[KatieBen]

We recently bought a newish car as the one we used to have was getting increasingly unreliable/dangerous/cutting out for no reason in the middle of a very busy motorway junction... etc. We were hoping to keep it going until our planned move date (end of July next year with luck and the wind behind us) but we didn't dare risk it with 2 small boys in the back.

The plan had been to sell/scrap the old car when we left and buy new in NZ, saving the shipping costs. However, given we had to buy a replacement, we're now thinking of taking the new car with us.

I don't think I read the rules on importing a private car carefully enough, as from an initial scan through it seemed that if we'd owned the car for a year before we moved and planned on keeping it for >2 years on arrival, we wouldn't be charged for importing it.

It seems that while it is exempt from customs duty, we may still have to pay GST at 12.5% on its value at the time of arrival. As we've already paid VAT on it in this country, that seems a little unfair (then again, tax in general seems unfair to me).

Does anyone know exactly what we'd have to pay to bring the car with us, or where I could find out? (aside from shipping costs, I've been quoted a nastily large amount of money for that already). Would it make more sense to sell this car when we leave the UK and buy new in NZ rather than try to import it? (the amount the car depreciates may be less than the amount it would cost to take it with us!) Has anyone else taken their car with them & would you do the same again?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this =)

[markandjackie]

Hi

You are right you do still have to pay 12.5% GST, this is worked out on the shipping and insurance costs plus the value of the car.

www.customs.govt.nz

is a good site to help with the cost calculation.

We are in the same boat but have decided to sell the car and buy a new one when we get there.

Hope this helps.

Mark and Jackie

[KatieBen]

Thanks for the link. Joy, we'll have at least $3000 to pay in GST on arrival if we import the car.

Can you get a decent second hand Prius in NZ, anyone?

[jasonelsa56]

My understanding is that you pay no GST if you have owned the car for over a year. So if you are planning on going to NZ next July you should be ok. Just the cost for a bigger container. Also if you buy the right car (european, Audi BMW etc) they sell for a premium in NZ so you could even make a nice profit.

[James 1077]

Can you get a decent second hand Prius in NZ, anyone?

Try here (http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/)!

[nippa&pippa]

Thought you could read this...
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11537

[incredible hulse]

Hi
We imported a car. You won't need to pay GST if you are a new migrant, had the car for >12months and been out of the country for >21 months. Some details are here http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/44a.html

You don't pay duty if you keep it for 2 years after arrival and if you sell before that time you pay a proportion based on time in country before selling.

We had a European car and had no issues apart from the local dealer being useless. We sold it for about 2.5 times it's sterling value (so in line with the exchange rate at the time) which in real terms meant a lot more to us. It was definitely worth it for us as we had space in the container so didn't cost anything additional except for the aa certification which was about 300 dollars out of memory. MAF charges were minimal as the car was spotless

I've since imported a vehicle from the Japanese auctions and you do have to pay GST on these as you didn't previously own them

[IanW99]

Make sure that you read Importing a Motor Vehicle (http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/44.html) factsheet.

You can check out Autotrader (http://www.autotrader.co.nz) for second hand prices.

A couple of other points that you will want to consider:-

Occasionally the car is damaged in transit either by the movers putting it in the container or whilst in the container, so would ensure that you include suitable insurance.

The car will likely take 8-10 weeks (and sometimes longer) so you will need to buy another car in NZ anyway, to get around whilst you wait for it, or you will need to include car hire charges.

Ian

[AndyR]

I thought about bringing my car, I will have to get a quote from a company to see what it may be! as selling it here will leave me at a loss.

Anyone suggest a company?

[AndyR]

http://www.eliteshipping.co.uk I'm getting a quote from these people So I will let you know what figure they give me. They say a normal saloon is 850 to NZ.

[AndyR]

The above company has just quoted me 820 quid! not including insurance etc...i need to add these up! however it looks very attractive.

[KatieBen]

I've just been quoted £1379 to ship it from Southampton to Lyttleton... when you factor in the cost of insurance and having to hire a car while we wait for this one to arrive, it is looking like it'll be a lot less hassle to sell it before we leave and get a replacement there. Which is a shame, because I really like this one.
(Quote from 1st Move International - obviously I need to shop around!)
Thanks for the replies and links, it's interesting reading other people's shipping stories.