Silly question but.....

[srg73]

Starting to sort through a few things deciding if they are worth the effort in shipping out (maybe 12-18 months away yet). One item which will not be shipped is my wifes car which at 12 years old is unlikely to be viable however she has suggested it would be nice to purchase a newer version, maybe cabrio and top of the range (Brabus). The car is a smart car which although available do seem to be rare and expensive in Adelaide meaning shipping one out maybe a good option.

 

My question is whether a car can be shippped in the same container as household goods and if yes then what is the largest size for a shipping container?

 

Thanks

[snifter]

Yes it can. And you can either have one 20ft container if taking less house stuff or two containers, so 40ft.

 

Be aware you have to have owned the car for a year before you move. No getting round that that I know of.

 

IronChef is the person to talk to re shipping. Have a read of these two threads over on our sister site, PIO and ask about if its worthwhile shipping such a car once you factor in import fees, shipping costs etc.

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/97053-transporting-your-car-oz-everything-you-need-know.html

 

and ask here re the specific car

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/138727-worth-bringing-my-car-iron-ladys-trusty-new-calculator-reveals-all.html

 

 

Just one thought, not sure a cabrio is the way forward if there is a lot of sun and its hot. I don't recall seeing many cabrio cars when I was out and about in Adelaide but then I may just have not noticed as it wasn't something I was looking for. There may be heaps and people drive them all over I'd sooner a car with good aircon and cover that I can cool down in on a hot day. I'd not want to drive much with a roof down in hot weather anyways mainly for sun exposure aspect.

[SwanseaJack]

Hi,

 

On the subject of what you can or can't take. Are we allowed to take new flat pack furniture or is there some kind of tax that we have to pay on new items.

 

We would appreciate any help you might give us as this might be a great way of saving a lot of expense.

 

Many thanks

 

Simon

[srg73]

Thanks for the advice on the roof for the car, will have to look into it as I know another option is a glass roof which I guess is not a great idea especially with leather seats!!! My wife's current smart has a glass roof with leather seats and gets hot even in UK.

 

Regarding new and packaged goods, I seem to recall $1000 limit before import duties are applied. From what I'm advised, unpack the furniture, build it, use it and then repack, save your tax free allowance for bedding, towels etc which is very costly Aus side.

 

S

Edited January 2, 2013 by srg73

[Elliot]

If you do decide to bring your car over, bear in mind it will become a foreign imported car and as such it may not be that easy to get it serviced etc. We looked at bringing our Audi over but the dealers over here said they wouldn't touch it. Also there will have to be some "tweaks" that you will have to have carried out. It is getting warm now over here and I have only seen one convertible car. As said by others, you really need good aircon and a roof to protect you from the UV rays, which are much much stronger than the UK. A lot of cars have specially tinted windows as well to keep out the sun. If you park in the sun, it can get that hot in the car that you cannot even hold the steering wheel.

I don't know there is a limit of $1000 before import duty. We bought a new front loading washing machine, as cheaper than buying in Aus, and had to pay duty + GST (VAT) of $58 so not that much and worth doing. Once you get to know your way around over here there are bargains to be had everywhere for everything so do not be put off buying over here. We took the view that we were bringing a 20 foot container so just prioritised what we would bring and had a really good clear out (in fact an entire 8 yard skip). They are very hot on any plants, garden furniture or tools, golf clubs and any shoes used outdoors (trainers etc), bikes, basically anything with mud/soil on it.

[srg73]

Hi Elliot, it would seem a cabrio is not an option also given uv causes damage to mo-hair which the roof is constructed from. Regarding difficult servicing, my wife's car is one of the original smart cars and was imported from Europe meaning it needed to be serviced in London only!

 

Regarding GST, I beleive this is charged on new items exceeding $1000 which is much better than £18 in UK. I can confirm that once into the swing of things most items can be sourced quite cheaply in Australia as this is how my brother survived for 3 years on not a great wage. I also like the way people in Australia make things last a little longer rather than the throw away society of UK.

 

S

[Steve_H]

You are required to declare anything you have bought within 12 months and pay duty.

I cashed in a load of air miles and used them to buy a new Dyson, DVD, and microwave from currys then had them put in our container. I declared them on the form and got a bill for about $130.

I've since spoke to loads of people who never declared anything and got away with it.

Im not sure about a $1000 limit, never heard of that

 

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4224.asp

 

Steve

[Guest LittleGreenMan]

I used to own a convertible a while ago when we first moved over from the UK. After 6 months I tried to sell it just to get rid of it. It was fun in autumn/winter but once summer was here I understood why convertibles aren't big here. You'll get baked with the top down in the summer. Having the roof up wasn't much better since the heat still came in despite the aircon. That was back in 2004. If you have a hard top convertible it might be a different story but you'll find yourself having the roof up most of the time. My advise is buy a new car here. You'll be better off in the long run also because cars here last much longer than in the UK due to the weather.