LR Australian rules..? shipping cost and regulations

[steve_a]

Well, options for the motors went like this:

90 - would love to take it, and after reading Ali's dits over the last 2 years I know it can be done. But... the wife hates it and won't drive it, which means if we went touring it would be me driving. It's also a truck cab, which means I have zero space. I'd have to go soft top or hard top to make it sensible.

Finally, I have been driving the discos too much and I really like my comfort, I've turned into a big girl

Old disco - seen better days, tempting to do it anyway as I wouldn't feel badly about chopping it about to make a nice off roader. But.... cost of getting it there seems pointless and for the first year or two I can't see me being able to do anything with it. Ali had family out there, we don't have any of that, a few mates in Adelaide, but nothing substantial. So having a car to cater for becomes a PITA.

Unless you have loads of support you have to think where will all the stuff go if you take it?

New disco - ahhh, the customs are sticklers for length of use and ownership from what I can tell. I bought it in Feb, so we could only bring it out in feb 08. But it is USE as well as ownership, so we would have to stay a bit longer as any trip to oz would count against the time frame, and AFAIK customs want copies of your passport to see when you were out of country, you can cancel off business trips.

So we just can't do it on timescales. I would really have taken this with us, it's a 300tdi auto, air con and so would be ideal for a tourer.

I am also concerned about the cost and possible availability of parts, though Ali said a few posts ago that availability was good. I downloaded the Nissan Patrol WSM a few months ago and it looks like working on that will be the same as the LRs so I may jump ship to one of those for a tourer and get a disco to make a nice off roader IDC.

Since we don't have anyone to help us when we go I think travelling light is the best option, we may end up living in an apartment in the city, we could end up in NT, we just don't really know and having to move loads of extra gear seems like too much hassle. We are thinking of shipping our stuff (read my tools!) out after we have a better idea of jobs etc.

One thing I did notice is that if you don't have a VISA most job advertisers don't bother contacting you, the timescale is too long and variable for them to care. I think Ali went across on a spouse visa, which usually takes just a couple of months IIRC, our visa has taken 9 months, without skills assessment, and some of the others from earlier months are STILL waiting, check out british expats time line to get an idea of the wait.

I emailed two jobs on Thursday night, one I mentioned the VISA, one I didn't, the one I did got back to me v quickly, the one I didn't still hasn't replied. So after you get the VISA you can start to apply for jobs, it just makes it all so much harder to plan for.

Anyway, apart from the 4x4 angle of importing and getting out and about, if you want any info on the visa process give me a PM, we didn't use an agent so know a lot about the process, though ours was fairly straight forward.

[MacFamilyAus]

Gday

Well being a Aussie born and bread I say more the merrier.As bill said times are tuff here and are gunna get tuffer but I think most places and people are finding it harder these days.I live in Queensland and moved here from NSW about 5yrs ago and love it, I live at Bribie Island about 1hr from Brisbane.

If was moving from Uk to Australia I would bring over if you can a extra defender 90 to sell cause like was said earlier they only imported them from 03 to 05 and they sell for alot over here and you could get your money back from moving over just buy selling a 90.I saw a 04 model td5 for sale very rare with 30 000km for $42 000 Aus dollars ..So its well worth thinking about it if any of you guys want to move here bring a 90 to sell.As a mater of fact bring as many defenders as possible ..

Also to dougie's post you would have no problem here in queensland getting a job as a sparkie (electrician) there are always jobs advertised for your trade and great pay.

Anyway I dont no anything about moving over here tax and what else but goodluck and hope too see you guys on the tracks and if you do move over here make sure you join our landrover forum http://www.aulro.com if you are already not a member...

Regards Azza

[tedsmart]

If I can put a pennys worth in?

I Would sell up everything car wise and buy here, we bought a Defender 110 1996 that is immaculate, i could not belive it underneath not a spot of rust, and I had looked around a fair bit in the UK Chappel-en-le-Frith 4x4, Crook bro's and such and have never seen a better preserved landrover than the one's here?

(to think that the goverment over there charge so much for road tax and then spray acid in the form of salt all over your vehcles and thus devaluing them is madness)

Its good over here its a 4x4 wonderland, the cost of living can be compared in some ways but not in others! If you haven't got a pot to tiddle in it doesn't matter as the sun is always shining,(very simplistict I know) surely how life should be!!!!

