Monday, April 14, 2008 - 11:18 am, by: Dave Rose(Sand_groper)
James my work used to on the import side and i still check out the auctions in JP ..EXAMPLE on tue night a 1994 uzz31 46000ks condition 4.5! now 4.5 is high and not seen very often so this soarer would be mint ,it was passed in at$6800 so i recon $7000 may buy it....now agent ,lic,transport ect $1000..shipping,landing,gst fees $4000+ ..comp $3000..new tyres $800 = $15800+ . There are lots of nice later model Soarer around for less in Australia . As James says its a long wait sometimes ,hope this is some help...DR
I have used them personally and so have my friends, Geoff runs a good operation and was very helpful.
Just get your list together of what you want and he will start searching for you. Once he finds one he will call you up and you can discuss your bid. If you win the auction he organises all the shipping and import approvals etc etc and will get the car shipped to the dock closest to you. Great service and a reasonable fee.
REMEMBER : For the car to be complied in AUS it needs to be BOG STOCK at the workshop.. SO if you buy one with wheels, exhaust etc you will have to remove them for compliance and then throw them back on when you get it back. Also remember, its better to remove them before you take them to the shop as technically they have to destroy the parts they remove.
ALSO dont buy a 91 or 92 as you will have to get the seatbelts changed and Toyota do not have any so it means custom jobs.. (read - $1000+)
Importing can be hit and miss and sometimes you get the sh1t end of the stick and things drag on but you can also find some absolute gems out there.