importing

[sadida20 0]

Hey guys

I am looking at buying a M3 in the UK and importing it to NZ

However what are the regulations on importing?

i found this and a little unsure about how it works??

it would be a 1987 e30 m3

A motor car or goods service vehicle that meets all of the following criteria:

A gross vehicle mass of not more than 3,500 kilograms

Imported by you, for your own personal use

Manufactured less than 20 years before the date it was imported

You have registered, owned and operated the vehicle overseas, for 90 days or more

In a five-year period, you can only register one such vehicle in New Zealand

The vehicle must be registered in the importer’s name (i.e. your name) for at least five years after it’s first registration in New Zealand unless the vehicle is 20 years old or more.

A motor car or goods service vehicle that meets all of the following criteria:

A gross vehicle mass of not more than 3,500 kilograms

Imported by you for your own personal use

Was manufactured 20 years or more before the date it was imported

In a 12-month period, you can only register one such vehicle in New Zealand.

[E30stz 0]

someone like to clear up if its over 20 years old does it need to be changed from LHD to RHD ?

[Grant 4]

It doesn't meet the frontal impact standards, so it can't be registered until it is 20 years old.

Also, you can't import it and leave it in a garage until it is 20, you have to import it once it is 20+ years old. Otherwise you will have to export it and then re-import it.

Cheers

Grant

[Grant 4]

someone like to clear up if its over 20 years old does it need to be changed from LHD to RHD ?

no, it does not have to be converted to RHD once it is 20 years old.

Cheers

Grant

[martyyn 2]

It doesn't meet the frontal impact standards, so it can't be registered until it is 20 years old.

Also, you can't import it and leave it in a garage until it is 20, you have to import it once it is 20+ years old. Otherwise you will have to export it and then re-import it.

Cheers

Grant

Right on the money Grant.

If its not 20 years old, your wasting your time.

[gmccormack 0]

If you own and use it for 90 days or more (like on your OE for a year or two, not just on a week long holiday) while it is still overseas you can import it reguardless of age or LHD

[E30stz 0]

also you have to take into considering the possible problems that arent regarding registering. UK Imports are well known for their attraction to rust, if I was looking at a M3 I'd wanna drive it and check it out before considering taking it any further.

[Grant 4]

If you own and use it for 90 days or more (like on your OE for a year or two, not just on a week long holiday) while it is still overseas you can import it reguardless of age or LHD

What about frontal impact standards, it still needs to meet these doesn't it. An E30 doesn't.

I would love to be proved wrong with this, but this is what I got told when I made enquiries about this very same topic (but importing an E30 M3 from the USA, not England).

Cheers

Grant

[M3 Cab 0]

When i looked into this a few months back i found the same thing. I was looking at staying overseas for the 3 month period and then returning with the car but was told that if the car did not meet frontal impact standards (e30's don't, theres a list of cars on the LTSA website) then it can't be registered in NZ.

Only cars that are 20 years old or more can be excluded from front impact and left hand drive restrictions as they are then classed as a classic.

People i know who have imported such cars using the 90 day rule did so before the introduction of the frontal impact laws.

[Jazzbass 1]

E30stz is correct - old cars and UK salted roads tend to produce serious $$$ problems.

[*sic 1]

salted roads tend to produce serious $$$ problems.

i love the panelbeater who thought that one up

[conrod 1]

The average life span of a car in the UK is 9 years. If you have ever spent time there you will know why. Even cars 4 or 5 years old can have serious rust problems developing. Anything as old as an M3 will have at least one of the following: "never driven in winter months" means it will need SOME rust repairs and all of the aluminium bits will be corroded, "has had all the usual rust attended to" means it is a patched up piece of poo, and "reliable daily driver" means it is so rusty no one will buy it off me, and I had to sell my other car to keep this one going, so now I am forced to drive it every day! :rambo:

[martyyn 2]

If you own and use it for 90 days or more (like on your OE for a year or two, not just on a week long holiday) while it is still overseas you can import it reguardless of age or LHD

No you cant.

If it doesnt meet the frontal impact standards you cant import it at all.

Ask me how I know....go on ask me.

[Jazzbass 1]

Hey Martyn, how do you know that?

[martyyn 2]

Oh and another thing.....rust....stop talking bollocks.

Cars in the UK dont have a life span of 9 years because they fall apart, they have a life span of 9 years because seeing as the older ones are so cheap its easier to replace your car and consign the old one to the wreckers.

MOT standards (UK WOF) are so much more stringent than they are here which also helps keeps the older cars off the roads.

Its got fcuk all to do with rust.

The climate in Wellington is more like to cause rust than salted roads in the UK. In fact, after two years in Wellington I now have the odd spot on mine that was certainly not around when I bought it two years ago.

*sic is right, you guys are just spouting any bullsh!t a panelbeater will tell you to reem you of your money.

Ill get off my soap box now.

[martyyn 2]

Hey Martyn, how do you know that?

I imported mine from the UK two years ago and worked for the LTSA when I got here

Any car that doesnt have twin airbags (as it left the showroom - no retro-fitment allowed either) cant come in....its as simple as that.

