Importing Cars From England

[fred_ 166]

Hey Guys,

So in three months I am planning on going over to the U.K. (Potentially A Year)

I have been looking on Autotrader.co.uk and it is unbelievable the deals you can get. I know all about the salt problems and insurance etc etc but I am particularly interested in an 07/08 E92 M3 and Insurance will only be for a year tops so that is not a concern.

My main issue at the moment is the process of shipping it back here if I wanted to?

I have seen numerous UK imports come onto trademe in the past 12 months or so but have always wanted to know the legality of this.

As far as I am aware you need to own the car for 12 months in the U.K. before shipping it over to NZ if wanting to avoid the Duty.

But.... I have seen heaps of really new model UK imports on trademe and so are they just having to cop the Duty tax or is there a way of shipping the car from the UK to NZ within less than 12 months and avoid having to pay and huge import costs.

Any advice/help on this topic in general would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Alex

[Palazzo 477]

There is no duty, only GST.

[Michael. 2313]

What sum do earlier E92s go for in the UK at the moment?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

There is no way around the owning the vehicle for 12months condition of bringing in the car as your own personal import which is the only way of avoiding the payment of the tax (which as pointed out above is the GST).

However, it is often still cheaper to buy the vehicle, ship it over AND pay the GST than having to pay NZ prices. This is how car dealers that import their cars still make money! A lot will depend on the vechicle itself and the exchange rate, but I would suggest that a 3+ year old E92 M3 would still work out cheaper even with paying the GST, even better if you can own it for a year and avoid the GST part!

[kiwi535 538]

arent you also supposed to keep it for some time?

[Michael. 2313]

Chances are an Import M3 will have better features that some of the NZ new ones too.

[fred_ 166]

Oh wicked so it is possible to import before the 12 months but you just have to cop the GST.

Does anyone have an approximate idea on what the total shipping costs come to including MAF holding and cleaning costs etc etc

Thanks guys

[RvT 9]

Time to chime in ...

I have imported 3 cars ex UK over the years. I have a spreadsheet that will work it out for you but in general, allow $6500 shipping from UK or Europe to NZ and then $1000 for compliance over here. Example ... a 10,000 pound car will be on the road here for $33,500 based on .45c conversion. A 15,000 pound car will be on the road here for $46,000.

You will also have to budget in the cost to travel to UK to buy it as you have to de-register it person (I believe is still the case) to allow the car to leave the country as they are concerned about cars being stolen then shipped off shore. I used the autotrader to find the cars then haggled a better price subject to me arriving in UK so when it came to buying it over there, I had a shortlist of 5 cars to look at. In the end, you need to look at them in person as 3 of the cars I had short listed last time were not in good condition as they appeared online.

Hope this helps

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Try McCulloch for shipping - was $4000 all in from UK including the MAF, clearance, etc. Cleaning depends on how bad the car is - allow $200 - 300.

Compliance can be a can of worms - depends on the car obviously - but for a late model M3 the only things to worry about over and above WoF standard would probably be the wear on pads and rotors - not a major but could add up to a few $$$s for an M3.

[fred_ 166]

Time to chime in ...

I have imported 3 cars ex UK over the years. I have a spreadsheet that will work it out for you but in general, allow $6500 shipping from UK or Europe to NZ and then $1000 for compliance over here. Example ... a 10,000 pound car will be on the road here for $33,500 based on .45c conversion. A 15,000 pound car will be on the road here for $46,000.

You will also have to budget in the cost to travel to UK to buy it as you have to de-register it person (I believe is still the case) to allow the car to leave the country as they are concerned about cars being stolen then shipped off shore. I used the autotrader to find the cars then haggled a better price subject to me arriving in UK so when it came to buying it over there, I had a shortlist of 5 cars to look at. In the end, you need to look at them in person as 3 of the cars I had short listed last time were not in good condition as they appeared online.

Hope this helps

Cheers man really appreciate it.

Is it at all possible if I could get a copy of the spreadsheet? Totally understand if you're not okay with that but would give me a fantastic estimate to go by.

So i'm looking at....

$6500 for Shipping

$1000 for Compliance

+ GST if owned for less than 12 months?

Approximately I mean?

Try McCulloch for shipping - was $4000 all in from UK including the MAF, clearance, etc. Cleaning depends on how bad the car is - allow $200 - 300.

Compliance can be a can of worms - depends on the car obviously - but for a late model M3 the only things to worry about over and above WoF standard would probably be the wear on pads and rotors - not a major but could add up to a few $$$s for an M3.

Okay wicked.

Seems like there is quite a variance between shipping costs.

----

What is the most common shipping company used to get cars to NZ?

[RvT 9]

Happy to email you a spreadsheet. Just PM me your email address.

