Vehicle Import Rules Changed in April

[BlackBedford]

G'day

Probably not important to us but be warned:

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/importing_vehicles/general/index.aspx


Here is the email I got:

All

Please ask your members to Check the new rules before importing a vehicle

The Department of Infrastructure has recently, without any form of consultation or advance warning, begun rejecting Import approval applications for the importation of modified pre 1989 vehicles which are not orriginal.

The new approach is if the vehicle has been modified then the date of manufacture is the date the modifications were completed.

It seems modifications can be anything other than original specifications (other than paint).

The Department has belatedly placed an Alert notice on their website, and have issued a new version of the Vehicle

Standards Bulletin (VSB) that relates to importation.

The Import Alert can be viewed at:

http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/importing_vehicles/general/pre1989scheme.aspx

I have asked our AHMF delegates to approach the AHMF to have them approach the government with a view to relaxing the rules for vehicles on the water.

Regards

[rossie]

yes, we import bikes, and we got caught in the crap, it cost us a shit load in storage to get it sorted

[obsession]

so what happens if i wana import a 56 f100 or the worse the 78 doge custom ram van ? Its black with black chrome pipes and 360
5k us

[pickmeup]

Actually its not a rule change its just that they are now enforcing the letter of the law.
What it means is you find a vehicle(pre 78) ,buy it, supply Customs a copy of the purchase papers,tittle and appox 10 photos,pay your $50.00 and sit back and wait for approval.
They are cracking down on "modified" vehicles so if its stock standard no probs!
All good if they approve it, but if they dont you have to resell or modify it to get approval.
Here's the rub, while you wait you have to pay storage fees and the like and hope they agree.
Or you import it and take your chance and have to pay storage fees here or worse pay to have it destroyed or exported.
I have bought in 19 vehicles in the last 7 years for people but I am not sure I will do it again.
That said the aussie dollar is holding well and if my lotto numbers come up I will be speaking to my mates in the states real quick.

[John Abbott]

How many of those nineteen were f100s Brian?

[pickmeup]

13 Johno,1 ranchero,1 mustang,1 galaxie h/top and 3 street rods.
9 f100s here in perth,1 sent to vic,1 to tas and 2 to queensland.
All the others are still here.
It is a remarkdly easy thing to do if you can organise youself well.
I never bring in basket cases there always drivers,something you can licence pretty quickly and then work on bit by bit.
I am fortunate only had 2 grumblers.
1 was a green 54 100 which a woman bought to surprise  her husband, but didnt like it when it got here.(after looking at 36 photos of it).
And  the mustang buyer (who had 29 photos) thought he was buying a fastback even though all the paperwork said"coupe".
The only other real hard part is the shipping time.
I lost one container for 9 weeks which turned out to be sitting on the docks in Singapore,those 3 buyers wanted there money back but it turned out all good.
I could make a living at it if I could get some up front cash to buy some stock.
My mates in USA live in southern California,Arizona, Utah and Texas so most of what I get is good dry stock which they see first,makes it easy to get good stuff then.

[rossie]

patients and paperwork, and someone on the other side.

[John Abbott]

Wow Brian .... And how many of those would you have liked to have kept yourself? maybe all?

[pickmeup]

yep all of them