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  • 2 weeks later...
Also bear in mind that if fuel hits $2 a litre, you'll have 3 tonnes of scrap metal sitting in your garage :)

Ditto

...unless you then do a mobile home conversion in the back; and an Impala kitchen in the front. :P

is there a particular reason why in other states they prohibit the use and registeration of LHD cars?

i personally think it would be awesome. its better to see people driving in a LHD porsche 911. its just more original.

There is a guy here at work that has a LHD 'stang.

the old school ones. 57 I think?

Anyway to get in you need a proxy card. he has his on a stick to poke through the other window, but still needs to put the window down cause no power windows.

It's a good laugh - especially in the rain.

  • 3 months later...

hmmmmmm

i think that if u contacted USA workshops who can convert ur car before shipping it to australia

i think it would be cheaper

try looking for conversion work shops in the USA and ask them if they can do it for u

All conversions have to be done in Australia, they will not permit a vehicle to be converted to RHD in the USA and then shipped. Already been down that road. Besides as R33_Dude said there are a lot of custom parts that they have no reason for having in the USA so you have to pay them to create all the mirrored parts like the dash so that wouldn't cut costs, it would probably add to them.

Also in the cost calculations there has not been mention of Duty which is not payable on vehicles made prior to 1989 but is applied to all vehicles made after 1989.

Another factor to add in, depending on the circumstances is Luxury Car Tax if you were buying a newer model and it pushed the price over A$55k.

The good ol' Aussie Government sure do like getting a slice of the pie... a really big slice!

This may be a stupid suggestion but if you had to get it converted to RHD and have all the dash and stuff changed aswell for $40k couldn't you just get a complete custom dash done with the conversion for roughly the same price?

And WTF-33R you can register and drive LHD vehicles in WA (I looked at a Camaro and a Transam before getting my R34) but they have to have been manufactured before I believe 1990 (I could be wrong), after that it must be RHD.

This may be a stupid suggestion but if you had to get it converted to RHD and have all the dash and stuff changed aswell for $40k couldn't you just get a complete custom dash done with the conversion for roughly the same price?

I doubt it as the reason they require the conversion, in theory, is to make the vehicle safe to be used as a daily driver and if you then went and made a custom dash you would be modifying the vehicle in a way that was not tested and therefore could be unsafe. You would have to compliance the modified dash one would think.

And WTF-33R you can register and drive LHD vehicles in WA (I looked at a Camaro and a Transam before getting my R34) but they have to have been manufactured before I believe 1990 (I could be wrong), after that it must be RHD.

The law in all states is that if the vehicle is older than 30 years then it can be left LHD. The reason for the 30 year rules is that they figure a 30 year old car will not be used as a daily driver so therefore the LHD will have no real impact on day-to-day motoring. The exception to the 30 year rule is in NT and WA where it is 15 years old. In SA if the vehicle is not completely factory stock they require you to convert it to RHD even if it is over 30 years old.

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