of it being loaded on the container. Customs run what is essentially a legalised scam where they'll charge you for cleaning on the slightest justification. So make the car is completely drained of all fluids, corrosion free and water blasted clean. Also, use a reputable shipping company like Crown - their experience allows them to anticipate what customs might look for.

Modified probably means changed in a way that might compromise safety. They won't allow anything into the country that might fail a Warrant of Fitness.

[vag_nutter]

Sell your s2 and buy this rs2 when you get here.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=910094893

[ColonialNomad]

Wow that is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Cars like that tend to be hoarded and there's probably about four left.

[Jack4688]

I don't have anything like $40,000

[ColonialNomad]

Yeah it's a lot of money. I've seen Porsche 968CS go for more and there's about five of those over there too.

[80Quattro]

I can't really help with the importation, but I am living in New Zealand. It depends a lot on what skills you have where you would want to live. If you work in construction then Chch is the obvious choice, however, it's still a pretty depressing place, the centre still feels like a ghost town with a lot of the interesting buildings just waiting to be demolished. It's also a bit of a nightmare to drive around, probably not on the same level as UK cities but then neither is the traffic management, I still go there often and plan my route to avoid right turns. I think it's a very personal thing whether you would enjoy living in Queenstown, it's very transient with a lot of travellers but there's no real community feel and it's easy to feel lonely because of that. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful place with a lot to offer, but I'd go there for a holiday, not to live. I live in a small town of 2000 people and it suits me well, it's quiet on the face of it, but not at all once you get to know it and has a great community feel.

I wouldn't own an Audi here, they are very premium and if you think parts are expensive in the UK, NZ will certainly make you reconsider. Maintaining a car here is a lot more expensive than in the UK. Unless you're planning on being really well off I'd just buy a Subaru like every second person here, there's a reason why they're popular. I do understand the attachment you get to a car though and it's not always about the money. Good luck with whatever you choose to do anyway.

[Golfboy666GTI]

Im a New Zealander who owns an RS2.
If you have any questions you want to fire me let me know.
As for importing your car, rust will be the killer. You will get flagged on any surface rust for starters. What a lot of the English call rust we call write offs. Send me pics of the underside of your car if you want my option?

As for how many S2's we have here. I only keep an eye out for ABY's. These are some of the figure I know.

x2 Avants
x2 Sedans
x9 Coupes


Ps, as for 968 CS's, there has been upto 12 in NZ.

[Golfboy666GTI]

Oh, why would you want to freeze you nuts of down in the South Island?

[skiffy]

I'm fairly well placed to comment on this as I lived in NZ from 2002-2008 and then went back in 2011 and took a car with me, so I know the ins and outs of living there and car importation.

First of all, unless things have changed, I'm 99% sure you won't be able to import an S2. It's not new enough to have the required euro impact rating, and it's not old enough to be classed a classic (25+ years) where it would become exempt. I think you'd need to be looking at cars newer than about 2003 to have the Euro4 rating (it's on the VIN plate).

So if your car's a keeper and you're thinking of going for a year or two then maybe look at storing it.

European cars are very expensive out there and it can be very worthwhile exporting a UK car. I think the price difference has come down a little in recent years but probably still worth it. Most cars out there are autos, and there are lot of Jap imports so at least if you buy here you'll have an easier search for a manual with good history.

In 2011 I went back with my Fiance to get married and we were unsure how long we'd go for. So I decided to give it a go and I bought a B6 S4 Avant. One owner, 45k miles, ex demo, noggy blue for £10.5k. At the time these were being listed at around $40k. I deliberately sought a low mileage one in good mechanical order since at 60k miles it would be on 100kms and start to be less desirable. And I didn't want to have spend any money on maintaining it since that would cost $$$.

Actually what got me started thinking about doing this was comparing the price of Maseratis of all things. I could get a nice 4200gt over here for £14k, and the equivalent over there was $70k+. But was put off by the potential maintenance costs, and also I know the sales manager for Aston Martin Auckland who put me off saying that buyers for high end vehicles like that will be looking for NZ new and any import would be 30% less value.

So top of the line european cars can be worth while, S/RS models, golf gti (particularly 3 door models), do the research.

So anyway the breakdown of costs was this:

Shipping (20ft container) - £1700
misc export paperwork charges £50
insurance - 2.5% of purchase price
gst on purchase price + shipping cost + insurance
plus you'll have to pay extra to have the car delivered to the port on your behalf. You won't need a registration document in your name but you will need proof of purchase.

then at the other end:
Port service charges - $385
Delivery order - $40
Compliance fee - $10
Port security fee - $20
Documentation fee - $60
Customs transaction fee - $33
Unpacking - $195 (this might only apply if there are goods within the vehicle)
Container cartage - $225
MAF ramp fee - $45
MAF inspection - $110
MAF costs for transfer to cleaning station, steam clean and reinspection - $490 - reason for this was grass seeds in the wheel arches, which were still there after cleaning!
Customs clearance - $150
Edi fee - $8
Permit fee $25
Compliance + 1yr registration + WOF - $1000

If you containerise your car you're not going to have the dockyard workers driving it around. Also you can fill your car with personal effects, spare parts, stuff you could sell for profit etc, at no extra cost.

There is no minimum period of ownership as previously mentioned. I literally bought my S4, filled it with stuff and put it in a container the next day! However the longer you have owned effects the level of GST you pay, reducing to 0 at 1 year I believe.

I drove the car for 7 months out there and then sold it when I came back here for $31k which meant it didn't cost me anything.

If you do go down this route it's definitely worth getting in touch with VTNZ to get things approved in principle first.

I expect the car would have to be absolutely spotless to not get steam cleaned.