I could be wrong but I don't believe there is a roll on / roll off service happening ex UK or Europe so that means the cars are shipped in Shipping containers. Unless you can get multiple cars into a 40ft container, then 1 car = a 20ft container which is what I usually use. A container ex Belgium to Lyttleton costs me 2600 Euros for the transport then more costs at this end to get it emptied at designated facilities and I bring in a few per year with my business (not cars). Not sure how Jon got his for $4000 as this is cheaper than anything I have ever found .... maybe they are back loading other things into a 40fter ???

To answer your question on common shipping company, there are many players in NZ that can organize this. Mainfrieght would be a good starting point. I, however, have always been wary of the UK guys as I have heard some bad press about them in the past. I usually drive my car across the channel to Holland to a company there that specialises in furniture removals. They pack it into a container and rope it down to the container using wood and strops as you never know how badly a container can be loaded at wharf. So far every car has turned up in perfect condition which is why I use them. A 1500kg car needs to be securely anchored inside a container or it will a mess inside it it moves around. You just can't drive it into a container then turn on the hand brake and close the container door.

[fred_ 166]

Happy to email you a spreadsheet. Just PM me your email address.

I could be wrong but I don't believe there is a roll on / roll off service happening ex UK or Europe so that means the cars are shipped in Shipping containers. Unless you can get multiple cars into a 40ft container, then 1 car = a 20ft container which is what I usually use. A container ex Belgium to Lyttleton costs me 2600 Euros for the transport then more costs at this end to get it emptied at designated facilities and I bring in a few per year with my business (not cars). Not sure how Jon got his for $4000 as this is cheaper than anything I have ever found .... maybe they are back loading other things into a 40fter ???

To answer your question on common shipping company, there are many players in NZ that can organize this. Mainfrieght would be a good starting point. I, however, have always been wary of the UK guys as I have heard some bad press about them in the past. I usually drive my car across the channel to Holland to a company there that specialises in furniture removals. They pack it into a container and rope it down to the container using wood and strops as you never know how badly a container can be loaded at wharf. So far every car has turned up in perfect condition which is why I use them. A 1500kg car needs to be securely anchored inside a container or it will a mess inside it it moves around. You just can't drive it into a container then turn on the hand brake and close the container door.

Mhmm it would be great if there was a roll on / roll off

When we came over from australia a few years ago we were able to fit and audi tt and x5 into a 40er which saved a few $$$.

My e-mail is [email protected] .... I really appreciate it thank you very much!

Looks like I might just have to drive over to Holland then

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Not sure how Jon got his for $4000 as this is cheaper than anything I have ever found .... maybe they are back loading other things into a 40fter ???

Yup, as they are doing quite a few cars out of the UK they were able to get two into one 40' HC, so that brought the costs down quite a bit. Personally I would suggest using an NZ based company, as most of the work and organising is done at this end, MAF, clean, etc. Any NZ company worth it's salt will have contacts at the other end to sort getting the car onto the boat.

[zenetti 0]

Mhmm it would be great if there was a roll on / roll off

my cousin has just moved back from England and bought back with him a couple of tasty cars. He used a roll on - roll off service, but got stung for GST. I can try and get more info if you like.

[Mike 1]

I've been looking at TVR's and I'm seriously considering buying one to enjoy over here and then ship it back home. But they dont have any airbags or even ABS. Are there any loop holes I can use to get it registered in NZ as a specialist vehicle or something along those lines?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

There is the "Immigrant's Vehicles" category which is very loose in terms of compliance with impact rules and emissisons, etc (which you would need with a TVR!!). Not sure if you would qualify being a returning Kiwi. Best place to check is the NZTA (or whatever it's called this week) web-site as it is very well covered on there. Certainly owning it over there and then bringing it over would help find a loop hole or two.

[leithcm 0]

One small point to be aware of, concerning the GST. It is payable on BOTH the car AND the freight to get it here. So, if the car is GBP 10,000 @ 0.45 = NZ$22,222, and say the freight was NZ$5,000, then you will be asked to pay GST on $22,222 + 5,000 = $27,222 - which at 15% is NZ$4083. If the car is free of GST because you have owned it overseas for long enough I do not think that GST is payable on the freight either - but this latter point needs checking.

[supertemp 0]

One small point to be aware of, concerning the GST. It is payable on BOTH the car AND the freight to get it here. So, if the car is GBP 10,000 @ 0.45 = NZ$22,222, and say the freight was NZ$5,000, then you will be asked to pay GST on $22,222 + 5,000 = $27,222 - which at 15% is NZ$4083. If the car is free of GST because you have owned it overseas for long enough I do not think that GST is payable on the freight either - but this latter point needs checking.

Hey guys I just want to chip in to this, have been looking at information on importing a car from UK and came across this thread.