And on a down side the F**k wits always seem to be in charge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers ted

[bill van snorkle]

Seems like you have a pretty bad experience with crime and what not over there Bill

But what are your reasons for disliking QLD so much? i'd be interested in knowing.

What did they get off your car aswell mate? sounds like the broncs down there in melbourne!

As for not being able to go 4X4'ing i take it there is nothing local for you? Only even when i dont get this chance to get out in the disco here there is a little place on my way to work where i can get my 'mud fix' now and again

Dougie

Most countries have crime I s'pose, and OZ is no worse and probably better than many. It's the increase in violence that I have really noticed in the past decade or so. I'm well past the age where I view mixing it with thugs or seeing innocent patrons out for a quiet drink beaten up to within an inch of their lives or worse at the local or at nightclubs as a nights entertainment. but happens all too often lately.

My unfortunate and possibly unfair opinion of Qld (I was feeling mischeivous on my first post)was formed in the 1970's when the state was run by Robert Mugabes uncle, a certain often incoherant despot by the name of Joh Bjelke Peterson, whose police force was largely corrupt and unnacountable. Being banged up for 3 months for sleeping in the back of my Victorian registered car whilst travelling through Brisbane tends to color ones view somewhat.Joh's been dead for a while now but most of his cops are still on the beat.I did live in Brisbane for about 4 months, and Gladstone on the central Qld coast for 5 years so my personal opinionwas not based on just one incident.

Nothing like the Bronx.The theives didn't rip off my portalled Landy. It wasn't there, but they did steal 2 LWB series 2As one an ex army fire tender, a series one swb, 2 Rover P6 sedans, a Holden Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper) station wagon, plus a set of custom front/rear salisbury diffs and assorted bits and bobs.all from my block of land in the countryside.

I would consider a 40 minute drive to where one can 4wd without being hassled by irate residents to be fairly local to me.

Bill.

[reads90]

Most countries have crime I s'pose, and OZ is no worse and probably better than many. It's the increase in violence that I have really noticed in the past decade or so. I'm well past the age where I view mixing it with thugs or seeing innocent patrons out for a quiet drink beaten up to within an inch of their lives or worse at the local or at nightclubs as a nights entertainment. but happens all too often lately.

My unfortunate and possibly unfair opinion of Qld (I was feeling mischeivous on my first post)was formed in the 1970's when the state was run by Robert Mugabes uncle, a certain despot by the name of Joh Bjelke Peterson, whose police force was largely corrupt and unnacountable. Being banged up for 3 months for sleeping in the back of my Victorian registered car whilst travelling through Brisbane tends to color ones view somewhat.Joh's been dead for a while now but most of his cops are still on the beat.I did live in Brisbane for about 4 months, and Gladstone on the central Qld coast for 5 years so my personal opinionwas not based on just one incident.

Nothing like the Bronx.The theives didn't rip off my portalled Landy. It wasn't there, but they did steal 2 LWB series 2As one an ex army fire tender, a series one swb, 2 Rover P6 sedans, a Holden Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper) station wagon, plus a set of custom front/rear salisbury diffs and assorted bits and bobs.all from my block of land in the countryside.

I would consider a 40 minute drive to where one can 4wd without being hassled by irate residents to be fairly local to me.

Bill.

i think it has changed qutie a bit bill in the past 30-40 years since you lived here :lol

As for what you have seen in Aus belive me it is nothing compaired to some places in the uk and some of the things that happen, and belive me i hope Australia does not turn out like it.

Sorryto hear about you trucks, and christ what did they nick them with a couple of car transporters

Ali

[bill van snorkle]

:

Sorryto hear about you trucks, and christ what did they nick them with a couple of car transporters

Ali

Thanks Ali, I suspect they weighed them in for scrap. And they had a lot of time to take them as I can't afford to go there very often.

Bill.

[steve_a]

OK, damn your eyes, you have me thinking about taking the 90 across again!

1987 truck cab with a 200TDi in it, roll cage, 8274 winch, 100k miles (160k km)

Chassis is OK, it would be good to put a new one on over there.

What is it going to be worth?

