Garage Menace

Hi N/A. You may wish to obscure the number plate on these photos as you never know who is perusing these forums. As I assume you are aware the Regency Nazis read HPI (and others) and your list of mods along with the accompanying photos may result in a please explain and a dose of fudge-packing from Regency next time you wish to register your car. Just a thought. Good luck with the sale.

Cheers simonh. You saved me some time.

That's a good question and one that will require some research before I answer as I have never dealt with personal importing (I am sure someone on these forums will know though). I assume (you know what they say about assuming though) that the import duties would remain the same however the compliance rules are slightly different, but the main advantage is that you can bring in vehicles that are not available under SEVS. Unfortunately though, a couple years ago the Federal Government increased the length of time a person had to own a vehicle at it's country of origin before it could be exported to another country from 3 months to 12 months. To me, not worth it unless you already live in Japan and have owned the vehicle for the required length of time. I will get back to you with a definitive answer soon. Cheers all.

One point I forgot to mention. Some vehicles of a higher value ($40K I think) attract a luxury car tax in addition to the other charges, however only vehicles like the R34 GTR attract this tax. It has also been tempting in the past to purchase cars that are modified from Japan but the strictness of the RAWS system is making this virtually impossible. The reason for this is that a vehicle must be returned to a completely standard condition before DoTaRS will issue a compliance plate. The RAW then has to destroy all aftermarket parts (they cannot be sold). DoTaRS are rumoured to be conducting random inspections of shipments arriving at various docks and recording VINs as well as the aftermarket parts installed on the vehicles. When the RAW then submits a VIC (Vehicle Inspection Certificate) to DoTaRS in order to be issued with a compliance plate DoTaRS then asks for photographic evidence of the destruction of all the recorded aftermarket parts. I have had many a sleepless night trying to find a way around this rule (and the senseless destruction of perfectly functional and often extremely expensive aftermarket parts) without success (and after witnessing another RAWS applicant being sodomised by DoTaRS inspectors in the past I have no intention of trying to bend the rules - they have more power than police but are considerably more inconsistant and unpredictable; at least you know cops are going to be...). While this may seem to be off the topic of this thread, it is important to consider that compliance costs may be more expensive than anticipated if the RAW has to purchase OEM parts (they cannot be borrowed either as it is illegal for the RAW to re-install aftermarket parts - or even to supply them to the customer - after attaching the compliance plate) to replace aftermarket parts which came with the vehicle. Also, damaged cars (even damaged and repaired) are totally prohibited from being complied so as Duncan suggested, you must trust whoever is purchasing the vehicle for you in Japan. Otherwise when the RAW refuses to comply a vehicle you have imported you end up with a very expensive mistake as you must either re-export or destroy the vehicle and you cannot just take the vehicle to another RAW. DoTaRS will only issue a compliance plate to the RAW named on the import approval. If this info has been posted somewhere before... Sorry. Otherwise, good luck.

FitzTech and Cefiro... The import duty is worked out at 15% of the purchase price of the vehicle NOT including shipping. There are further costs incurred with clearing customs (around $150 at last check) but then GST is worked out on the total: Vehicle purchase price, shipping and the import duty (in other words you are paying a tax on a tax - GTS on import duty... I await the comments on that one!). The easiest way to work out your budget (in my humble but experienced opinion) is to convert the purchase price from yen to AUD (I work it out at around 2 yen below the published rate to allow for fluctuations and bank fees), add 15% to this, add around $2,000 for shipping and customs and quaranteen clearance fees, then add 10% of this total to this total. Also, if you didn't already know, only a RAW can actually apply for an import approval so ensure you have one before the vehicle lands at an Australian port or you will have to re-export or destroy it. Then there are the obligatory compliance costs etc as I assume you already know. DJ984, different importers have their own policies and I cannot speak for any other than myself but I can assume that most would either pay the taxes etc as they arise with your money (how I started), or just pay them themselves and pass the cost on to you. The only other taxes that most importers / consultants wouldn't cover would be the state government stamp duty which is payable upon first registration or on transfer of ownership. These vary from state to state and currently in SA consist of 4% of either the market value or total cost of the vehicle; whichever is the highest (of course).

SHUTO-BOY, I actually meant a form of fibreglass extension that totally blends in with the standard panel work and looks factory. "Pumped" was a poor choice of words. If you want specific details then just contact D1 via the details I included in my above post as I am no expert (I just know a lot of experts). I was just letting those that don't know that fitting GTR guards to a GTT or GTST is more involved and expensive than just replacing a set of guards, and there are alternatives. Cheers.

I know astigraff previously said not to mention the rears anymore but for those of you out there that are considering this mod I will add the following info: In addition to the obvious high cost of the panel shop cutting, welding and painting etc, you also need additional parts like the GTR wheel tubs and even the fuel filler neck (as it is shorter in order to meet the GTS guard) as well the rear bumper and other unforseeable parts that add up to an expensive conversion. Looks awesome though if done properly (as the JMS car demonstrates) but questionable from a fiscal perpective (hopefully this wasn't common knowledge and I haven't wasted you guys' valuable surfing time). Cheers. PS. James at D1 Garage in Adelaide just pumped his rear guards wildly on his S14 (about 1 1/2 inches I think) and he says the result on a skyline would be just as good as changing to GTR guards but at about 1/4 of the cost. Drop him a line. (08) 8294 1355 or [email protected] Good luck.

In addition to gtrken's post, if the car is already landed in Australia then DoTaRS will not issue a compliance plate for this vehicle as under the new SEVS / RAWS scheme only a qualified Registered Automotive Workshop can apply for an import approval, and this must be done before the vehicle lands at an Australian port. Sorry.