Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

Im looking at an evo 5/6 and not overawed with Australian stock. In any case I don't have the cash flow right now to get one right away, but soon hopefully.

Anyway, I've been doing my research on importing. Now stock in Japan seems reasonably priced and some look to be in great condition with low k's.

My question relates to importing and then compliance.

If I find one I want; can I get it here, chuck it in my garage, and then do compliance in 6-12-18 months? Or must they be complied straight off the dock?

The reason I ask, I could possibly spare the cash sometime soon for one that catches my eye along with freight and customs tax, GST etc. But I understand being an older evo, compliance could be expensive and outlaying the cash all at once is just too much for me right now.

So can the process be segmented?

Cheers

The process is already segmented with import agent fee first... then you source a car and purchase it... then 4-6 weeks later your car is shipped to Australia and you pay for it... then compliance takes 2-4 weeks and you then pay the outstanding balance... then 1 week later you have the car in your possession and pay stamp duty + registration.

Without a Vehicle Import Approval (which is applied for through the Australian Gov Department of Transport) which takes 4-6 weeks... and most often is organised through your RAWS certified compliance workshop the car CANNOT leave the dock once it arrives in Australia.

(The import approval allows the car to be complied and then later registered in Australia and also provides a 17 digit universal VIN)

If the car stays at the dock without VIA for more than 30 days you will be forced to ship it back to Japan (at the owners cost) or the car will be destroyed.

http://v35skyline.com/2014/06/03/15-government-approval/

PS: My suggestion - based on currently undertaking the 'importing a car from Japan to Australia' process is have your money ready in the bank.

When you are asked to pay up (each step of the way) you NEED to pay literally within a day or 2 (at most) otherwise you hold up the process and incur delays and it will cost you extra in the end.

Okay, I've read that the vehicle import approval has to be applied for by the RAWS and not the individual, as you have stated. As a DIY import job, you enter into a 'contract' if you like with the workshop doing compliance and they apply for the import approval on your behalf.

But what if the vehicle is brought in for race/rally and need not be complied for Australian roads? Who then applies for the approval?

What is stopping me from bringing in a Evo 5 for track days, have it sit in my garage for 12 months and then change my mind and want to drive it on the road?

Ah I see... your required 'use' for your import is different to mine - as I want (and need) my car to be registered in Australia.

This may be the resource you're looking for:

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/

and the online application form:

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/online_form.aspx

Right. I haven't seen that document before that stipulates conditions of race/rally. Thanks for that.

I have another question for those in the know; it relates specifically to Lancers.

Why can you not bring in anything earlier than the evo 5? Is there really much difference in safety and emissions between the 4 and 5? Im assuming that the reasons somewhat revolve around these factors. Im of the understanding the 4 didn't have the brembos and narrower tyres. Still had ABS however. It's just not a good ruling for those who were passionate about the WRC in the 90's.

You can never register a car brought in for race/rally use. Unless it is for dedicated rally use under conditions that vary per state....not sure what the SA rules are

Also, cars brought in by the manufacturer cannot be brought in under SEVS. So probably emo 5s and earlier were sold here by itsabitfishi

  • 2 weeks later...

Compliance on my V35 Skyline just finished.

The time frame the process took was June 27th until July 7th... so, very quick in my opinion!

That being said, I already had the Vehicle Import Approval before my car landed at the Melbourne Port for Australian Customs... also, I paid for the compliance work as soon as I received the invoice.

All up 11 days in total - including 2x weekends :)

  • 2 months later...

I bought My 370GT SP in June! and still haven't got a Compliance Sticker. It's sitting in my garage because I can't bare to have it gathering dust. I'll re apply for the Unregistered Vehicle Permit when Goran calls me stating the Compliance sticker has arrived, Hope he can take her through the pits the same day.....

4 months is absolute overkill!! if you ask me. (auction to now) also took 8 weeks for an import certificate because DETRORS are doing an AUDIT! hopefully I have it on the road SOON and not drag on to a 5 month mark!

