Can you drive LHD cars in Australia?

Car has to be 30 years old, ridiculous but there you have it, you can drive a POS 30 year old Yank tank with appalling brakes and handling but a new Italian super car or similar LHD

 

RS Man, I recommend you make all your investment decisions based on opinions you get on the internet.

 

Fixed.

 

Ok, tell me the logic behind allowing a 30 year old POS "anything" being allowed on the road but you can ban something like an F50 for the same LHD configuration ?

I have NEVER liked US cars (except for the odd Corvette) but any 30+ yo car will NOT have the inherent safety that a modern car will have.

This guy was asking what the rules are for importing LHD from Scotland, I doubt he will have (but it's possible) a huge Yank Tank.

My mention of the US cars was an example of why our import rules for LHD are so ridiculous mostly because I see so many of them here on the Gold Coast, 6 metres of bad taste with no brakes and tidal suspension, I don't give a flying **** about the investment decision, they are a ****ing danger and you would know that better than me .....

 

John, read your first reply to the guy again, it makes no sense. That was the point of my post.

 

For an f50, can you get a pass to drive it to the track? Or does it have to go on a truck?

I have seen a few f40s out and about occasionally.

 

I can get drugs cheap this week

Sorry for the dyslexic post, I knew what I wanted to say but got distracted ..... but every post of mine is gold

I did tell him the 30 year rule though before I lost the plot

I just get incensed that an F50 isn't allowed on the roads but these old bangers from LHD countries with little or no safety are allowed on our roads.

I'd rather see F40s or F50s driving around our streets than 18' monsters with no brakes

 

I seem to remember 360C having to get his transported but he is a stickler for doing things legally and you may notice the F40s are on historic or similar plates

 

Until the F50 is old enough to get club registration there is NO legal means of driving one on Victorian roads. Numbskulls who haven't read the rules (or don't care) will say that you can get a temporary permit or a trade plate; but neither is correct. It's the old story of "It's not a problem until something goes wrong, then it's a HUGE problem".
This is why I sold the F50. In 5 years of ownership I did something like 2000 km's and if I wanted to use it I had to transport it to a race track which is a real PITA.

You see F40's getting around on club rego plates because they are old enough now. Remember they were released in 1987, so these days they qualify as real OHOS. The F50 didn't come out until 1995.

 

So 2020 is the time to buy your old F50?

 

I imported a RHD car from the UK back in 2009, using the australian personal import scheme.

I found this to be a small amount of paperwork, and pretty straightforward.

I'm not sure if theres any particular reason for you having a LHD car whilst based in Scotland, but my advice would be to swap it for a RHD car, keep it for 12 months, and then proceed down the same route I took. You will find life much simpler, along with less issues down the track in Australia if you should come to resale time.

 

A friend of mine did this while living in Japan and made a tidy sum when he brought the car back here.

 

not everyone is so lucky
(cue Moretti's BMW 7 series story)

 

Depends on which state you end up living in - Western Australia has the most forgiving rules whereby most LHD vehicles can be registered and driven. South Australia - car has to have been built before 1/1/1979 to be eligible for LHD. As for Victoria - if the car is more than 25 years old, or first model of the vehicle was built 25 or more years ago, then you can get it registered under the Club registration scheme - $65 for 45 days driving per annum and you can always pay another $65 for another 45 days but no more than 90 days per annum on club registration.
NSW - a little more difficult with club rego - needs to be 25+ years for LHD but you can ONLY use the vehicle to and from a club event.
Not too sure about Tas, NT and Qld.

 

Thanks. That is interesting.
Did we ever clear up the insurance implications of driving, say a VIC club registered car in SA?

I'm planning on bring in a 288GTO* which it seems I could register in Vic.
Could I then drive it around in SA?




*may or may not be a factual scenario

 

no issue with Shannons when I had my club reg'd cars in SA - after all VICROADS don't stop you driving a Vic club reg car anywhere in Aust as long as you fill out the log book each time and don't exceed the no. of days per year.

 

In fact, I'm doing that right now!

 

Thus proving the stupidity of not having universal laws.

 

agree - you'd think you are moving to a different country crossing interstate boundaries!

 

I own one of those 'terrible' American cars (67 Camaro). It has big brakes, very good suspension and an EFI conversion
It makes great power and handles/goes/stops pretty well, but I respect it for what it is and it's an occasional cruiser, but what a blast it is to drive.
In WA we have the thirty year rule so it doesn't even have to wear the 'caution left hand drive' sticker.
Personally I would rather it was RHD coz you are in an unnatural (for OZ roads) driving position. Sometimes you feel like you are driving in the gutter as you find yourself staying too far left just to be safe on a narrow road.
With no passenger you can't go to a drive through for take away
I was waved down for an RBT once and my wife had already blown into the machine before the cop realised there was no steering wheel on her side. His colleagues were having a great laugh as we were allowed to carry on our journey
So RHD is ok in Australia providing you meet your individual states requirement but I would not recommend it especially for a car which may get a spirited drive
My two cents

 

Get a dealer licence, then drive what you want?