Should I take it in case I use it but also for the cost, I reckon I will get around £3500 ($7200) for it here. It will cost around £1000 for shipping, so am I going to get more than $10,000 for it over in SA or VIC?

I thought selling a Personal Import was a loss maker, or is just the rarity of 90's that gets over the issue??

[jules]

The great outdoors is fine if you can afford to get out there to see it. With a seemingly never ending drought, we have and from now on will probably always have a mainly a resources based economy, and that's fine whilst the Chinese economy is booming. If their bubble bursts then I fear many of us will be up $hit creek without a paddle. As it is in the district I live in, due mainly to the increase in fuel, food and other basic living costs, an average of 12 families a week are unable to meet their mortgage payments and are losing their homes. I'm in no danger of that, but as the sole wage earner on $3200 PM plus $700 PM family benefit in a family of 3 with $1100 PM rent for a very ordinary 3 BR house, a $500 PM mortgage on a block of rural land that I'll probably never be able to sell in my lifetime, life is not all beer (who can afford that ?) and skittles. I haven't been able to afford to go 4 Wheel driving, even to my own land 40 minutes away for a couple of months.

Best not get started on crime and violence. If you're not handy with your fists you won't survive long in or outside many of the pubs and nightclubs in Melbourne after dark, and I've been burgled and had 6 complete parts vehicles stolen from my property just recently.Due to unsavory types about I'd never allow my 10 year old daughter to walk to and from school by herself, and we live in what would be regarded as a reasonably desirable middle class district .

Queensland,Brisbane ?Get real, Been there done that. Each to their own of course, but if i was given the choice of death or living the rest of my life in Brisbane, then oblivion sounds pretty attractive to me .I wouldn't give the contents of my nose for the rest of Queensland south of Cairns either, but that's just me.If so many British expats give glowing reports on their experiences in OZ then the Immigration Department must have surgically fitted rose tinted glasses to each and every one of them. I guess by this post that I fit the stereotypical description of a''Winging Pom'' but I've lived here for 51years and have no desire to return to Blighty. i'm just telling it how I have and am living it as a middling battler in a middling suburb on a middling, or is that piddling? income.We have a Labor government in all states and Federally now, and our Prime Minister Mr Krud is a bit of a dud who like his British counterpart will probably lead the country down the path of financial ruin with his proposed emssions trading scheme in an effort to counter climate change.

Bill.

Bill you have been away to long things have changed

I run a £15m commercial building construction project were the pikies are steeling anything which isn't concreted down and even that's stolen form time to time. Steel and cooper being stolen before its being fitted and from the trays after its been fitted. at least the violence is restricted to the bars and club you need a flat jacket to use my local coop conershop after the local schools kick out. The over crowding and job losses going on here are getting worrying the housing side of construction will shed over 100,000 jobs before the end of the year and our economy is very different to yours for many reasons. The yearly car tax on a average Disco is now £400 per year under the new Environmental taxes as of next year I'm glad I didn't update my 2000 D2 as it's just old enough to get past the new laws

comparing the prices of living the maths is very simple

the UK average salary is around £20,000 and from what I've read the Aus average is around $50,000.

for one my house rates are £1200 a year and that's only council tax only all the utilities are on top

Our fuel is £1.34 per lt

yours is $1.40 per lt (its less than half the price in comparison to the salary)

My mortgage on a poky little 2bed bungalow is £1200 prm and is only worth more than avargage house because it in the south of england and Reads 90 house is three times the size of mine has a three car garage and pool. it cost 30k less in dollers than my house is worth in pounds

that's enough for me

I'm in construction with a engineer background and my wife is in the financial sector so when we move we should be able to find work

[reads90]

OK, damn your eyes, you have me thinking about taking the 90 across again!

1987 truck cab with a 200TDi in it, roll cage, 8274 winch, 100k miles (160k km)

Chassis is OK, it would be good to put a new one on over there.

What is it going to be worth?

Should I take it in case I use it but also for the cost, I reckon I will get around £3500 ($7200) for it here. It will cost around £1000 for shipping, so am I going to get more than $10,000 for it over in SA or VIC?

I thought selling a Personal Import was a loss maker, or is just the rarity of 90's that gets over the issue??

