Does Aussie Delivery Really Matter | FerrariChat

Does Aussie Delivery Really Matter

Discussion in 'Australia' started by HWHL, Jan 24, 2013.

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  1. HWHL

    HWHL Karting

    Jul 31, 2012
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    Melbourne
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    Mark
    Hi Guys, I was out with a few mates last night at Gasolina in Melbourne and an interesting topic came up.
    Now this conversation/debate was to do with bikes (Harleys in particular) but I thought it would be interesting to see what people here thought.

    One of the guys is selling a tourer and is asking around the 28K mark, then one of the other guys put in he thought that was to high a price although the bike is in awesome condition (apparently), with the amount of imports around and that are coming in that you could pick one up for 10-12K cheaper, if you brought on in yourself.
    The other end of the argument was yes that's correct but mine is an Australian delivery.
    Both valid points, So its got me thinking does Aussie delivery really matter?
    To me I think no it doesn't we don't make anything that resembles a decent car or bike so everything is imported anyway, but I know with some bike and car clubs an import is like a black sheep, but this could just be the owner trying to hold onto some of the value of their Aussie delivered vehicle, lets face it no one likes to lose money and this would happen if we grey imported on mass. Now saying this I brought my bikes new and Aussie delivered. The GLW's Porsche is also an Aussie delivery. My Ferrari is an import
    Just wondering what others think,
     
  2. Dave 456

    Dave 456 Formula 3

    Nov 15, 2007
    1,317
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    Dave Simons
    Its all about what kind of compliance plate it does/doesn't have - that can affect how difficult it may be to register or re-register if the registration is allowed to lapse.

    My son is having exactly this problem with a grey import Honda bike.

    Local delivery means no future problems - sort of.
     
  3. Horse

    Horse Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Cue PP. ;)
     
  4. FazzerPorscheman

    FazzerPorscheman F1 World Champ

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    Fixed
     
  5. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 23, 2003
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    Buying an import makes absolutely no difference until it's time to sell.

    It's not just a matter of making it cheap. There are few enough buyers around anyway, so since there are people who won't buy one at any price, why alienate 90% of the purchasers. Obliviously this does not apply to things like 328gtb, for example, which was never sold here, and it probably is less important with older cars.

    However, it seemed relevant to the couple of people who enquired about my 308 recently.

    I've fallen for it twice and I hope I've learnt my lesson.
     
  6. Steve355F1

    Steve355F1 F1 World Champ
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    Aug 26, 2011
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    My 355 F1 is an import, so maybe I'm biased - just as those who rubbish imports may also be biased.
    But I don't think it matters in as much as the car is the same. It came from the same factory and if it has been complied properly it meets all the ADRs and has an Australian Compliance plate fitted.

    Where there may well be a difference is in re-sale. But I don't care because I got the car I wanted, in the spec I wanted, in amazing condition, and it cost significantly less than an equivalent Australian delivered car would have.

    I couldn't give a **** if I don't get as much when it comes time to sell it - I paid less to start with!
    I'd be willing to bet that the amount of loss realised at sale time would be comparable regardless of whether the car was Australian delivered or not.

    :)
     
  7. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 23, 2003
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    Sigh. You don't get it.

    I heard your car is sensational btw
     
  8. MAD828

    MAD828 F1 Rookie
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    Oct 8, 2011
    2,539
    Sydney
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    Elliott Caras
    I find this topic interesting, here is my 2 cents.

    My car is Australian delivered and it is my first Ferrari. I like the fact that is is Australian delivered for the following reasons:

    It was a 2 owner car and I know the 2nd owner. The same mechanic has looked after is since it rolled over 3000 kms and still looks after it under my ownership. You can more easily trace back the ownership trail, especially in a country like Aus where the Ferrari community is not that large.

    I believe that in the sea of imported, average/poor condition spiders in less desirable colours and F1 tranny, that my immaculate, low mileage H Pattern, Spider will invariable be worth more and be easier to sell if I make that choice.

    Buying your first Ferrari is a big decision especially at my age of 27 so I wanted to be certain I was buying the right car, from the right owner who had cared for it previously. Buying privately from a local helped make this decision easier.

    My next Ferrari I would be open to importing one for myself. Id look at an immaculate F355 or a 360 Challenge Stradale.

