Importing a GTO from NZ to Aus.

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cbygdt
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun May 23, 2010 8:03 pm

Importing a GTO from NZ to Aus.

Post by cbygdt »

Some members requested some recollections about my NZ GTO import. My apologies for the length of this. I got a bit carried away whist reminiscing.
Importing the GTO from NZ was quite an event.
From the first instance, just finding a GTO that was straight and unmolested was the first hurdle. Alerts through the Trade Me website proved invaluable during the several months I was actively seeking my car. A few I sought were lost through the auction process. Then one evening in the first week of March 2009, within the closing moments of the auction my heart sank as a higher bid at the speed of light appeared on my computer screen. Another one bits the dust!

Feeling dejected I thought I would take a long break from the project.
One week later, I was working at the computer and I received an e-mail alert from Trade Me. It stated that the auction winner had not been able to complete the transaction and Trade Me had received an instruction from the seller to offer it at the max. ‘Buy Now ‘price for me along with three other watcher/bidders. Imagine how tantalising and at the same time terrifying that prospect seemed as I stared at two text boxes stating, Click here to ACCEPT or DECLINE the offer. My dilemma was made even more difficult as I hadn't quite achieved a memorandum of understanding from my wife Jenny to buy the car, a fact she does not really let me forget. So, there in lies the first proviso, get an affirmative statutory declaration from your spouse or partner before proceeding.
Anyway, as I stared at the screen with Jenny hovering like a Harrier jet near me I had visions of other blokes, who were more savvy than me, positioning their cursor on the ACCEPT button. After what seemed like hours, Jenny moved away from the computer room muttering lots of bad stuff like threats to slice off important parts of my anatomy!

“Aha,! “, I thought , “time to get a few allies!”. I rang my brother in law, who just happened to be in London. “Pete!, mate I found a GTO!. “ “Great, Tone!” He replied cheerily, “One problem “I interrupted, “your sister,.can you talk to her, I really want this one. I have to make the call to buy it right NOW! .Dead silence followed. Finally Pete replied, “Good luck Tone!.” He hung up.
I glanced at the screen, my heart was racing. Thoughts were flashing through my mind’ It is going to go!. ‘I want it!”. ‘You’re a long time dead!’. “‘It’s now or never!.” CLICK! And it was mine.

Not being completely nerdy, I had done a lot of prior research about the procedures to follow while importing a vehicle. I found that the Australian Custom Service website had a number of PDF’s for download that were helpful. As well my research found a company Taurus Logistics that came up trumps in the reviews for exporting private motor vehicles. It only took a few e-mails, faxes and a couple of phone conversations to organise the deal. The seller was in the Napier district which appears to be the Holy Grail for GTO’s. There was a delay as the exporting company needed a receipt of sale from the seller that needed to be worded correctly .That done, Taurus arranged to collect the car and transport it to Auckland for the voyage to Aus. Their end of the deal cost me $2800 NZ.
The big hitch came while I was getting my vehicle import approval through what was then known as the Dept. of Infrastructure, Transport Regional Development and Local Government. The forms were complicated and the process was slow. I had a number of phone conversations endeavouring to clarify what type of vehicle a Galant GTO was as they had no listing for that model. Incidentally, this confusion continued throughout the entire registration process in Aus. Twenty days after purchasing the car I received my approval.

With the car on the horizon, a new mob Cargo Online PL was appointed by Taurus to clear the vehicle. From this point things began to go pear shape. The car set sail from Auckland 6th of April and arrived about six days later at Port Kembla near Wollongong. A number of days went by until I received word from the import company that the car had not cleared customs and would need additional steam cleaning. A few phone calls later I heard that the customs inspector had ordered that the steam cleaning process needed to be redone. In these situations you are somewhat powerless. All I wanted was to receive the car. I agreed. Somehow, miraculously that afternoon I heard the car was ready to be collected as soon as I paid their fee of $ 1,270.00 AUD
Living nearby to Wollongong, I thought this bit is easy. I checked with the RTA and their rep. told me that I could drive the unregistered vehicle directly from the port to an inspection station. In hindsight I would not advise anyone follow this train of thought, that being to consider driving it to my home that was …well..… fairly close to a servo that could inspect the car.

As Jenny and I drove down to collect the car I endured a few more “I told you so!” and “You’re just living in the past!”moments. At Port Kembla the process to enter the port precinct was akin to Guantanamo Bay Prison. Having signed volumes of paperwork, I happily informed the officer that I wanted now to collect the car. “That is impossible sir; you cannot drive your vehicle out of the port compound. It has to be moved from the storage area on the back of a truck.” I ignored the staccato of words repeating earlier information about me from Jenny and thought how will I get this thing out of here. It was then I noticed a number of business cards from local towing companies that just happened to be on the counter in front of me. Thirty minutes later the tow man arrived disappeared in his truck to return five minutes later with a very sad looking GTO perched precariously on the back of his truck. He lowered the car and lightened my wallet by $60.00 then roared off in search of other victims.
I looked at this very forlorn vehicle before me. It did not resemble in anyway the car I had seen in pictures from NZ . The duco was completely speckled with black spots. There was no shine at all from the paintwork. All the windows and windscreen had yellow smears on the glass. Not a great start I thought.
Back home the next process was to register the car. This was complicated by the fact that GTO’s were never sold in Australia. To the authorities they did not exist. I needed to get an engineering report and blue slip to begin the process. The RTA website listed accredited motor engineer. Enquires to a number of these people returned quotes around $1000.00. I began to despair. Then Jenny, in a supportive tone suggested I contact some more. Finally I found a qualified retired engineer who lived nearby who saw the car and loved it. He checked it out signed the necessary paperwork for $250.00. From that point their was just a pink slip a final check down to the RTA more money from my wallet and I could drive my pride and joy, legally.

That was four years ago. Was the $ 11,000 AUD to purchase and import the GTO worth the expense and hassle? Each time I drive it I think YES!
A112H
Posts: 7681
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:01 am

Re: Importing a GTO from NZ to Aus.

Post by A112H »

Excellent write up, thank you for sharing. I am sure it will inspire a few people to look over the channel for a future purchase.
The frieght cost is good news, similar to Japan to Aus, it used to be about double.
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natosig
Posts: 176
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 3:17 am
Location: perth

Re: Importing a GTO from NZ to Aus.

Post by natosig »

Thank you for sharing this info I've been looking and thinking about getting an ex lancer here in oz from nz i think ill stick with my sigma seems bit more of a head ache than what i thought the import process to be
84 gk sigma
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