Well in Aus it is a difficult to say what a 90 is worth . these are definatly an ebay job as you have to put it out to auction . But i can say it will be worth more than $10,000 more like $15,000. My local Land Rover spealist had a 2004 90 on the forcort for $48,000 this sold within 3 days. These trucks were $50,000 new in 2004 So shows how they keep there money . And if you want a 90 but can't afford $40,000 + then you have to go for an import which are like rocking horse poo

But as you rightly say a resonal import can be a loss maker but not if you bring a car in that is not here and everyone wants . Hence why i said don't bring your Volvo. I meet a chap the other day who had brought a 300 TDi disco from the Uk. I could not belive it as that car is worth notihing here in Aus. Main reason is they are here and pretty cheap anyway (i have a 1995 300 Tdi disco and i could get at a push to a blind man $7000 to $8000 ) And no one will buy his as his has rust and none in Queensland have rust. My 1995 disco has no rust on the chassis and still has the black paint on the chassis from the factory. And this is the same for other disco's and rrc. They think they have rust but don't really know what it is . I said this to the bloke with the 300 TDi and his was a 1997 one and his was standard rust from Uk underneth and he looked under mine and was shocked.

[dirkthe1]

i might just cry now. I cant even watch top gear as I'm too busy working to do anything to pay for the cost of living in a country that dosnt deserve it and isnt sunny......anyway!

I was a little confused until i read something about them never shipping 90's to oz?

sorry if that counts as hijacking?!

[bill van snorkle]

A bloke I once worked for thought he'd make a killing by importing and reselling used 90's from the UK. He had to make them comply with Australian design rules by changing seat belts, window glass etc. The tops and bottoms of the chassis and most other steel parts on a couple of what 12 months prior in the UK appeared to be structurely sound vehicles virtually disintegrated to dust. After importing and fitting new chassis the vehicles were eventually sold for around $30,000, one to a buyer in New South Wales, who when he tried to register it was refused point blank on some unresolvable technicality or other. Anyway my employer had to buy it back from him and eventually found a buyer in Victoria for it. At that time, circa 2005 the market for used 90's at those prices in Melbourne at least was not that strong,and shattered his dream of getting rich on 90's.

Bill.

[reads90]

A bloke I once worked for thought he'd make a killing by importing and reselling used 90's from the UK. He had to make them comply with Australian design rules by changing seat belts, window glass etc.

Bill.

This was the funny thing with mine. I craped my self for a year about the inpection for compliance and when the day came the bloke looked at the engine number and chassis numer, The kyte mark in the windows (to prove it was car glass) and then at the selt belts where he found the ADR number anyway. Which shocked me as mine is a 95 model which was never brought to Aus , but the 110 was and they use the same belts. And that was it all done, did not care about the after market A bar or that it was a soft top with no real roll bar, or the rear wheel carrier or the Non ADR rear Nas step and tow bar

[missingsid]

Hi,

I don't know anything about emigrating to Aus, it is on my option list so this is a very intersting topic with really good information.

If we went I would want to tave my Series 1 V8 and possibly the Hybred. The Ser 1 does not have seat belts at the moment but probably will once I put a rollcage on it so I guess thi8s would not be a problem though I am not sure about the glass?

I have heard a couple of things from friends in the past that I will add to the mix for what they are worth.

My ex boss is an Ozzie living in Perth, according to him a new Labour law was passed that gives the employer the right to sack any employee without notice or reason!

The other comment is from another mate who used to run a business in the UK exporting Jags to the US. One day the NY dockers dropped a Jag off the crane and tottaled it. The shipping insurance only paid up half the insured value for the car as they assume that you have over estimated it for a quick profit.

Don't mean to be down, just what I heard.

Good luck you if you go and I hope that you will update your progress.

Marc.

[reads90]

My ex boss is an Ozzie living in Perth, according to him a new Labour law was passed that gives the employer the right to sack any employee without notice or reason!

Marc.

Nah thats not right . Liberals (john howard) brought new laws in which restricted the unions alot ,which they did not like and guess what when Labour came in the losened them back up again

95% of Australian Law is the same as English law. Main reason was it was writen by the english . So as for employment it is the same as the Uk

[tacr2man]

I shipped my 110 to fremantle , long time ago so container cost not really relevant now. I told them it was temp import, and they said thay had to have the customs liabilty amount deposited (no carnet) . Thats what I did, 9 months later they contacted me asked if been exported , said no so they just took the deposit, and sent me a reciept . It was calculated on the time of ownership and use prior to arriving in Aus.