I have had some shipping quotes and they are around $3500-$4000 for a container. One quote was $3600 from McCullough Ltd and included the following:

Export UK Clearances, Packing LCL in Container, Ocean Freight, Customs Clearance in NZ, MAF fees, Port Service, Container Cartage, Unpacking, and delivery to compliance in Auckland or Christchurch –

Total 3600.00 NZD .

I also made a spreadsheet. The savings I think can be quite a lot!

The GST due when the car arrives in NZ is based on CIFS, which is the Cost of Vehicle, Insurance and Freight.

What I am looking for is information on what is the process is to claim back the VAT from the UK price? The way I understand it is you can purchase the car, claim the VAT back, ship to NZ and then pay the GST on the CIFS which is calculated on the car price minus the VAT. Has anybody done this?

Also to RVT are you sure that you have to de register yourself? What if purchasing from BMW dealer? I haven't figured the trip into the cost, was hoping they could do it for me. Failing that I have a cousin over there.

Without being able to personally inspect the car, do you think a BMW approved used vehicle is a safe bet? Should I organise a pre inspection or can you trust a BMW dealership if it has it listed as approved?

[RvT 9]

The McCullough price is very sharp and their web site looks good. I would like to talk to someone who has used them as a testimonial is important than just words on a web page. I pay 2500 Euros to get a refrigerated 20fter from Belgium with ingredients for work so $3600 almost looks too cheap. They may be fitting 3 cars into a 40fter to get that price ...

With VAT, I am unsure but here is my line of thought. If you look at NZ for instance and you bought a car from a dealer and exported it to Oz for example, you can only claim the GST if you can get a GST receipt from the seller. Most Trademe sellers are not registered so you wouldn't be able to claim. Likewise you have to be registered for GST to be able to claim it back. Taking that logic, I am assuming you have to be registered for VAT to be able to claim it back ??? Not sure if secondhand cars have a VAT component in them or maybe only registered car yards have this ability ???

My last import from UK was in 2005 so not sure if the deregistering is important now; McCullough may be able to answer that and the VAT question?

Re BMW dealerships, one car I inspected at a BMW dealership was not as good as the Autotrader suggested in its photos. BMW approved cars should be OK but like NZ, you are paying a premium for a car off a yard compared to a private seller where the price will always be cheaper and the saving should equal the air fares to UK.

If you use McCullough, please let me know your experience. I am looking at my next car coming from UK once the M5 is sold ...

[e38king 1]

I work part time for a vehicle importer that specialises in bespoke orders and ex-demo vehicles out of the UK.

As far as I am aware you can only claim VAT back if a, the car qualifies and b, you are a registered company in the UK. We have brought in quite a few cars for various clients and by far the best way of shipping is a Roll on Roll off system. The cars just get knocked around too much in containers.

RVT - your line of thinking is correct regarding VAT. If you buy from a private seller you won't be able to claim VAT. Much like GST here, it does not apply to second hand goods.

This is a Merc we have just brought in - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=396004917

[RvT 9]

We have brought in quite a few cars for various clients and by far the best way of shipping is a Roll on Roll off system. The cars just get knocked around too much in containers.

Hey Jonathon

Thanks for chiming in and helping paint the picture.

My next project may be a Lambo ex UK and was thinking that a container is the safest form of transport where it doesn't get flogged on the wharf or taken for multiple spins by bored wharfies. If the company you are working for is using Roll On ferries, have you found any issues with this transport method as the bespoke cars will attract attention.

Also interested in the company you use to transport the cars if you don't mind sharing that? If sensitive, you could PM the info

[Neal 543]

@ Mike

I looked at bringing a TVR back when I lived in the UK 2005/6 . The main issue is that they aren't tested for euro impact laws which means your not able to road register them here (TVR sent one for testing but the outfit doing the testing dropped the car off the back of a truck before it was tested so they didn't try again). They also don't qualify for low volume rules as they exceed the number of cars built per year under this scheme. I couldn't find a way to bring one other than for motorsport / trailer queen. I don't think the laws have change since.

[deeveus 81]

Sorry to drag this one back up but did anyone manage to use McCulloch to bring a car over? Were they any good?

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2956]

Sorry to drag this one back up but did anyone manage to use McCulloch to bring a car over? Were they any good?

Yes, I used them for my 330d. And apart from a slight kerbing on one of the wheels I have no problems at all and used them from door-to-door with a load of other stuff in the car as well.

[deeveus 81]

Yes, I used them for my 330d. And apart from a slight kerbing on one of the wheels I have no problems at all and used them from door-to-door with a load of other stuff in the car as well.

Cool so what was the price it owed you (not the car price) the shipping/maf/compliance e.t.c.

Well done on a 330d too - what shape?