Imported vehicles

[Bess]

G day folks,
I have been thinking about the availability of the Defender in years to come & also the issues related to the personal importation of same.

I have found an interesting notation on the Gov site regarding the sale of a vehicle that has been imported to Australia by a new migrant, as follows!

This refers to Part 4 of Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989.

If a vehicle has met the requirements for import approval and initial registration, there is no restriction preventing the subsequent sale of an imported vehicle unless conditions have been applied to the Vehicle Import Approval.

I have also found some interesting information on the Gov site regarding importing a vehicle under the " Specialist & enthusiasts categories as follows!

Registry of specialist & enthusiast vehicle.
[1]Page Last Updated 23/07/2014
Register of Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles
The Minister for Transport and Regional Services has entered the following vehicles on the Register of Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles pursuant to section 21 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 and regulation 23 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Regulations 1989 (the regulations)
Each entry has been made according to the eligibility criteria as given in regulation 24 of the regulations.
For an entry to apply to a particular vehicle you wish to import, the vehicle must:
· be of the Make, Model, Model Code and Vehicle Category specified in Schedule 1 of the entry; or
· be of an alternative Make and/or Model than specified but determined by the Administrator of Vehicle Standards to be of the same design as described in Schedule 2 of the entry; and
· have a Build Date within the specified range, where given in Schedule 1 of the entry; and
· meet all conditions or restrictions specified in Schedule 2 of the entry; and
·
have the same vehicle features as those that met the criteria as detailed in Reasons for Decision

Just wondering what thoughts people may have on these notes.
Regards Chris

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Vehicles imported under SEVS are plated similar to the regular compliance plates, personal imports also have a personal import plate. So both types can be on sold.

The only other import type is for vehicles manufactured prior to 1989 but after 1972 when compliance plates became mandatory. These vehicles have to be approved by an authorised engineer as compliant, but are not issued with a compliance or import plate. These vehicles have to carry the engineer's certificate which must be transferred with the vehicle when sold.

Being authorised as a garage under SEVS/RAWS is an expensive process in the tens of thousands of dollars and you have to be authorised for each vehicle type. so you may apply for a Defender 110 approval, but you may not also be able to bring in Defender 130 or Defender 90 under the same process.

During the period when LRA were not bringing in Defender 90s a particular military Land Rover specialist and importer from melbourne decided to try for the Defender 90 authorisation. He made the process all the way to almost the final approval, when LRA blocked the application on the grounds that they were the manufacturer and while they were not currently bringing in 90s they may choose to do so at any time. (Which they eventually did under Tata ownership).

SEVS/RAWS is not a process to undertake for a single vehicle or even a low volume unless you have very deep pockets and money to throw around. If you have that sort of money, you can afford to buy a vehicle from the Au second hand market and restore it.

Remember, Defender production will be stopping Worldwide, not just supply to Australia.

Thats my opinion anyway.

[Bess]

G day Lotza
Two things interested me as I would love to get my hands on the SWB Ute that is sold in GB but not imported here by LRA.

If I can find a willing " new Aussie " to bring a SWB over & on sell it to me! :)

The other was the section in the "Specialist , Enthusiasts section that sounds like a SWB Ute version of the current 90 wagon that LRA currently import. But as you say this is not for limited or one off numbers. :wallbash:

be of an alternative Make and/or Model than specified but determined by the Administrator of Vehicle Standards to be of the same design as described in Schedule 2 of the entry;

Just a thought

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi Chris

I think you'd run foul of LRA under SEVS. They like to keep their options for model selection open. Other manufacturers are not so fussy, look at the Mitsubishi Delica for example, they are imported under SEVS by a RAWS garage and not available through Mitsubishi dealers.

Have you discussed the possibility of importing the desired model with your favourite Land Rover dealer? Many people order particular options on their Land Rovers, perhaps a dealer can convince LR to send your desired truck cab 90.

(Your other option is to buy a 90, remove the top and fit a Defender 130 cab to it!)

Diana

[DiscoMick]

You' be well advised to consult an expert in vehicle importation as I think there are many pitfalls for the unwary.

[Bess]

You' be well advised to consult an expert in vehicle importation as I think there are many pitfalls for the unwary.

Yes mate, I have no doubt that the powers to be would have me questioning my sanity if I travelled that dark & lonely road.
It's just a dream really but the thought of a TD5 90 for the right money with a bit of a chop might happen one day :D

Regards Chris.

[UncleHo]

I would tend to agree with "DiscoMick' on this one,seeing that is not a new vehicle that you are hoping to import LRA should not be too worried,maybe a non-franchised dealer like British Off Road in Qld could give you a clue on how to do it, or you could go through them.

cheers

[Landybitz]

Anything Pre 1989 is not an Issue, we have brought over a number of Land Rovers over the years.

Anything over that falls under different guide lines, outlined by Diana, As the Defender Td5 SWB was sold here after 1989 you really can't Import one, unless you want to dig deep and have it Type approved, bring in 10 or more and it will be worth your while.;)