308 going to Aus. from US | FerrariChat

308 going to Aus. from US

Discussion in 'Australia' started by 308nut, Feb 9, 2004.

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  1. 308nut

    308nut Formula 3
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 22, 2002
    1,881
    NOLA/Covington
    Full Name:
    Wade
    Hey guys I just sold an 82 308 to a guy in Hazelmere WA. any of you close to there, he told me that he has to convert the car to right hand drive and pay an enourmous duty tax. is is really worth doing all that to a $25k car?


    Wade

    www.fortunemotors.com
    www.308qvregister.com
     
  2. jmillard308

    jmillard308 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 29, 2003
    6,568
    Perth West Oz
    Full Name:
    John Millard
    Short answer - probably not. Though in WA (don't know the rules in other states) he won't have to convert to RHD.
    I you like, send him my details, would like to talk to him.
    John
     
  3. SR Ferrari

    SR Ferrari Rookie

    Dec 1, 2003
    48
    Hello Jmillard.
    I,m curious at what a right hand drive 82 308 cost in Sydney if you could find one I would imaging that car would be in the $50.000-60.000 range?
    Kind Regards
    Wayne Hynes.
     
  4. jmillard308

    jmillard308 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 29, 2003
    6,568
    Perth West Oz
    Full Name:
    John Millard
    Wayne, as with all older cars, condition is the key factor in determining price. Of all the 308's, I think it's fair to say that the 2 valve injected cars are in least demand - carb & QV models seem to attract a premium. I hesitate to provide a definitive answer to your question as "asking" & "selling" prices are somewhat different animals but my best guess "ask" price for a 308GTSi in Sydney would be between $55K - $75K depending on condition, owner optimism etc. Being 2500 miles away means I am not in touch with the Sydney market. Sorry I can't be more definitive, maybe one of the Sydney "lurkers" can help :)

    Regards
    John
     
  5. Admiral Thrawn

    Admiral Thrawn F1 Rookie

    Jul 2, 2003
    3,932
    I doubt it's worth it, but how much effort (and money) is required to convert the car from LHD to RHD?

    Here you can get a decent F355 for around AUD $220 - 250k, whereas in the US they go for about USD $80k. I imagine importing and converting a car like that would be more beneficial than with a 308/328.

    Thoughts?
     
  6. kenjulco

    kenjulco Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    19
    What are the restrictions for getting a USD80k into OZ?Can one do it easily?
     
  7. jmillard308

    jmillard308 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 29, 2003
    6,568
    Perth West Oz
    Full Name:
    John Millard
    Not really - ADR issues rear their ugly heads and Maranello's wouldn't issue a compliance plate anyway - older cars don't have that problem & you can run them LHD (in WA)
     
  8. kenjulco

    kenjulco Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    19
    There is a small company in Sydney who have compliance plates of their own.They went thru the machiations of getting all the safety test reports[crash data]etc.I dont know their present status.I am sure that for a fee they can get your 550,456 and 355 into OZ.If anybody is interested I may have their phone number at my office.I am on biz in HK.
     
  9. Sin

    Sin Karting

    Nov 28, 2003
    151
    WA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Hey John,

    Do you know the website where it says this? I have looked into it and as far as I'm aware any car after 1969 must be converted to right hand drive before it can be registered.
     
  10. Kevallino

    Kevallino Formula 3

    Feb 10, 2004
    2,257
    Mid-Ohio
    Full Name:
    Kevin
    I am back in LA but lived in Sydney from 1994-2001 and imported an '89 5.0 Mustang as a "competition vehicle" so it is still LHD, and I would run it on an "Unregistered Vehicle Permit" - I was in the Dutton GP Rally in '98 & '99. A couple of years ago, NSW changed so that you can get a full rego for 30+ years in LHD, and I think 15 years or older can be imported without having to comply with full ADRs but would have to be RHD. VIC I think you can also get full rego for 30+ years. But an '82 308 in the eastern states, anyway, would have to be RHD converted. Might be different in WA.

    On cars less than 15 years old I am pretty sure they have to conform to the ADRs in place for the year of the vehicle which could get expensive in a hurry and won't be worth the equivalent "Australian delivered" vehicle so you have to look at the likely discount off of an official Aussie vehicle in thinking about bringing a car in. I know the import duties and/or taxes changed with the GST coming in so there might be some arbitrage opportunities with certain cars but you'd want to do your homework.

    Personally I am looking at RHD Bentley SC/Rolls Royce Silver Clouds in the States as I want to take one back when we go!

    Cheers
    Kevin
     
  11. SR Ferrari

    SR Ferrari Rookie

    Dec 1, 2003
    48
    John.
    I have always had an issue with the conversions as I have yet to see one that was super clean.
    I would imagine with the rear engine Porsche Turbos and Ferrrais it is a lot easier to do and the guys that hold the compliance for these cars probably don,t do a bad job with dashes and steering,brake boosters etc.
    Obviouslyy the purchasers have done there homework and are saving a few thousand dollars?Have you looked over a car that has been converted or has anybody to see how clean they really are?
    kind regards
    Wayne Hynes.
     
