Import a car

Simple Matt

Simple Matt

1,880
Australia
Somewhere..
l Flossy l
Hey guys, as you can tell I'm from Australia and I was wondering what would be the best way to get a Cadillac CTS-V over here..
 
I'm sure there are companies in Australia that specialize in importing cars. Just do some Googling. It's much easier than attempting to go about importing one yourself. And make sure the Caddy can pass the MOT and can be registered before importing it. It would be a shame import the car just to find out you can't even legally drive it.
 
I'm on my phone so I can't tell where your from but I'm guessing England :lol: and do you think it would be much on top of the ~$60K to get the car over here?
 
No I'm actually in Houston, USA. Pretty far from England. :P

I'm not really sure how much it will cost to import. I could imagine a couple of grand.
 
It will be a hell of a lot. Assuming of course they actually do right-hand-drive conversions for the CTS-V which, from memory they don't at present, expect the car to cost about $150k all up, probably more.

Importing a car that's left-hand-drive is a very difficult process. It cannot be registered unless it's converted to ADR-approved right-hand-drive, which pretty much doubles the cost of the car straight off the bat.

The other thing to remember is that much of the same running gear (minus a supercharger obviously, although a trip to Walkinshaw will fix that) and suspension technology is in your garden-variety HSV.
 
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Haha I was just assuming cause of your avatar.. And I know it's quite similar to a HSV.. but for me it's the whole "import car" that stands out for me.. Like I'd rather a Pontiac GTO over a HSV Clubsport R8 any day :)
 
OP, your best bet is to actually import the car from the UK (when the RHD actually goes on sale) if Australia really does have a strict law against left-hand drive cars. Originally, GM said because of the engine & auxiliary components, there was no way it could be converted. Now, later this year, they have gotten around that & will introduce the car in right-hand drive for the UK market.

The issue here however is big American V8s in the UK can go for almost double the price of their US MSRP, which is $65K. Thus, you could be looking at the $120K figure Murcie pointed out, but avoiding the non-guaranteed success of a conversion process without some deep pockets.

Add on import fees & Australia's ridiculous taxes on cars, & I'd personally say you're better off with what Australia's companies have to offer & modifying that.
 
If your lucky, there might be some in Japan. They would be right hand drive and be cheaper than importing one from the UK.
 
mattjones
Hey guys, as you can tell I'm from Australia and I was wondering what would be the best way to get a Cadillac CTS-V over here..
Click to expand...

I live in california and I got a Nissan GTR Spec-V delivered from Japan. It's the one of two in all of the western hemisphere. The car was 120,000 alone and the shipping and handling was 12,000. I would expect it to be less for a CTS-V. BTW I don't blame you for wanting a CTS-V. I've driven one around Laguna Seca. They are so powerful and great handling too. If your wondering how I get too do all this stuff, it's because I test concept sports cars for different car companies like Nissan, BMW, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Ferrari, Aston Martin ect.
 
gt5racer2468
I live in california and I got a Nissan GTR Spec-V delivered from Japan. It's the one of two in all of the western hemisphere. The car was 120,000 alone and the shipping and handling was 12,000. I would expect it to be less for a CTS-V. BTW I don't blame you for wanting a CTS-V. I've driven one around Laguna Seca. They are so powerful and great handling too. If your wondering how I get too do all this stuff, it's because I test concept sports cars for different car companies like Nissan, BMW, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Ferrari, Aston Martin ect.
Click to expand...

Hahaha wanna switch jobs :) and when you got the car imported how did you do it.. Like did you do it or some company??
 
mattjones
Haha I was just assuming cause of your avatar.. And I know it's quite similar to a HSV.. but for me it's the whole "import car" that stands out for me.. Like I'd rather a Pontiac GTO over a HSV Clubsport R8 any day :)
Click to expand...

Hey, GM guy here...

Long story short, while the CTS is a fantastic car, "the grass is always greener" approach doesn't completely work when HSV offers up so many fantastic variants of the Commodore that are give/take about the same size of, and offers similar performance to, the CTS-V. Something similar to the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst would be the way to go, although it appears as though HSV is stopping at a tweaked LS3 these days.

Now, if you are looking for something unique, during the 2010 model year Holden did offer the Commodore and Ute with Pontiac bits and pieces that were slated to be sold in the US, but never made it over. I don't really know how common those vehicles are, but they'd certainly be a bit more unique than your average Commodore or Ute.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Speaking in terms of importing American vehicles, from what I understand the laws in Australia require the vehicles to be RHD in order to drive on the roads. Almost all of the current, "good" American vehicles are not designed to be ambidextrous in the steering department.