Check out the LTNZ website, its all there in black and white, they even have a nice little flow chart (for those who struggle with reading) to explain it all

Pretty much anything (BMW-wise) previous to 96 wont get in until it can be classed as a classic, and even then its not so straight forward.

[rxsumo 33]

MOT standards (UK WOF) are so much more stringent than they are here which also helps keeps the older cars off the roads.

Inetresting, obviously they have some dodgy testers over there as well!

I was talking to Mike at The Surgery, about the money that people spend, grossly overspending on the realistic value of vehicles.

One of the vehicles, was a VW that had been imported from the UK, the cost of transport was about the value of the vehicle, and the client only imported it because "it should pass NZ compliance as it had only just passed it's MOT", the MOT was done specifically to assess whether it was worth taking the vehicle back to NZ.

The vehicle did eventually get complied, but at a cost of 3-4 times the cost of a mint example, just to rectify the problems, (no restoration work was done only remedial work!), and the finished result was far from mint (or restored).

[martyyn 2]

Inetresting, obviously they have some dodgy testers over there as well!

Indeed they do NZ testing has come along way in the last couple of years but IMO its still far to easy to get a WOF on a dodgy car. You only have to look out your car window to see the crap that some people get away with driving.

One of the vehicles, was a VW that had been imported from the UK, the cost of transport was about the value of the vehicle

Seeing as it costs about 1300 quid the car shouldve been scrapped. We sold our 97 Peugeot 406 sri for 2k pounds. Peanuts really, the equivalent car in NZ was at the time selling for close to 20k !

the MOT was done specifically to assess whether it was worth taking the vehicle back to NZ.

Id be very surprised if the place who did had any idea on what would be done at a compliance check. Even my local BMW dealer had no idea what I was talking about when I asked them about exporting something to NZ.

I had all the paperwork they needed to do to save me the compliance check but they still didnt know what was going on.

When I got here I had to get my ski-hatch covered as the previous owner had simply cut it out. Cost me money but I knew what the car was worth over here, compared to what I paid for it.

The vehicle did eventually get complied, but at a cost of 3-4 times the cost of a mint example, just to rectify the problems, (no restoration work was done only remedial work!), and the finished result was far from mint (or restored).

Sounds like some old biddy who had had the car from new and just couldnt be parted with it.

Unfortunately it also sounds so stereotypical of English people who simply think that NZ is just a like England was in the 60's and that whatever passes there will pass here.

[BMW012 1]

Pretty much anything (BMW-wise) previous to 96 wont get in until it can be classed as a classic, and even then its not so straight forward.

I got my 95 in with no troubles, does have two airbags however.

[Jazzbass 1]

Indeed they do smile.gif NZ testing has come along way in the last couple of years but IMO its still far to easy to get a WOF on a dodgy car. You only have to look out your car window to see the crap that some people get away with driving.

OOOOhhhh - you just hit a pet peeve!!

I keep my cars completely roadworthy at all times (after all, its my life at risk - people forget the WOF is mainly about safety) and I get SOOOO pissed off seeing some car from a 'lower socio-economic' demographic area on the road in a condition which is so unsafe and which is likely unregistered as well as un-WOF'd. It is further likely that such wankers are bereft of insurance at all. Why aren't these people found by the Police?

My concern is that these are the people who will run into me, or you, or some other law-abiding person - then laugh as they drive off, knowing that nothing will ever happen to them.. few things get me really pissed off - but they're close!!

[m325i 705]

QUOTE (martyyn @ Feb 28 2006, 09:31 AM) until it can be classed as a classic, and even then its not so straight forward.

so it is possible?

[Jazzbass 1]

LTSA sheet

[sadida20 0]

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/12.html

still a lot of confusion

i am under the impression if its 20 years old then you can import it.

Edited February 27, 2006 by sadida20

[conrod 1]

Oh and another thing.....rust....stop talking bollocks.

Cars in the UK dont have a life span of 9 years because they fall apart, they have a life span of 9 years because seeing as the older ones are so cheap its easier to replace your car and consign the old one to the wreckers.

I think the one of the reasons the older ones are so cheap are that they are rusty! Ask me how I know? I worked over there for several years in the automotive trade, one of the first things that struck me was how much worse the condition of relatively new cars were, compared to NZ. Topside normally looks fine, when you get underneath them you begin to realise the toll the salt takes on them. I wasn't just spinning a line of BS, I have had first hand experience here....... The upside to all of this is that their vehicle fleet tends to be much newer, they don't have the same amount of old sh*t driving around that we do.

Oh, and don't assume that because it has 2 factory airbags it will comply, it must meet some European crash test standard, can't remember which one though.

Edited February 28, 2006 by conrod

[gmccormack 0]

What about frontal impact standards, it still needs to meet these doesn't it. An E30 doesn't.

I would love to be proved wrong with this, but this is what I got told when I made enquiries about this very same topic (but importing an E30 M3 from the USA, not England).

Cheers

Grant

I didn't mean E30's in particular just cars in general. You can bring back a brand new car if you own it for 90 days. Or you can import an E30 M3, wait for it to turn 20, send it on a round trip to Fiji and register it that way. Dodgy Edited February 28, 2006 by gmccormack