13/11/2021

https://www.driven.co.nz/news/buying-cars-from-overseas-our-picks-from-japan-the-uk-and-australia/

Buying cars from overseas: our picks from Japan, the UK and Australia

Buying a car from overseas has become a lot more realistic over the past few years.

As we are locked down and away, our buying habits have turned online, from groceries to big ticket items like cars, and while local manufacturers like Toyota, Honda and Mercedes are promoting their online, fixed-price purchasing, the next step is to consider buying something a little more special.

And for that, we can look beyond the shores, as the world was really made smaller by the internet.

Companies can facilitate these purchases, including those like Auckland-based Autoport, who have arms in places like Japan and the UK, where they can locate, source, import and register specific vehicles.

Of course, convenience comes at a cost, so there’s nothing to mandate it has to be a dealer, and if you do your research, it is possible to DIY an import. So we’ve delved into the overseas market to see what each of us could find in our November car buying search.

 

Andrew: 2017 Cadillac CTS-V

Searching for a car in Japan and coming out with an American one seems to be a paradox, but it shows how useful a site like Autoport can be. Here in New Zealand, most people will be familiar with the last-generation HSV GTS. In a way, this Cadillac CTS-V is the American version of this car.

Under the bonnet sits a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 “LT4” engine that pumps out an impressive 477kW/854Nm. This is sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

While the underpinnings of these cars are quite different, I’d argue that the looks of the American-built beast are a lot better. Like the rest of the Cadillac range, the CTS-V was targeted towards the luxury market, so inside is a mix of Alcantara and leather.

Autoport quotes a figure of $119,290 landed in Auckland. Though this might seem steep for a 2017 model, it’s worth noting that a similar second-hand HSV GTS can’t be had for anything under $150,000 these days. Given that the CTS-V is also a discontinued model, you could probably look to make a tidy profit on this Cadillac when it comes time to move it on; but until then, you’ve got over 470kW of supercharged V8 goodness to enjoy!

 David: 2020 Kia XCeed

For this exercise I decided to find something with mainstream Kiwi appeal – but also something you simply can’t here.

So meet the Kia XCeed. The what? The XCeed is based on the Ceed hatchback, which is a Kia family car for Europe/UK that’s a similar size to the Cerato. But it’s a different car to the Cerato, so we’re already in new territory.

The XCeed is a crossover version of the Ceed, and we love those right? It has high ground clearance like an SUV, topped off by a fastback roofline. Think of it as Kia’s version of the Mercedes-Benz GLA or Citroen C4.

This particular example is only a year old with 25,000km on the clock, and the powertrain appeals to the left-of-centre car person: a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol triple with a five-speed manual transmission.

The advantage of a provider like Autoport is that the $46,850 is all-inclusive, for the car landed, prepared, full of fuel and ready to drive away from Ellerslie, Auckland. There’s a five-day money-back guarantee for cars under $50k and 12 months mechanical breakdown cover. Estimated pickup for this one would be January/February 2022 – but I’d be tempted to wait until April, because this 1.0-litre SUV will definitely be in line for a Government Clean Car rebate.

 Dean: 2005 Holden Monaro CV8 manual

Having done a similar move a few years back, Australia is also the land of special cars from overseas, ad being our closest neighbour, there are also cost and time savings to be potentially had. The Australian government can be tricky to negotiate at times, and of course there’s the matter of dealing with both the export and import aspects, plus the local compliancing and registration, but I think there is money to be saved and invested in the right car.

And Holden is a brand that’s booming at the moment, so I’ve found a gold CV8 Monaro manual, listed on Aussie selling website carsales.com.au. With less than 40,000km for the 16 year-old modern classic, its price might sound high at $95,000, but that was actually one of the lower-priced Monaros on site, at least comparably in this condition. And given it sold for around $60k when new, prices are rising.

With shipping from Australia to NZ around $4000, depending on the loading/unloading aspects at each port and the delivery methods and location of the seller and buyer, there are also factors like import duty and GST and MPI charges, which can vary. Plus compliancing and registration, and there won’t be a huge stash of change from $10,000, on top of the purchase price, and of course the currency conversion. This Monaro may be just an example, but for the right car at the right price, Australia could also be an option.

The wild card

We love to throw in a wild card for these 60 Second Sell pieces to give more scope to the reader votes (or maybe just for you to show how wrong we are). This time it’s sourced from Japan, but Italian and very red: a 1994 Lancia Delta Integrale whose mileage matches its price: 108,000km and $108,000. How often does that happen?

#replaceyourcar #newcar #autoport #onlinecarbuying #inbetweencar #nohasslecarbuying #moneybackguarantee #usedcars #usedcarsforsale #carfinance #tradein #carsforsale #signupandsave #kiwiowned #findmeacar #caranswers #certifiedusedcars #cartradein #carfinance #luxuryusedcars #safefamilycar #onlinecardealer #usedsuv #autoportcars #importcars #carsfromjapan #carsfromuk #carauction #carauctions #cars