Both the Camaro and the CTS have been slated to receive the RHD treatment for the UK (and presumably around the world), but GM has been dragging their heels on both. Otherwise, the Corvette and Mustang will remain LHD, as will the Challenger, and most other "iconic" American vehicles.

Although, if I'm understanding things correctly, you can get the Chrysler 300 C down there. It looks like you guys won't be getting the SRT-8 version... yet... But that wouldn't be a terrible option on the "unique" scale.
 
If you just want an American car. Could you get one that is a certain number of years old? I don't know the different laws in Australia concerning importing and registering cars. But I know here in the states, if a car is old enough, it can negate certain laws dealing with crash testing, emissions, etc. I wonder if there would be a similar law down under that would ignore which side the steering wheel is on. But if there's no way of getting around the fact that the car is LHD, then nevermind.
 
YSSMAN
Hey, GM guy here...

Long story short, while the CTS is a fantastic car, "the grass is always greener" approach doesn't completely work when HSV offers up so many fantastic variants of the Commodore that are give/take about the same size of, and offers similar performance to, the CTS-V. Something similar to the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst would be the way to go, although it appears as though HSV is stopping at a tweaked LS3 these days.

Now, if you are looking for something unique, during the 2010 model year Holden did offer the Commodore and Ute with Pontiac bits and pieces that were slated to be sold in the US, but never made it over. I don't really know how common those vehicles are, but they'd certainly be a bit more unique than your average Commodore or Ute.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Speaking in terms of importing American vehicles, from what I understand the laws in Australia require the vehicles to be RHD in order to drive on the roads. Almost all of the current, "good" American vehicles are not designed to be ambidextrous in the steering department.

Both the Camaro and the CTS have been slated to receive the RHD treatment for the UK (and presumably around the world), but GM has been dragging their heels on both. Otherwise, the Corvette and Mustang will remain LHD, as will the Challenger, and most other "iconic" American vehicles.

Although, if I'm understanding things correctly, you can get the Chrysler 300 C down there. It looks like you guys won't be getting the SRT-8 version... yet... But that wouldn't be a terrible option on the "unique" scale.
Click to expand...

I was originally looking at the VXR8 and then found my way over the CTS-V.. And regarding the whole LHD vs RHD debate, I see LHD cars all the time near my girlfriends house.. There is a Shelby, some old school Pontiac and a Ford Mustang.. Don't ask for specifics as I'm not that good hahaha :) and you would be greatly surprised at how many 300c's I see.. Out of the 8 people in my company in QLD, 3 people have them :embarrassed:
 
What are the laws in Australia? We have DOT requirements and various other stuff for importing cars. There was also several R34s that were taken and impounded in LA and I think a couple in Phoenix due to not falling under the federal registration needed. The U.S. is somewhat strict on importing cars, not sure about Australia. However, I'm sure there are groups who might import U.S. cars there.
 
YSSMAN
Long story short, while the CTS is a fantastic car, "the grass is always greener" approach doesn't completely work when HSV offers up so many fantastic variants of the Commodore that are give/take about the same size of, and offers similar performance to, the CTS-V. Something similar to the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst would be the way to go, although it appears as though HSV is stopping at a tweaked LS3 these days.
Click to expand...

This. For the same price as importing the CTS-V you'd be able to pick up a HDT Blue Meanie with the optional supercharger and exhaust package taking it to 450kW or a HSV GTS with a sizeable chunk from the Walkinshaw catalogue.

YSSMAN
Now, if you are looking for something unique, during the 2010 model year Holden did offer the Commodore and Ute with Pontiac bits and pieces that were slated to be sold in the US, but never made it over. I don't really know how common those vehicles are, but they'd certainly be a bit more unique than your average Commodore or Ute.
Click to expand...

That was a "limited edition" version of the SS-V Commodore but it's now actually an official option for a $1000 over the SS-V trim.

YSSMAN
Although, if I'm understanding things correctly, you can get the Chrysler 300 C down there. It looks like you guys won't be getting the SRT-8 version... yet... But that wouldn't be a terrible option on the "unique" scale.
Click to expand...

We've had the 300C SRT-8 since its introduction pretty much, but we don't have the new "Fiat/Lancia-themed" model yet. I believe that's coming here later this year and I'm 90% sure we'll be getting the inevitable SRT-8 of that too.

LMSCorvetteGT2
What are the laws in Australia? We have DOT requirements and various other stuff for importing cars. There was also several R34s that were taken and impounded in LA and I think a couple in Phoenix due to not falling under the federal registration needed. The U.S. is somewhat strict on importing cars, not sure about Australia. However, I'm sure there are groups who might import U.S. cars there.
Click to expand...

