If you have found a handsome collector’s car abroad and want to import then there are a few costs you need to consider. Unless you are an ‘old hand’ at importing cars, there are ‘hidden’ costs that can blast your budget out of the water. Here are some costs that might be excluded from a logistic company’s quote e.g. car transfer costs in NZ from the Compliance Centre to your final destination. It’s important that you have all the costs in YOUR collated costing of all service providers.
Exemption From Tariffs Compliance
One important point to note is that most logistics companies only quote up to landside, however, the vehicle needs to get to the Car Compliance Centre pronto or you lose all the tariff exemptions.
Next, your car needs to be transported from Car Compliance Centre to the final destination. Again, most logistics companies don’t offer that leg of transfer, so we can quote on that collection, car transfer and delivery to your door.
Car Transfer To Final NZ Destination
We can also deliver your car to your local mechanic for its post-shipment check-up to make sure everything has survived the import journey satisfactorily. This could also be the first time that someone representing you is physically inspecting the car.
Why Are There Hidden Costs?
In theory, there are no hidden costs, there are unstated costs i.e. they are not flagged as “these are the costs you must still add to this quote”. This is because there are services that logistics companies don’t provide, for example, they do not handle on-road costs like registration and WoF.
The logistics companies also usually don’t quote on steam cleaning and vacuuming your car as this is supposed to be done at the origin. The car does not have to be detailed but it must be clean and free of any insects, insect eggs, mould and fungi.
GST is another cost that is often omitted from quotations as the logistics companies don’t know the collector car’s value for this purpose.
What Should You Include In Your Car Import Costs?
Here is a summary of items that are the minimum to include in your car import and transfer budget:
- The logistics company’s shipping quote from the seller’s door up to a stated point. Get the logistics company to explain in detail where their service ends physically. Also ask, in writing, what additional steps will be needed to render the car fully imported.
- Marine Insurance. Logistics service providers can arrange this or Ando Insurance.
- Duties, taxes, GST and Government Charges
- MPI / Quarantine costs
- On-road costs
Next Steps
Read our previous article “How Should You Prepare Your Car For Relocation Services?” to get your car ready for shipping.
For the best advice, prices and service for a car transfer in NZ, contact our caring team of experts today!