Re the quarantine cleaning, it does not matter how clean it is , as with a lot of things in Oz you have go thru the motions, it was transported from the docks to up near the airport where it was ''cleaned'' then the government inspectors come and inspect it and give you a clearance cert. When I looked underneath they had just pressure washed along the outside of the chassis and under the wings. The rest was a filthy as when I put it in the container , just after visiting Eastnor .

Any vehicle you ship out wants to have air con , as its hot to very hot 90% of the time, (I lived in W.A.)

The vehicle inspection (mot) is quite moderate, although it depends a bit on the guy doing the inspection, eg used to be not allowed convex mirrors had to be flat, all though that has now changed they have printed on them about items being closer than they look (same H&S carp as in UK) .

Land rover parts are not cheap, as they all think its a licence to print money, you will come across this a lot in OZ its not what is a reasonable price its what they can get away with, as they all want to retire at 40, and go play golf , or fishing.

Any business you go into, you will need to work at it, as it is very competitive too many businesses, chasing too few customers.

The TV ads are about double glazing standards, shout at you were cheaper etc.

The fuel is cheaper, but you will need more of it as everything, unless you live in the middle of a city is further away.

I lived out there about 13 years, had my own business, (garage/service station) , and detatched 4 bed on 5acres

does not buy you a lot when you get back to UK .

It is a great place to bring up kids, lots of sport , swimming etc, I lived in a small town, and people are very inviting, and friendly, although you get a lot of ribbing as a Pom .

They like to give it out , but are not to good at recieving , like when we took the ashes off them .

If you have a lot of family in UK its a blo@*dy long way away and the flying is a real pita .

Take your 90 , as soon as you can sell it and buy a 130 dc hcpu. They are the ideal vehicle for OZ

JMHO HTSH

[bill van snorkle]

TACR2MAN. by the sound of it you have returned to live in the UK ? Any regrets?

Getting beaten by England at cricket,or any sport doesn't happen too often. When it does happen it is regarded as the ultimate humiliation.

Aussie cricket lovers would find it more palatable to be beaten by the USA.

Bill.

[rick]

<snip>

Aussie cricket lovers would find it more palatable to be beaten by the USA.

Bill.

ROTFLMAO

[tacr2man]

BVS yes a couple , but had to, aged family reasons. empty roads is one of them .

funnily enough the weather isnt one of them, if you live in a particularly hot part of OZ the weather is a big a pita as the unpredictable nature of it in UK . 45c in the shade is not condusive to getting work done, and you can only drink so much cold beer nearly as bad as being beaten by the Kiwis

[Petes]

The guy in Queensland who imported a 90 with winches, lockers, cage etc was me. If you want a 90 in Australia bring one over. They are very very difficult to get hold of here. I keep looking for another one, and they are hardly ever up for sale and if they are a nice one will be about $35-40k (bearing in mind a new 110 is $48k here.

Havent read the entire thread but you do need to meet certain requirements to get the import approval, like being able to prove ownership and use of the car for at least the last 12 months and so on. You cant just buy one and bring it out.

Everyone was telling me that I wouldn't get it engineered over here (as they had read things on the interent forum) but after a few emails to Ali we went for it and it was pretty straightforward.

The total cost in aussie dollars for the whole process was $12100. That was for a 2001 td5 90.

Cheers

Pete.

[leeds]

Cost of a 20 ft container this year from Southampton to Sydney was £1,500. Insurance was 2%.

Cost of getting vehicle off docks was about a £1,000.

Cost of repairs to vehicle after they had cleaned it and the stuff that disappeared from 110 was about £350. Sydney docks have a well deserved reputation for damaging vehicles whilst 'cleaning' them!

Apparently Melbourne is a better choice of port.

Regards

Brendan

[reads90]

mmm saw this the other day and answered another why i am here and not in the uk

Daily Express article UK

Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper

[dougstar]

mmm saw this the other day and answered another why i am here and not in the uk

Daily Express article UK

Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper

And following on from that............. This was a contributing factor to myself thinking WTF am i doing here !

Anyhoo i have now applied for my Trades Reconigition Australia So the ball is rolling

Dougie