Importing Jdm Car Question

[JDMBY]

I have read pinned post here Importing FAQ and cannot understand about 15-years rule.

"3. 15 year rule. Now modified so only cars made before 1 January 1989 (ie 1988 or earlier)."

So finally, is it possible to import a 15-year old car to Australia from Japan, or not?

[kakimoto33]

What used to be a rolling 15 year and older rule (which would have allowed 2000 and older cars now) was changed almost 10 years ago to a pre-1989 rule, so these days you can only import 1988 and older models .. the exception to this is newer cars which are on the SEVS compliance list but I suspect this is not what you are looking at really?

The short answer is 1988 and older only.

Edited September 15, 2015 by kakimoto33

[Duncan]

But the good news is, the rules may be changed shortly to allow cars up to 10 years old in....now that would open up some interesting options

[kakimoto33]

New law changes are a while away yet so anything could happen so don't hold your breath just yet

[JDMBY]

What used to be a rolling 15 year and older rule (which would have allowed 2000 and older cars now) was changed almost 10 years ago to a pre-1989 rule, so these days you can only import 1988 and older models .. the exception to this is newer cars which are on the SEVS compliance list but I suspect this is not what you are looking at really?

The short answer is 1988 and older only.

Ok. Thank you. What about this

"2. SEVS. Strict regulations on condition and modifications. For cars <15 years old. Only cars eligible on the SEVS Register can be brought in, and if there is a RAWS who can comply the car. Check the SEVS Register first to see if your car is available, and then here for a list of RAWS workshops to see if they can comply your vehicle."

Are Skylines (R32-R34) eligible? Is it possible to import R34 and how many different fees and taxes one should pay to bring a car from Japan?

[kakimoto33]

Look here first to see if the make / model is on the SEVS eligibility list:

http://rvcs-prodweb.dot.gov.au/sevs/sevsindex.htm

Then search here to make sure there is a RAWS workshop with compliance for that model:

http://raws.infrastructure.gov.au/rawswebpublic/RAWPubSearch.asp

If it's on both lists then you can import them under the SEVS laws, and that does include R32, R33 and R34 in certain variants but there are other criteria also, for example no cars with previous accident repair history, no modifications, etc

Vehicles being imported are subject to 5% import duty and 10% GST, however cars over 30 years old are exempt from import duty so you only pay 10% GST on them.

If you tell us what R34 you are keen on getting then I can show you some recently sold examples and give you a cost breakdown of the import costs to get one similar here yourself?

Edited September 15, 2015 by kakimoto33

[JDMBY]

Thank you for info.

I found Skylines in the first list.

How and who will be researching that there were no accident and repair history, modifications, etc. If it is japanese exporter, or japanese auction, do they provide any documents proving that the car has no accidents and repairs. Who will decide if a front bumer or muffler is original or aftermarket?

Any other additional payments except for import duty and GST? I think there are some port charges for unloading a vehicle?

So when choosing Skyline I must be sure that it is clear from any modifications. What happens if a car comes to my port and inspector decides that it was modified?

[kakimoto33]

If you were going through me to source and import the car then I would have our guys inspect the car in person to ensure it meets the criteria for import to Australia. Once the car gets here it will be up to the RAWS compliance workshop to determine if it meets the regulations or not, and that is done by matching part numbers to original specification generally so it's a fairly easy thing to make sure it's correct. It's nothing to do with Customs or anyone else at the time of import. If you choose to buy a car with modifications they can simply be removed prior to compliance so there is no real problem there, it's really just important to make sure we are buying you a good car.

There are many costs involved in importing a car to Australia. You will not need to know or understand them all as we will take care of the process for you and make sure all costs are correct and the car gets here safely and as cheaply as possible. All you really need to do is decide what you want to buy, wait for us to present you with possibly suitable cars and we can go from there. You set the 'landed and complied' budget in Australian Dollars and we can calculate backwards from there to work out all import costs and set a bidding limit in Japanese Yen to get it landed here within your budget if we win the auction.

I hope this all makes sense, but if not then please let me know your questions so I can clarify further?

[JDMBY]

I saw your facebook page and it represents nice examples of jdm classics. They are great.

First I thought to deal with japanese exporter. There are many GTRs there. Their prices look competitive even with taxes. But as I understand I will need to do all paperwork and compliance check myself that can be an issue, especially for a newcomer in Australia

[Sikahalv]

Thank you for info.

I found Skylines in the first list.

How and who will be researching that there were no accident and repair history, modifications, etc. If it is japanese exporter, or japanese auction, do they provide any documents proving that the car has no accidents and repairs. Who will decide if a front bumer or muffler is original or aftermarket?

Any other additional payments except for import duty and GST? I think there are some port charges for unloading a vehicle?

So when choosing Skyline I must be sure that it is clear from any modifications. What happens if a car comes to my port and inspector decides that it was modified?

If you're keen on importing a car from Japan to Australia - honestly, check out my blog as I've detailed every single step of the process @ www.v35skyline.com

Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions I'm happy to help out

[Sikahalv]

What used to be a rolling 15 year and older rule (which would have allowed 2000 and older cars now) was changed almost 10 years ago to a pre-1989 rule, so these days you can only import 1988 and older models .. the exception to this is newer cars which are on the SEVS compliance list but I suspect this is not what you are looking at really?

The short answer is 1988 and older only.

Could not have put it better myself

[JDMBY]

If you're keen on importing a car from Japan to Australia - honestly, check out my blog as I've detailed every single step of the process @ www.v35skyline.com

Let me know what you think, and if you have any questions I'm happy to help out

Oh! A big story. Will be reading thouroughly. Thank you. Did you buy through japanese auction or from japanese dealer?

[Sikahalv]

Oh! A big story. Will be reading thouroughly. Thank you. Did you buy through japanese auction or from japanese dealer?

^ this.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Sikahalv

[JDMBY]

Wow. Is it free to buy vehicles through auction? Or must this still be done through a licensed dealer? Do they have english interface?

[Sikahalv]

Wow. Is it free to buy vehicles through auction? Or must this still be done through a licensed dealer? Do they have english interface?

You won't be bidding yourself, speak to Ben Lippa from J-Spec Imports, he'll be able to help you

I've used him three times in the past year to import cars for myself and family and I've been incredibly happy with the level of service he's provided, and the cars he's sourced for me at auction

Edited September 15, 2015 by Sikahalv