    The larger UK market gives more options, with a much cheaper entry price. To find either of the above cars in the right specification and condition is very hard, especially the CS which had so few locally delivered examples in the first instance, about 12 compared to the 119 in the UK. And the second hand market in the UK is much more competitive 160k for a CS AUD plus compliance and delivery is much more attractive than a 250-300k locally delivered car, and like Steve said buy it cheap, sell it cheap.

    The people who buy a F355 for 75k and bring it over have it for a few months and try to flip it for 125k are the real dreamers who probably would never buy one again, but if your sensible, buy the right car with a documented history and you continue to build on that with good servicing and care under your ownership it should be fine to sell at a cheaper price in comparision to Australian delivered.

    In summary I'm very happy to have paid a premium for my first car, and know it will be easier to sell. I'd hate to try and sell an imported 360 spider right now, as there are just too many of them, unless of course it was priced accordingly and in great shape.

    Another thing to consider is things like Classiche and Concourse not sure if imports are frowned upon with these sort of things. Which may or may not be of importance to you but may limit future buyers.
     
  9. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Jun 23, 2003
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    Hands up any of you who have tried to sell a non aussie spec car that was available here as aussie spec....and tell me if it was only the price that made it hard to sell.

    Some of you guys aren't listening to me.....and you should. I'm not saying don't buy a non aussie spec, and I'm not even saying the non aussie spec isn't as good, or better, or cheaper. The question was does it make a difference and, at sale time, it does!...enough that you might regret the purchase IMO
     
  10. MAD828

    MAD828 F1 Rookie
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    Yep I hear you Aircon!

    That's why I would never buy a really common model that can easily be sourced locally. Like a CS or exceptional F355 berlinetta in manual.

    Again I'd hate to be selling an imported 360 right now. But I'm thankful they flooded the market enough to make my Aussie car cheaper for me to buy. Besides have you seen underneath some of these imported cars - not pretty.
     
  11. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Some of them are great......I've seen a few. but it's still not worth the pain at the end...at least, not to me.
     
  12. 575

    575 F1 Rookie
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    Nov 20, 2009
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    The fact that there are so many here would tell you yes there is a market for them. Having said that , all things being equal a local car is worth more than an import.
    A good import is worth more than a poor local car.
     
  13. wrxmike

    wrxmike Moderator
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    Mar 20, 2004
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    I'll defer to aircon's experience in selling non aussie delivered cars and make the following observations.

    The importance depends on the model, I think that with 360's in particular, (and 355, 456, 550/575 to nearly the same degree) a non aussie delivered car will be harder to sell - it will take longer to sell and the price will be lower.

    When you go back to Enzo era cars, I don't think Aussie delivery is relevant. Ditto for F40 etc. There is pretty much a global market for those cars, and a LHD drive example might even be more saleable.

    Also, I think the era of import late model Ferrari's ( 360s in particular and 550/575/355 as well) contributing to the decline in value of most post 1990 Ferrari's in Australia has just about run it's course for a number of reasons.:

    The Australian market is saturated with unsold imported late model Ferraris - it's no longer lucrative to import & comply a car and flip it, pocketing 20-40k per time.

    Prices in the UK have risen in recent years, the remaining cars are getting older and the mileage higher. Ferrari's with more than 50k's are nearly saleproof in Australia so the cost of a "worthwhile " car is now pretty high in the UK, which reduces the viabilty of an import.

    360's are now 14 years old, and are no longer seen as a recent model Ferrari and I think this is now affecting demand.

    Lastly, it's not possible to import and compy a post 2005 Ferrari ( except as a personal import ), so there won't be a glut of import 430's, 599's or 458, ever.

    That said, I'd buy an import 360 at the right price, provided the car is in good condition. It's possible to check a UK service history through their dealer channel, and after all, they all come from Italy anyway. :)

    M
     
  14. 575

    575 F1 Rookie
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    Nov 20, 2009
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    Not sure why the market for an import 308 , 328 would be different from say a 355 or 575 which compared to 360's are not in a saturated market. The only possibility I see is the pricepoint in that the 308 , 328s are more affordable so have a larger market.
    A good car is a good car regardless. The things that maket them sale proof are condition and mileage for the price asked.
    Some of the prices achieved by a Sydney importer for some 575's sold is scarily high, espescially when you see the condition and mileage.
     