  12. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

    Nov 20, 2002
    17,673
    Tauranga, NZ
    Full Name:
    Pete
    Okay I did this from NZ to Aussie (Sydney) with my Alfa Romeo not long ago, and this guy will be raped. I imported mine because I am half way through an extensive restoration and I would like to complete it, etc. ... economically not viable ;)

    My car did not cost too much because it was over 30 years old, thus no import tax, just GST on the cost of transportation.

    Thus he will get nailed for 40% of the price of the car OR what they think the car is going to be worth when he has it ready for resale ... this is to stop somebody making a fortune on importing (important) second hand cars and doing them up, etc. BASTARDs ... as far as I am concerned.

    Then the quarantine guys will go nuts (so I hope it is sparkling clean) and even if it is spotless they will lift it by a fork lift and steam clean the underneath and then charge a fortune for doing this. Plus any damage they do to the car ... is your problem. When I was at the Sydney wharf the damage to cars was amazing ... as it was to mine (still fixing the body reshaping by the quarantine guys).

    Also if this car is a goer, ie. driveable the wharfies will be queueing up for a drive and a race around the carpark!

    Would I import a car this way again ... NO WAY! It is all no care and no responsibility from people that call themselves workers that are lazy bastards that the union has propped up for way too many years. I also make no appology if you happen to be an Aussie wharfie reading this.

    If say I was to look at buying a F40 Ferrari I would go to the Sydney Ferrari dealership and discuss them purchasing it for me and doing the whole thing ... I would not want to know anything until they had fixed it up again and had it perfect on the dealership floor.

    Regarding converting to RHD, this car should be easy to do properly as you can buy all the parts and do not need to do the discusting job of installing some sort of compromised chain drive to the other side and horrible pedal extension cr@p that early conversions were all about.

    Good luck to the guy ... but either he works for the wharf, etc. OR he needs to be reminded about that story to do with fools and their money ... ;)

    Pete
     
  13. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

    Nov 20, 2002
    17,673
    Tauranga, NZ
    Full Name:
    Pete
    Infact I will go as far as the whole shipping of cars into Sydney (anyway) is a joke.

    I shopped around for a shipping company that would be a no hassle, upfront quote, etc. and most importantly tell me everything I needed to know so that it would be done right, with no stalling at the wharf hassles while paper work is sorted out.

    I found a company that had imported plenty of cars, rang a reference of theirs, etc. and thought I had it sorted.

    What amazed me is that lack of information that is forth coming ... I had to continually ask to get information ... it was like getting blood from a stone.

    Their attitude I came to understand is that no matter what they do it will be at the wharfies mercy so it will get complicated anyway.

    Quite frankly that is just BS, and this is an area that if it had the same management and process improvements that other industries have had to (ie. ones without big fat unions making a fortune, etc.) the importing costs of ALL goods would be about 1/10th of what it currently is.

    What any decent company worth their collective brains cells should have is:
    • A booklet that gets handed out to any customer that wants to import a car. This booklet will have all those questions and VALID answers on what to do, and what paperwork is required, what all the costs are and why, etc. How simple is that!!!!!!!
    • A simple frame that bolts into the container that carries the car under the wheels. Then to unload the container all they have to do is pull out this frame and out comes the car. If they have to lift it then this frame will be the thing that interacts with the fork lift not the car ... plus the frame can be reused. What do they do now? ... they load every car differently using a couple of thousand bits of 4 x 2 wood.
    • Also the car would be delivered to the customer/owner still on this frame and thus the car has not been driven and had its motor fncked by some dip **** wharfie.

    Maybe I should change profession, but my career at project management with engineering and now computer projects just shows how pathetic this old fashioned industry is ... quite an eye opener IMO.

    Pete
     
  14. jmillard308

    jmillard308 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 29, 2003
    6,568
    Perth West Oz
    Full Name:
    John Millard
  15. jmillard308

    jmillard308 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 29, 2003
    6,568
    Perth West Oz
    Full Name:
    John Millard
    Wayne
    I didn't think your original question was about conversions.
    The only converted car that I am aware of, done by I know not who, is a 328 that is in Perth. Nice job too, but why would you bother?
    John
     
  16. Sin

    Sin Karting

    Nov 28, 2003
    151
    WA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Hey John,

    That's excellent of the govt to allow cars older than 15 years old not to be converted. Thanks for the link.
     
  17. SR Ferrari

    SR Ferrari Rookie

    Dec 1, 2003
    48
    John.
    Two different Questions trying to get a feel of pricing and second the conversion quality.
    Obviously the only Guys making a quid out of doing this is the guy doing the compliance as it seems even as an importer by the time you go through all the red tape he is upside down in the car.
    See no reason why you would bother unless it was possibly a super expensive car like an F40?
    Wayne Hynes.
     
  18. SR Ferrari

    SR Ferrari Rookie

    Dec 1, 2003
    48
    Pete.
    Sounds like it would be better to put the car in a container in a bunch of peices and call it car parts.
    So all you have to haul away is a container.
    Does not sound like a good time.
    Wayne Hynes.
     

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