Thread: Importing defender 90 from uk

Importing a pre-1990 vehicle is possible but still fraught. You can get a permit to import pretty easily, then you just pay the duties and the AQIS cleaning fees (even if it spotless).

Post 1989 vehicles - the rules change and it is not at all easy.

Like the others have said, for 1 year just buy something out here and then sell it when you leave.

We did a similar thing in reverse, went to the UK and bought a Kombi for a year. Cost 4,000 pounds and we sold it for 3,800 after a year. Cheapest motoring of my life

IF you ever get a permanant residents visa it's pretty easy to import your 90 (I know as we have just imported our 2 90's into Australia).
First you need to contact Vehicle Imports to get permission to import the vehicle. You will need proof of ownership, how much you paid for it and proof that you have owned the vehicle outside of Australia for 12 months. You can then import it as a personal import. Once approval for import is given you are good to go. Before we imported our vehicles I had them both steam cleaned and waxoyled underneath paying particular attention to all the little nooks and crannies, having done this we did not have to pay any AQIS cleaning fees. That cost me 250 GBP per vehicle. Age is not important if bringing it in as a personal import (mine are a 1987 and 1996). Once the vehicle arrives you have to get it transported from the docks to your place. You can not drive it on the road without a whole lot of rigmarole in getting temporary insurance etc. I just had them picked up from Brisbane docks and delivered to the engineer for $66 each.
Duty wise you have to pay duty on the import valuation done by customs, you then have to pay GST on the cost of importing the vehicle plus the import valuation.
Once they get to the engineer you have to have it compliance checked. The only thing you may have problems with is rear seat belt fastenings for children (we took the back seats out). Once it is compliance plated you have to get a Nidrie plate to confirm it as a personal import. You then need to get a Roadworthy and get the Rego. After that it's on the road and legal in Australia.
The compliance check,plate and Nidrie plate cost us $4200 AUD for both vehicles (I reckon we were ripped off). When we got the rego (in QLD) we had to pay extra duty, based on the customs value, as it was the first time the vehicle was registered in Australia.
All in all it cost us about $6000 - $7000 AUD to get both vehicles imported and legal.
Someone mentioned it not being worth it and to buy a rust free one over here, I challenge you to find a decent priced 90 (i.e. under $10000 AUD) in Australia. A 110 is different but you won't find a 90. Considering my 90 (1986) cost me 2000GBP ($3200 AUD) to buy (a few years before we imported it) and I have now spent about $4000 AUD to get it here and legal, I would be very hard pressed to find a 90 for $8000 AUD here in Australi.

HTH

Ivan

Originally Posted by Ivan

IF you ever get a permanant residents visa it's pretty easy to import your 90 (I know as we have just imported our 2 90's into Australia).
First you need to contact Vehicle Imports to get permission to import the vehicle. You will need proof of ownership, how much you paid for it and proof that you have owned the vehicle outside of Australia for 12 months. You can then import it as a personal import. Once approval for import is given you are good to go. Before we imported our vehicles I had them both steam cleaned and waxoyled underneath paying particular attention to all the little nooks and crannies, having done this we did not have to pay any AQIS cleaning fees. That cost me 250 GBP per vehicle. Age is not important if bringing it in as a personal import (mine are a 1987 and 1996). Once the vehicle arrives you have to get it transported from the docks to your place. You can not drive it on the road without a whole lot of rigmarole in getting temporary insurance etc. I just had them picked up from Brisbane docks and delivered to the engineer for $66 each.
Duty wise you have to pay duty on the import valuation done by customs, you then have to pay GST on the cost of importing the vehicle plus the import valuation.
Once they get to the engineer you have to have it compliance checked. The only thing you may have problems with is rear seat belt fastenings for children (we took the back seats out). Once it is compliance plated you have to get a Nidrie plate to confirm it as a personal import. You then need to get a Roadworthy and get the Rego. After that it's on the road and legal in Australia.
The compliance check,plate and Nidrie plate cost us $4200 AUD for both vehicles (I reckon we were ripped off). When we got the rego (in QLD) we had to pay extra duty, based on the customs value, as it was the first time the vehicle was registered in Australia.
All in all it cost us about $6000 - $7000 AUD to get both vehicles imported and legal.
Someone mentioned it not being worth it and to buy a rust free one over here, I challenge you to find a decent priced 90 (i.e. under $10000 AUD) in Australia. A 110 is different but you won't find a 90. Considering my 90 (1986) cost me 2000GBP ($3200 AUD) to buy (a few years before we imported it) and I have now spent about $4000 AUD to get it here and legal, I would be very hard pressed to find a 90 for $8000 AUD here in Australi.

HTH

Ivan

The compliance check,plate and Nidrie plate cost us $4200 AUD

I was told $450 for this service by the authorised garage....??? big difference...

Judy

Thats interesting as I thought we were ripped off by what we were charged. Obviously not. I think the compliance check and plate are the big problems as I applied for the Nidrie plates myself and I think they were only about $100 AUD each (nor sure, I could be way out). The cost was what the engineer charged us for the compliance check and plate.
If I ever do it again I will be much wiser.

Ivan

Ivan,

As far as I can see you got a bit ripped off for the engineering and plates, but overall you seemed to come out quite well.

It cost me $12100 from my 2001 90 leaving home in the UK to being totaly legal/registered for 12mnths in qld. That includes every single cost for every aspect of it.

I paid $500 or so for Engineering and the plates, and maybe another $100 or so for the sticker at the most. Cant find the exact breakdown at the moment. So would have expected double that for yours.

Rgds
Pete

Pete

I agree with you. Problem is he had us over a barrel as we were fresh off the boat so to speak. Originally I had big problems trying to find an egineer in the Redcliffe area but I eventually spoke to a guy who said "yep they could do it", he sounded like a nice chap as well. Only to find out once we had the bill that he had subcontracted the Engineering bit to a guy in Capaballa!!! (sp?)
He replaced the seat belts in both vehicles as he said they were frayed and not compliant. I had a look when we got the cars back and they were a bit rough around the edges (keep getting caught in the door lock like all defenders) but they were serviceable.
I think some Australians see you as fair game for a rip-off once they know you are freshly arrived.

Ivan

Originally Posted by Ivan

Pete

I agree with you. Problem is he had us over a barrel as we were fresh off the boat so to speak. Originally I had big problems trying to find an egineer in the Redcliffe area but I eventually spoke to a guy who said "yep they could do it", he sounded like a nice chap as well. Only to find out once we had the bill that he had subcontracted the Engineering bit to a guy in Capaballa!!! (sp?)
He replaced the seat belts in both vehicles as he said they were frayed and not compliant. I had a look when we got the cars back and they were a bit rough around the edges (keep getting caught in the door lock like all defenders) but they were serviceable.
I think some Australians see you as fair game for a rip-off once they know you are freshly arrived.

Ivan

I think you are right there, some Australians do see new people as fair game, and as you dont have a idea of things being new you get ripped off, be that cars, houses, building work etc....

This chap in/near redcliff not called Willam Snadberg by any chance??? thats who the Dept of transport use as a authorised ADR plate issuer, they told me starting price is 450, then it depends if its got the right seat belts, are they in good condition, are the lights at the right height, does it drip oil, cos if it does, we cant pass it... kind of thing

Hi gents,

I'm about to import my 90 into Aust. Heading for the Gold Coast. As it's an '84 model it fits under both categories ie personal import and pre '89.

Can anyone tell me if there's an advantage going with one or the other?

I imported a '95 90 about 15 years ago and remember thinking I'd never do it again.....but here I am!

Cheers