[thepiesleys]

If so how much did it cost?

Thanks

Dan

[Sam B]

Oh no, are you leaving?

[thepiesleys]

Thinking about sending one of these jap imports back as there so cheap here.

[The Hodges]

Hi Dan

I can't answer your question, but surely it would be cheaper to import a car direct from Japan to the the UK, rather than shipping it to NZ, paying for all of the checks and works (that can run to a few thousand by all accounts - see this thread (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11537&highlight=import) as an example).

I may import a car from Japan at some point and so I've already found http://www.japaneseusedcars.com, it might be worth a look see before to see how the cost pans out...

Good luck though and I hope someone can answer your question...

[Chiba]

Careful of the tax. If you buy a car in Japan and ship it straight to the UK, you're liable. You need to own it in Japan for a year (maybe two - check) to avoid tax, *and* you have to say you're moving back to the UK to live. Buy second hand in the UK - let somebody else have the hassle.

Likewise the rules are pretty similar for NZ. Ship it in without having run it in Japan for N years and you pay tax.

[colindp]

A friend of mine just shipped his car back from NZ; the process is believed to be relatively easy and hassle free and so I thought to ship my car back. However, my friend told me he had so much trouble he advised against it, whether his was an isolated case or not I can not say, but his difficulties were enough to make me change my mind and sell the car before I left...

[incredible hulse]

I shipped a car back from Sydney when I lived there. The rules then (to not pay duty) were you had to have had the car for 6 months and been out of the UK for a year. It cost about 900 pounds to ship (1999), and then about 600 pounds to get it UK legal - this involved changing the speedo to read mph, a rear fog light and the test (can't remember the name but like an advance MOT). This was for a Subaru Outback which I bought for 14.5k sterling when they were going for 21k sterling in the UK.
The only other issues I encountered where the warranty was not recognised in the UK (non EU import), and when trying to sell it I got less than a UK sourced one

[Arclite01]

Anyone recommend a specialist car shipper company then ?

[uk_munros]

We shipped our car from the UK to NZ and then 18 months later shipped it back to the UK! Everything went really well both ways and the only damage was a bent aerial when it was unpacked in the UK
Made it fun when selling the car describing where the car had been!

[james the mechanic]

A used vehicle imported into the UK, that is less than 10 years old, must meet both European Type Approval standards, UK Construction and Use and the Road Vehicle Lighting legislation. This must be confirmed prior to registration by the DVLA in the UK by way of the Single Vehicle Approval scheme (SVA). This is a pre-registration inspection for cars and light goods vehicles that have not been type approved to British or European standards. The main purpose of the scheme is to ensure that these vehicles have been designed and constructed to suitable safety standards before they can be used on public roads.

Any changes required, fog light etc. must of course be carried out prior to the test, SVA currently costs about £160 in addition to the MoT test fee, road fund licences and registration fee.

In my experience I have not found that Japanese vehicles are significantly cheaper in NZ that the UK other than 4x4’s and some more sporty numbers, (I may be wrong as I've obviously been looking at trade prices in the UK & retail in NZ) However after shipping and fees I still doubt it is that economical, combined with current exchange rates, I say sell the thing before you leave.

I hope that helps

James