Importing a car from south africa

mozza, Dec 7, 5:46pm
Has anyone done this and who did they use and what hoops did you jump through. Thanks in advance

ntalke, Dec 7, 5:55pm
Sierra XR8? or a Bakkie

intrade, Dec 7, 8:31pm
i never imported my cars from europe because they where left hand drive steering. i had a mint golf and a iveco daily truck with fresh rebuilt engine sold both for penuts over there.

tamarillo, Dec 7, 8:43pm
South Africa does left hand drive doesn't it?

mm12345, Dec 7, 9:55pm
They drive on the left - so right hand drive.

I suspect that the OP has a couple of hurdles for car import ex South Africa. I don't think there's direct shipping, so would have to be transshipped via an intermediate port, transit time would be long, and risk of damage in transit rather higher than if it was shipped direct.
Then particularly if dealing with a second-tier freight/transport company, they'll probably gouge like wounded bulls on pricing, more realistic pricing might be possible dealing directly with shipping lines, but whether they'd be interested in doing it as a one-off for a private person is another matter.

tamarillo, Dec 7, 10:19pm
Whoops . Said that kinda wrong didn't I!
I can add that South African guy I knew was car dealer there, and hoped to bring some cars with him here, but it proved too difficult and not worth it financially.

sr2, Dec 7, 10:19pm
Perana Capri?

phillip.weston, Dec 7, 10:54pm
Do you just post on peoples threads for the sake of posting? Honestly nothing you had said is relevant to the OP's request!

extrayda, Dec 7, 11:31pm
Fairmont GT?
Who wins a chocolate fish?

westwyn, Dec 7, 11:57pm
There are a number of compliance documentation hurdles that you would need to investigate fully before doing so- it's not as straightforward as exporting from an "approved" nation such as Japan, the UK, Australia etc- nothing to do with the car itself, but the as-built standards, documentation and type approval. I strongly recommend you seek professional advice (not just a mate of a mate of a mate) before you commit.

elect70, Dec 8, 2:35am
BMW assembled cars in St Africa some were "specials "

bwg11, Dec 8, 3:18am
A bit OT, but back in the mid-seventies, when the "white-flight", started, immigrants could not take money out of SA into NZ but cars were OK. A friend bought a 280 SE from a guy that bought four to NZ as he left SA.

robotnik, Dec 8, 3:54am
I wouldn't mind importing a Volkswagen Citi Golf CTi , which was a version of the Mk.1 Golf GTi that was sold there from 1984 to 2009. A newish Mk.1 Golf GTi would be amazing, although presumably unlikely to be compliable in NZ unless over 20 years old.

lookoutas, Dec 8, 6:48am
Is it a V6 or V8?

A genuine V8 could be a rare acquisition, and maybe worthwhile doing.

kcf, Dec 9, 6:52am
Be incredibly wary about vehicles imported from South Africa.

Specifically the paperwork showing standards compliance. Reason being, I've seen a bunch of people get cars cheap out of South Africa, but been unable to put them on the road here, because the paperwork didn't stack up.

mozza, Dec 9, 5:22pm
Thanks shame as I have seen some nice units.

twink19, Dec 9, 6:30pm
a friend has imported 2 cars from SA, Sierra XR8, and a Perana Capri. never had any problems

westwyn, Dec 10, 8:50am
Refer to my point #10- to import from South Africa (unless you are a professional buyer and importer with explicit knowledge in this field) you MUST consult a qualified professional to determine if the car you want to buy will be compliant here in New Zealand BEFORE you commit to buying. By "professional" I mean a high-output compliance shop, VINZ, AA, VTNZ, Drivesure (not a testing station, but a shop specifically operating in entry certification) or the IMVIA. No-one on this MB (to my knowledge) is qualified to answer your question without specific information and understanding of the particular vehicle type approval.

ab095, Dec 11, 3:22am
I have imported a few classics from SA, currently driving a Lancia Montecarlo from there. Importing a classic car is no different to importing from anywhere else, however later cars require to comply with emission standards. Cars leaving SA need an export clearance, export police clearance and datadot by an approved facility. Shipping is relatively easy, I suggest contacting someone like Pickfords about freight consolidation. Roro shipment is not allowed from SA. Its not impossible but not as easy as Japanese imports.

However, they do not have the 6 monthly WOF so most have lots of bog generally over newspaper or fibreglass cloth, liberal coatings of rubberiser. One of my cars was inspected prior to importing, reported as needing "cosmetic" work, cost me another $15,000+ to comply. Its like playing the stockmarket, invest knowing you might lose.

yachtie3, Jul 2, 5:26pm
sr2 wrote:
Perana Capri?[/quote ]Now how cool would that be!