Oh and also I don't think you need anything more than a holiday visa to import a car, I didn't.

A few notes about NZ. Firstly you're not going to have quite so much fun behind the wheel. The police out there are OBSESSED with speeding, it is their primary focus so pick your roads wisely and invest in a radar detector! Also if you're an outdoorsy type and want to explore the remote areas (which I strongly recommend as it is beautiful), a nice car is probably not the best idea, there's a lot of unmade roads and a lot of car crime (My S4 was broken into on it's first day in NZ), so a toyota SUV would be better! (I had a 3L D Hilux Surf on my first stint out there which was awesome)

Lastly someone mentioned rampant bullying in the workplace?... well I don't know about that but as a Brit you will need a bit of a thick skin, the constant references to the weather, the Queen and coronation street wear thin pretty quick!. I remember every time it rained (which in auckland it does A LOT) being asked if it was making me homesick.. lol.

[spink]

I certainly wouldn't recommend moving to a country you havnt been to before,but the south island of NZ I could make an exception.I spent a couple of years in chch back in 06/07,great times and great people.Sadly the place where I lived and most of the shops/bars/clubs we used to go to don't exist now due to the earthquake

If I were you I would put your s2 in storage and as you are still in your 20s get a work visa.It lasts at least 2 years and is easy enough to stay longer if you wanted to.Then at least you can make the decision that its the place for you

Either way you won't regret it

[spink]

Oh, why would you want to freeze you nuts of down in the South Island?

ha,I was only thinking last night about the wonderful winter antartic blast,for me it was the only real negative of chch

[Golfboy666GTI]

I'm fairly well placed to comment on this as I lived in NZ from 2002-2008 and then went back in 2011 and took a car with me, so I know the ins and outs of living there and car importation.

First of all, unless things have changed, I'm 99% sure you won't be able to import an S2. It's not new enough to have the required euro impact rating, and it's not old enough to be classed a classic (25+ years) where it would become exempt. I think you'd need to be looking at cars newer than about 2003 to have the Euro4 rating (it's on the VIN plate).

So if your car's a keeper and you're thinking of going for a year or two then maybe look at storing it.

European cars are very expensive out there and it can be very worthwhile exporting a UK car. I think the price difference has come down a little in recent years but probably still worth it. Most cars out there are autos, and there are lot of Jap imports so at least if you buy here you'll have an easier search for a manual with good history.

In 2011 I went back with my Fiance to get married and we were unsure how long we'd go for. So I decided to give it a go and I bought a B6 S4 Avant. One owner, 45k miles, ex demo, noggy blue for £10.5k. At the time these were being listed at around $40k. I deliberately sought a low mileage one in good mechanical order since at 60k miles it would be on 100kms and start to be less desirable. And I didn't want to have spend any money on maintaining it since that would cost $$$.

Actually what got me started thinking about doing this was comparing the price of Maseratis of all things. I could get a nice 4200gt over here for £14k, and the equivalent over there was $70k+. But was put off by the potential maintenance costs, and also I know the sales manager for Aston Martin Auckland who put me off saying that buyers for high end vehicles like that will be looking for NZ new and any import would be 30% less value.

So top of the line european cars can be worth while, S/RS models, golf gti (particularly 3 door models), do the research.

So anyway the breakdown of costs was this:

Shipping (20ft container) - £1700
misc export paperwork charges £50
insurance - 2.5% of purchase price
gst on purchase price + shipping cost + insurance
plus you'll have to pay extra to have the car delivered to the port on your behalf. You won't need a registration document in your name but you will need proof of purchase.

then at the other end:
Port service charges - $385
Delivery order - $40
Compliance fee - $10
Port security fee - $20
Documentation fee - $60
Customs transaction fee - $33
Unpacking - $195 (this might only apply if there are goods within the vehicle)
Container cartage - $225
MAF ramp fee - $45
MAF inspection - $110
MAF costs for transfer to cleaning station, steam clean and reinspection - $490 - reason for this was grass seeds in the wheel arches, which were still there after cleaning!
Customs clearance - $150
Edi fee - $8
Permit fee $25
Compliance + 1yr registration + WOF - $1000

If you containerise your car you're not going to have the dockyard workers driving it around. Also you can fill your car with personal effects, spare parts, stuff you could sell for profit etc, at no extra cost.

There is no minimum period of ownership as previously mentioned. I literally bought my S4, filled it with stuff and put it in a container the next day! However the longer you have owned effects the level of GST you pay, reducing to 0 at 1 year I believe.

I drove the car for 7 months out there and then sold it when I came back here for $31k which meant it didn't cost me anything.

If you do go down this route it's definitely worth getting in touch with VTNZ to get things approved in principle first.

I expect the car would have to be absolutely spotless to not get steam cleaned.

Oh and also I don't think you need anything more than a holiday visa to import a car, I didn't.

A few notes about NZ. Firstly you're not going to have quite so much fun behind the wheel. The police out there are OBSESSED with speeding, it is their primary focus so pick your roads wisely and invest in a radar detector! Also if you're an outdoorsy type and want to explore the remote areas (which I strongly recommend as it is beautiful), a nice car is probably not the best idea, there's a lot of unmade roads and a lot of car crime (My S4 was broken into on it's first day in NZ), so a toyota SUV would be better! (I had a 3L D Hilux Surf on my first stint out there which was awesome)

Lastly someone mentioned rampant bullying in the workplace?... well I don't know about that but as a Brit you will need a bit of a thick skin, the constant references to the weather, the Queen and coronation street wear thin pretty quick!. I remember every time it rained (which in auckland it does A LOT) being asked if it was making me homesick.. lol.

Once a car is 20 years old you are fine to import it into NZ.