CUL8R

I will be moving there for work and if it's too difficult I won't even bother. I have read the Land Trans Port NZ web site inside and out and if I'm reading everything correctly, it seems like I am pass all the red tape. My vehicle is also exempt from converting it from LHD to RHD which would be out of the question. Thanks for any info, tips and suggestions.

P.S. I'm coming from the US (Portland, OR) and I have a 2006 VW Passat 3.6L 4 Motion Sedan.

quattrokiwi

i think they have (or used when i lived there) a law about "classic" or whatever cars, basically older collectibles.
I had a friend import a 1970 Corvette, it cost him around 1800 $ NZD

KiwiQ7

If you pass the requirements laid out in factsheet 12 then it shouldn't be a problem.

One thing you'll need to bear in mind is that you will not be able to sell the vehicle (i.e. transfer ownership) for 5 years. ANd when you do sell there won't be many interested takers of LHD.

Also you'll have to pay GST on the depreciated value of the purchase plus shipping and Marine Insurance costs. There'll also be vehicle compliance (someone will check that it is complient with NZ Land Transport) and registration costs -this should run around $1K (NZD).

I'll be shipping our LHD Q7 from Seattle later this year when I return to NZ after many years globe trotting. Estimate that GST on the $55K (USD) purchase price and taking into account depreciation, will be about $8,500 NZD. My equivalent spec 4.2 Q7 retails in NZ at around $150,000 (NZD). My total cost including shipping and GST to get it there is about $90,000 (NZD) so for a $60K differnece I'm happy to drive LHD in NZ and stick with the Q7 for 5 years. I realize the residuals won't be very good but it's a fantastic car for the family and there won't be many on the roads over there.

If you decide not to ship check out www.trademe.co.nz (it's NZ's answer to ebay). Lots of vehicles on sale there to give you a flavour of what's around. Beware of Japanese imports though some good some are not so good.

Good luck with the move.<ul><li><a href="http://www.customs.govt.nz/nr/rdonlyres/21e71806-5a60-497d-9332-dbfa156578f9/0/fact29.pdf">Link to NZ Customs pdf for GST calculation</a></li></ul>

CUL8R

When all is said and done...how much do you think it will cost you to get there in USD? (So I can decide if it's even worth my time &amp; money). I paid $40k USD for my car so I realize it will be less than you will be paying in the end though. I did check out the trademe.co.nz...good website. Sort of know about the Japanese imports but not all that much. Do you chat on the VASK forums much?

KiwiQ7

... around $4,000 to ship and insure it though this will vary depending on what else you're shipping i.e. a whole house should get you a better rate based on overall volume etc etc.

My estimate on your vehicle assuming it'll be between 12 and 24 months old works out to be close to $3,000 US dollars for GST (Sales Tax), add another $1,000 to cover registration and complince costs and you'll be looking at a cool $8,000 USD for the privilege of driving your car in NZ.

For Q7 I'm looking at another 50% on top of that because the vehicle is newer (i.e. less depreciation allowed) and purchase price was a bit more. I'm willing to take this hit as my total outlay will equate to something like 60% of the purchase price for the equivalent RHD Q7 in NZ thus I think I have a great deal.