  15. F-Serge

    F-Serge Formula 3

    Aug 3, 2004
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    having imported a 360 Spider myself, I agree with most of the above.
    you need to be in a position to hold on to your 360 import for a few years to be able to sell it later - current market makes them unsellable
    price - buy cheap(er), sell cheap(er). depreciation curve might be steeper than Aussie-delivered car, time will tell.

    reasons behind importing one were pretty much like Steve's - found the car I wanted, reasonable price, reasonably good condition. Local sellers are dreamers en masse. Hopefully wouldn't need to sell it for many years to come - at least not planning to!
     
  16. simon klein

    simon klein Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jeez Mike,re the Enzo cars,I'd have thought it quite important BUT only where you have a left to right conversion.
    The market is probably even where they are concerned,both L&RHD being attractive to different markets.
    I'm,in the light of the 2 auctions in the 'states last weekend,surprised the LHD 246,on carpoint, @ $205K hasn't been snapped(condition dependent,of course).
     
  17. 575

    575 F1 Rookie
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    Yes I agree espescially as the stronger market for a Dino would be in LHD.
     
  18. greg246

    greg246 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    The Yanks probably think its a scam/too cheap
     
  19. wrxmike

    wrxmike Moderator
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    #19 wrxmike, Jan 25, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2013
    I agree, but I've found that Americans seem to be a bit myopic when it comes to buying cars from foreigners, which is odd, because they export cars quite happily.

    If that car was physically in the US, I bet it would sell in a heartbeat( assuming condition was OK )

    M
     
  20. wrxmike

    wrxmike Moderator
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    #20 wrxmike, Jan 25, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2013
    There are so few Enzo era cars that people will take what they can get, condition is everything, original delivery not really important as the spec was pretty much the same anyway across markets ( ie UK & AU ). And by now the cars pretty much all been restored, so traces of a potential rusty european past are long gone.

    The global LHD market is much larger, and even in the UK LHD is "accepted", particularly for rare cars.

    I would imagine that a LHD-RHD conversion of an Enzo era car would be a deal breaker for most people though.

    M
     
  21. 360C

    360C F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    It's the relative size of LHD vs RHD markets. There are simply far, far more buyers in LHD countries which makes for an easier sale with a genuine collector grade vehicle. It's a world market for these cars after all.
     
  22. simon klein

    simon klein Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Absolutely,I may have been extending my thoughts to cars with full history........a completely different minefield,though more important IMO.
     
  23. Dave 456

    Dave 456 Formula 3

    Nov 15, 2007
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    Absolutely right Steve - if the car has been through the proper low volume import scheme and has an Aussie compliance plate fitted, it should make no difference. If I was looking at one of those, so long as it had the right plate (green, low volume, usually) I wouldn't hesitate, if the car was right.

    As an aside, at one stage Aussie "Oz delivered" cars were low volume. My 456 is local delivered (and Maranello in the UK were the importers) and has a low volume plate - this would have saved them heaps on compliance costs as there were many technical concessions available to low volume importers. Makes sense - if they were only selling a dozen cars a year (in the case of the 456) why spend up on a compliance process intended for 5000 cars a year?

    Of course anything pre-1970 has no problems at all since compliance plates weren't invented then. If I eventually manage to buy a 330 or 250, it will probably come from the UK - after a very, very thorough inspection and probably flying someone over to check it out...
     
  24. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Correct...and yet, it does!

    All I'm saying is, by all means buy the best car you can for as little money as possible. That's normal business. But be prepared to have people hang up when you're trying to sell it as soon as they hear it's a non aussie spec car. It's not logical, it's not even practical, but that's what happens. Blame Porsche and Mercedes for the years of brainwashing!
     
  25. wrxmike

    wrxmike Moderator
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    All pre 2005 "OZ delivered " cars came in under the low volume scheme. When Ateco took over distribution they intentionally went full volume scheme as this prevents others from parallel importing the same vehicle under the low volume scheme.

    BTW The low volume scheme can only be used to import 100 per year of a car, if the volume is greater the importer must seek full volume compliance. I'd imagine the only models with the potential to hit the 100 mark annually would be the 430 or 458.
     

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