Outer Limits 4x4 Board

just wondering if it is worth my time and money to import a GQ swb? mainly for the lower km engine and generally better condition than the aussie ones?

what sort of money do you think it would cost? worth it?

jigga wrote:just wondering if it is worth my time and money to import a GQ swb? mainly for the lower km engine and generally better condition than the aussie ones?

what sort of money do you think it would cost? worth it?

you can buy a crate TD42 for $6k why would you spend double that importing one?

if i was to import a patrol ..import a SWB GU 4.2TD

I don't think you'd have much joy registering that ofr57. the GQ's that have come in to date have all been 1989's or so under the 15 year rule.

As I can see, the advantage of the JDM GQ's is that they have all the Ti fruit and are often automatics. Obviously, theres a lot of cost in buying a Aus market GQ and converting to diesel auto (either starting with a petrol auto or a diesel manual)

The ones I have seen were pretty cheap too. I don't think I'd import one myself - just look for one already here. There's $$$ and lots of waiting in the import process (I have done this before with a road car)

Bear in mind too that ow Km doesn't necessarily mean good mechanical order. Japanese workshop time is achingly expensive so cars rarely have good service history. I wouldn't be crazy about a 15 year old diesel with tons of REALLY cold starts and unknown/poor service history.

I'd buy one as an offroad car though, but wouldn't import my own.

Steve.

Why not import a SWB 4.2TD as a parts car.

This way you don't have the compliance issues and can import as late a model as you can afford.

Then buy a local SWB chassis and swap everything over.

Would give you recent model running gear on an old chassis.

zuffen wrote:Why not import a SWB 4.2TD as a parts car.
This way you don't have the compliance issues and can import as late a model as you can afford.
Then buy a local SWB chassis and swap everything over.
Would give you recent model running gear on an old chassis.

why not just swap the compliance plates and shit over so they think its an aussie one

Only 1988 GQs would be elligible to import, and you would not be able to ship a later model one here unless you dismantle it/cut it up.

You can import anything as long as it isn't to be registered.

If you bring it in as a complete "wrecker" you will never be able to register the chassis number as it doesn't have the import documentation.

That said yes you could do a "numbers job" and register it as a rebuilt vehicle.

zuffen wrote:You can import anything as long as it isn't to be registered.

If you bring it in as a complete "wrecker" you will never be able to register the chassis number as it doesn't have the import documentation.

That said yes you could do a "numbers job" and register it as a rebuilt vehicle.

No you cant, parts cars are not allowed to be imported legally.

1/2 cuts & such are a different story though.

If you could bring in anything i would have a nice circuit only car sitting in my garage. The only ways you can bring in cars are:

1. Personal import (owned and used overseas for 12 months)
2. Pre-1989 vehicles (no restrictions on cars made 1988 or earlier)
3. Cars on the SEVS registry (must be complied within a certain period or they will be crushed/sent back)
4. Race/rally cars (must have L3 CAMS licence and proof of racing history)

Tomo_89 wrote:

zuffen wrote:Why not import a SWB 4.2TD as a parts car.
This way you don't have the compliance issues and can import as late a model as you can afford.
Then buy a local SWB chassis and swap everything over.
Would give you recent model running gear on an old chassis.

why not just swap the compliance plates and shit over so they think its an aussie one

and when your involved in an accident, and they find out its a re-birth, get ready for the long arm of the law right up ya backside!

I read the subject and in my head the word "nothing" was what I believed I read. Then I double checked and your word was actually "doing"!


Unless you can get them locally from sorry current owners (half the Jap price) and sell them as parts, not worth it in my head, unless you can do import and compliance yourself!

So you cut the chassis in half and you have two half cuts?

In all honesty, nice try but this thread will get you nowhere near the actual info you need. Too many "veiws" on the subject.

neil_se wrote:If you could bring in anything i would have a nice circuit only car sitting in my garage. The only ways you can bring in cars are:

1. Personal import (owned and used overseas for 12 months)
2. Pre-1989 vehicles (no restrictions on cars made 1988 or earlier)
3. Cars on the SEVS registry (must be complied within a certain period or they will be crushed/sent back)
4. Race/rally cars (must have L3 CAMS licence and proof of racing history)

Why CAMS only?

saw a white swb GU 2 driving around palm beach bout a month ago.

there here.

clm434 wrote: Why CAMS only?

I believe that's what the rules are at the moment. I know of a few race imports that have also come in with a AASA National Licence and special application.

*hijack*
how much does it cost to roughly buy a car in japan and bring it here
I'm looking at getting a daily driver and the one i want is rare as duck teeth here but less over there

its a 95 model

do i just talk to a importer and thats that
or can i do it myself?

Depends what car, is it elligible for import?

.....

ofr57 wrote:well it is an "import" car i think ... its made in japan

its a Suzuki Cappuccino .. little roadster ricer sorta car

they are already here... and ugly.

fine .... i'll look into myself

known 2 wrote:saw a white swb GU 2 driving around palm beach bout a month ago.

there here.

I've seen it around too. Its a personal import. And its powered by the grenade.

ofr57 wrote:fine .... i'll look into myself

http://www.redlinegti.com/forum/

Cappuccinos are not elligible for import.

Any more, but there are plenty here. A company in Melbourne imported plenty when they were new and we bought and imported one in 1999. They're a great little car.

However, I think a 1995 will be the later model with the K6A motor. I believe there was one workshop in Sydney that could compliance this model but nobody else, however, since the RAWS changes, you won't get one now. AFAIK.

Zega, the company that brought them in new (and brought in ours second hand) has a K6A engined one, ABS, alcantara interior, power steer etc and they can't do anything with it. They've had it for about 10 years now and it just sits at their shop. They can't get a compliance plate.

Steve.

whats the reasoning behind the limiting of importing newer cars.

To me it seems a little anti safety. you can bring in old dumps but not modern cars with modern features?

is it to protect local new car industry?

or

to keep second hand car prices here higher? as many other countries value their used cars much less than we do.

I have never really understood why they restrict it.

thehanko wrote:
I have never really understood why they restrict it.

$$$

j-top paj wrote:

thehanko wrote:
I have never really understood why they restrict it.

$$$

huh?

the government wont allow certain imports to come in due to $$$?

do you mean duty etc missed on import cars?

I dont see how they would miss out. you would have to pay gst and duty etc when you bring it through customs so they still get a bight, and its a bight from a second hand car from which they normally get nothing.

Mostly it is to protect the local car industry but there is a safety issue too.

Many small countries that have a relatively small economy and no large scale importers/manufacturing use lots of second hand japanese imports. New Zealand is the best example - they had the oldest car fleet in the world (possibly except for Cuba) until japanese imports were permitted in. They have a tiny car industry though.

PNG and Fiji are two other examples where second hand japanese imports are an important way of ensuring that people have affordable and modern cars to drive.

However, Australia has a viable car industry without second had imports. Flooding the market with $7000 5 year old corollas would be economically damaging, to the car industry we still have and the large volume importers and dealer structure, quite apart from manufacturers. But it may also have another negative effect- people will tend to buy older, more luxurious models rather than paying the same money for a newer car that's officially imported. In relation to safety and emissions, the older JDM car, whilst potentially very luxurious and fast, is unlikely to match the safety or emissions standards of a newer car, even if it's a smaller, cheaper newer car.

By allowing large numbers of imports, we might actually be making our car fleet older and dirtier.

Steve.