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Thread: Car Shipping

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    UK
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    193

    Default Car Shipping

    I am currently soon to submit my residency Visa for NZ (married to a NZ, pretty sure it will be granted) - and will hopefully move there in July/August.

    I've been looking at car prices in NZ based on how much we're bringing over and they are (at exchange rates) very expensive when compared to the UK - especially for a BMW.

    I currently have a 2003 E46 BMW which I love - now it's worth about £4.5K, but an equivalent vehicle in NZ is clocking in about 17K NZD at least (and also comes with less standard spec) - or about £8.5K at the moment (plus it may not have as good history as mine etc. etc.)

    So I'm seriously considering shipping, had a few quotes and I'm thinking it will be around £2K.

    Has anyone on here done this, and what were your experiences? I'm very tempted - I know the score with fees, customs charges etc. - but any ideas how long it takes at the NZ end? Is it done same day, or same week, or can they hold it for weeks (even if it's in the right condition?)

    Any help gratefully received!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    There are no roads where you'll enjoy driving that sort of car in NZ. I've posted this before, and I'll carry on posting the same, what is your dream car in the UK is highly unlikely to be what works for you in NZ as a day to day practical car. Lots of unsealed roads, even the sealed ones are frequently being resealed or have the coarse and loose chip on them. Add in the way that you'll lose the front and rear skirts everytime you try taking that BMW into the petrol station or into your drive over the really steep camber / drain and it will turn into a pain. Add in the high cost of servicing and I would very strongly advise you to sell in the UK, and then buy here.

    Add to that that the discount over asking price and agreed sale price here is much higher than in the UK and unless it's a really cherished show car then forget it. Buy a cheap ($5k) nissan when you get here for the first 6 monthsuntil you get settled and then buy the car / van / truck that suits your new life.

    In the UK I poured scorn on those idiots that had a 4x4 and never went near a grass verge let alone a field. Loved my Saab Aero estate. And now I'm loving the Pajero that gets into fields at least twice a month and onto steep grass verges to park for the cycle club rides once a week. Alternative would be to park 500m away with the other 2 people who don't have a 4x4/soft-roader.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Nelson, New Zealand
    Posts
    376

    Default

    We didn't want to leave our beloved Saab convertible behind so we shipped it here and it was much, much easier than we ever thought. Once the car arrived in Auckland it took about a week and I did all the paperwork myself. The whole exercise from leaving the UK cost around three thousand pounds and we consider it well worth it. If you want more details, PM me and I can let you have details of shippers, etc. I'd say definitely bring your car with you if you're attached to it: I can't tell you how excited and how instantly at home we suddenly felt our car was finally here - strange, I know.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    (I admit the decider for me was that there are 2 Saab dealers in NZ, one in AKL and one in ChCh, and they didn't even sell the 9-5 in NZ at that time).

  5. #5
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    Jun 2010
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    Ōtepoti, Aotearoa
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    That car is not really built for NZ isn't it?

    I would assume that it is one car to use on German Autobahns not on NZ gravel roads.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    I was sat on in a cofee shop in TGA and someone pulled up in a Ferrari - one of the new ones, can't remember the name, but the sort of thing that Top Gear would throw around the track). Someone looked out, and in deadpan said "But how would you carry the Kayaks? There's not even a tow bar for a trailer" Whilst clearly said in jest, I got the feeling there was more than an element of truth in the thought there.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Poole, UK to Chch, NZ
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    Default

    Yup, I used to have a bit of a giggle at how many Kiwis drive Subarus... until February. Aside from the fact that getting outdoors is almost mandatory over here, AWD/4WD is pretty essential in Chch right now, at least if you want your shocks etc to survive.

    (in saying that, we joined the flock when we arrived and do own a Subaru Forester, with a very nice towbar and permanently fitted cycle roofrack..)

    Best wishes bringing your dream car over here though, edw123 There are some amazing roads about... just double check the maps (or program the GPS) to make sure you avoid gravel!

  8. #8
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    Jun 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by sophiedb View Post
    There are some amazing roads about...
    ... to do what?!

    A BMW like that 'needs' to be driven 200+, I think. You cannot do so in NZ.

    (Something I miss here!!! )

  9. #9
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    Sep 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by ralf-nz View Post
    A BMW like that 'needs' to be driven 200+, I think. You cannot do so in NZ.
    Ah, it's a straight-line vehicle then? (sorry, I only do motorbikes, and even then more along the lines of "ooh, let's climb this twisty turny mountain road" rather than "let's square our tyres off")

    You probably could do 200+ in NZ, e.g. SH1 is pretty straight in southern Canterbury. Just depends on whether you fancy checking for coppers first

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    UK
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    Default

    Ah, don't get me wrong - I'm not a boy racer. It's just a 320 2.2 which is smooth and nippy, but hardly a sports car. I love it because it's solid, comfortable, and smooth - plus as i've owned it for a while, I know the history etc. so it's "risk free". It's also an SE, so higher riding and no bodykit.

    Afraid however practical a car is, I simply cannot ever bring myself to drive a 4*4 (I still think the impact they have on pedestrians and other vehicles in accidents makes them a very selfish car, although I do appreciate they can have practical use), and I'm not keen on Japanese cars.

    Having visited NZ north island a few times and been driven around, I reckon some of those roads are made for a rear wheel drive BMW! Roads which go up and down with lots of bends should be good fun.

    That said, if a Saab convertible is £3K to move over, I'm kind of thinking it will balance itself out - as when I add that to the £4K+ I'd get for my car, then it's about the same to buy it in NZ, so lots of thinking to do.

    Part of me is tempted to buy a large engined car for a cheaper price in the UK, ship it over, then it should do for years in NZ - like a bmw 545i or a Merc S Class

    Cheers for all the advice.

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