hwchwc01

I guess this is more for the Australian readers... Im thinking about buying a 65/67 mustang fastback but the ones already in Australia are quite expensive, on average I can buy one in the states around 10K cheaper.. can anyone advise me on the ins and outs of importing a car from the U.S to Australia... ie fees, registrations and laws... is it worth it in the long run? Are there any unexpected costs for first time importers?

UCANTCME1685

ITS BEST IF YOU CONTACT YOUR LOCAL (DMV) DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES OFFICE, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY AND ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL BE GETTING THE CORRECT ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.

pleasework7

You would not need to pay any taxes for the cars you buy here if you are directly importing them into Australia. But you will need to set up all the freight charges and containers ready to ship the cars out to Australia. Additional fees maybe be making the US cars fit the regulations in Australia. Each country has a different set of laws regarding emission controls and etc about the cars running in their country. Considering all the exporting cost it would take to ship the cars to Autralia, I think it would just be cheaper to buy them in Australia unless its a car you cannot get there.

AbleTasman

This sounds like you're proposing to import a car made for the American market to drive on Australian roads. If so then:1) Your imported Mustang will probably be a left-hand drive vehicle rather than a right-hand drive one. If so, either you will have convert the car to a right-hand drive (probably at your own expense) or see if you can get some kind of dispensation from Australian authorities. Here, for example, are the specific rules for the State of Western Australia.http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/licensing/yourvehicle/1384.aspThe Australian Automobile Association has some advice of a more general kind here about importing left-hand drive vehicles.http://www.aaa.asn.au/touring/bringing.htmNote also that unless you do do a conversion you may not be allowed to sell that Mustang later if and when you decide to trade it in another car.2) Apart from the LHD/RHD issue, the car will also need to comply with other Australian road rules which may or may not require additional modifications. For example, does it have seatbelts? Does its engine comply with Australian emission standards? If the answer to these and similar questions is no, then either you will to see if some kind of exemption is available or additional conversions (at your expense) may need to be made. 3) Is the warranty for that mustang you buy in America valid in Australia? If it isn't, then any repairs to that mustang even during the warranty period will probably be at your own expense.4) Will American authorities oblige you to register that mustang in the US or will you be allowed an exemption so long as you don't drive it on American roads? If they won't give you an exemption you may need to register the car twice: once in the US and once in Australia. (That in turn may also require two sets of insurance.)All in all IMHO you'd be better off buying a mustang that's already here. The American ones may be $10,000 cheaper but how much of that $10,000 will end up being eaten away anyway by other less obvious costs? The conversion to RHD alone is unlikely to be cheap. Several thousand dollars most probably, at least judging from the costs (in UK pounds) given on this British site:http://www.righthanddrivesystems.com/cost.htm