Edited by N3ptuNe

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • This is the territory of the "Stage 1/2/3 Golf GTI/R" or otherwise off the shelf tune with (relative to before) minor mods. It's easier now. Downpipe and Tune and boom, big increases. Stage 1 OEM+ is where it's at. This is where the niche evolved into and it's really easy to see why. It's rare to even NEED to consider changing turbos or going to aftermarket ECU's or building bottom ends for more power. Stage 1-2-3 will get you a LONG WAY. Civic Type R turbo GR Yaris/Corolla Anything with B58 (MKV Supra/x40i) Anything BMW in General Anything Audi in General Any turbo AMG RenaultSport Turbo offerings Korean Elantra N/I30N Ecoboost Mustangs Focus RS? List goes on. I would argue in the future it won't even need to go on... M3P is pretty rapid out of the box...
    • There is a way, but it's not with the same cars. You need to find the same vintage of car, that we had. Realistically, that was an affordable car with aftermarket parts around. So what people need to find is a car that had a decent base in its day, and can be modified. They're looking for a car year make of 2010 to 2015 really... Aus could have done it if Holden didn't fold as V8 commodores were cheap, and if Ford didn't get expensive thanks to COVID, then you could cheaply play with FG Barras. Realistically, those are just a bit heavier, four door skylines. I'm sure the US and UK have similar cars they could find.
    • Haha I do that.. thats when it chirps..The bit point for me is almost non-existent. Otherwise I stall it. But yes, in terms of performance, the clutch is solid af.
    • Greg speaks wisdom. These dirty old Datsuns are only value when they are cheap. When they are not cheap, there is no value. Sounds contradictory, but it's true. We are now 20 years past the hey day of modifying cheap 90s JDM cars for small amounts of money. This is a different world. If you are rich and can afford not to care about what is effectively wasting money on an old Datto shitter, then I have no reason to argue against it. But if you are wanting to experience what we all experienced back in 2005 (and I bought my car last century!) then there is no way to do it.
    • Short answer: No. Medium answer: No, because you still need to conjure the things out of thin air to bolt them to a NA to make it a NA+T. Long Answer: No - The things you need to conjure - meaning a turbo, intercooling, manifolds, exhaust, intake/manifold/piping, clutch, injectors, fuel pump, AFM (?), ECU + Wiring (woo, N/A loom fun) have to come from somewhere. You could have many scavenged these things from an OEM car that someone had upgraded from and use some of these. This will be cost prohibitive now, especially so in the USA. You'd probably pay the same for newer, upgraded components that are better than old OEM stuff from 25-30 years ago. None of these big ticket items are re-usable for the N/A car. Why not buy new and upgrade while you're there? The only real consideration is turbo and fuel sizing and determining whether you want to stay within the bounds of the OEM engine or get into rebuild territory. These limits ARE lower with a N/A motor and especially N/A gearbox at the starting point. And if you're gonna upgrade those then you may as well consider having them built to begin with. Because everyone here knows you're never far from that next engine rebuild once you start making the power you want... The cars you see on the internet and SAU etc have been built over decades. If you're really clued in... you would sell your US car to somebody for what you paid for it. You would then scour AU JDM pages or SAU and buy a car like Dose's on this forum with your powerful American Dollar. This will save you so much money in the long term. Importing it could be tricky. Or it might not because USA. I have long said the only reason 90's Japanese stuff took off was because a) Japanese people had Japanese cars so that is what they used b) Australians could import these cars to Australia with very minimal changes and use them on the road here c) Neither country had well-priced access to US or EU Sports Cars. I don't believe the JDM scene would have taken off in Australia at all if we had EU priced EU BMW M offerings, or more especially the AUS V8 Scene would never have existed if we had the multitude of US cars like Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes at the prices you folks do. After all - Do the math. I would say put a V8 in your R34 and that's the smart way forward. It is. I did it. I know this from my own experience. But at that point there's no reason to simply not buy a C5 or C6? It would be simpler and easier and cheaper and bette-
×
×
  • Create New...