We do have a couple of groups here based in Queensland that import US-market cars but they're very, very expensive. Performax I think is the name of the company that does GM models (however there's been no word on Caddys); they do conversions for the Camaro SS ($150,000) and the Corvette ZR1 ($300,000+), while Mustang Motorsports covers all the Mustangs including Shelby and Saleen packages. There's also a company that I can't remember off the top of my head that does the Dodge Challenger SRT8 and that costs around the same as the Camaro.

The main problems we have with importing cars here are the cost of conversions and GST + Luxury Car Tax. Many JDM models of cars are fine for importing and are quite cheap because I believe we run on similar emission and safety standards as Japan and most of their models are RHD; it's mainly a matter of compliance which obviously depends on the model, and import fees which are usually a couple of grand. Cars from LHD markets though are significantly more difficult.
 
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I'm gonna obviously find out all the rules and regs regarding importing a car, but the main point of this thread was to find out if you guys had any idea of how to do it if you have imported a car before :)
 
mattjones
I'm gonna obviously find out all the rules and regs regarding importing a car, but the main point of this thread was to find out if you guys had any idea of how to do it if you have imported a car before :)
Click to expand...

Well it's important to know your laws so we can tell you. One way to do it here or last I checked for cars like say the R32 and R34 was to label them as kit cars. At least that is how the west coast companies got them into the U.S. along with other japanese cars.
 
If I was to get a HSV I would want the W427 :drool: that thing is practically sex on wheels.. but yeah, as you said Murcie.. if it's gonna cost me $300K just to convert it, I guess it's just a pipe dream :(

That doesn't mean I can't move to the states and buy one :dopey:
 
gt5racer2468
I live in california and I got a Nissan GTR Spec-V delivered from Japan. It's the one of two in all of the western hemisphere. The car was 120,000 alone and the shipping and handling was 12,000. I would expect it to be less for a CTS-V. BTW I don't blame you for wanting a CTS-V. I've driven one around Laguna Seca. They are so powerful and great handling too. If your wondering how I get too do all this stuff, it's because I test concept sports cars for different car companies like Nissan, BMW, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Ferrari, Aston Martin ect.
Click to expand...

Hey, Welcome to GT Planet!
I think I'd like to direct you to this thread

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=61433

I mean, if you're a big-time Concept Sports Car tester for all of these companies, and you can Import a GT-R, surely you can back it up?

Edit: On topic

I'm not sure what your income is, but getting such a car Imported seems to be a bit of an arse... Maybe what others have mentioned, getting a Commodore and modifying it, is a better idea. Or, find a car which is on the same platform, and try to buy the Body Panels from the CTS-V?
 
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hawkeye122
Hey, Welcome to GT Planet!
I think I'd like to direct you to this thread

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=61433

I mean, if you're a big-time Concept Sports Car tester for all of these companies, and you can Import a GT-R, surely you can back it up?

Edit: On topic

I'm not sure what your income is, but getting such a car Imported seems to be a bit of an arse... Maybe what others have mentioned, getting a Commodore and modifying it, is a better idea. Or, find a car which is on the same platform, and try to buy the Body Panels from the CTS-V?
Click to expand...

I'm an apprentice on about 50-60K a year.. but once I finish my apprenticeship I have a job lined up that is roughly 145-160K a year as a welder in a LPG mine :) and I think that is the logical decision..
 
mattjones
I'm an apprentice on about 50-60K a year.. but once I finish my apprenticeship I have a job lined up that is roughly 145-160K a year as a welder in a LPG mine :) and I think that is the logical decision..
Click to expand...

Either way, you'll spend at least 90K, and still end up with tons of paper and leg work just to get the blasted thing.
 
gt5racer2468
I live in california and I got a Nissan GTR Spec-V delivered from Japan. It's the one of two in all of the western hemisphere. The car was 120,000 alone and the shipping and handling was 12,000. I would expect it to be less for a CTS-V. BTW I don't blame you for wanting a CTS-V. I've driven one around Laguna Seca. They are so powerful and great handling too. If your wondering how I get too do all this stuff, it's because I test concept sports cars for different car companies like Nissan, BMW, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Ferrari, Aston Martin ect.
Click to expand...

Ok first what GTR are we talking here?
Because 120 000 is a bit of a lot. Also importing cost rougly around 5 grand not 12!
Also there are more than 2 GTR's in North America, even with all the impounded ones.
I already can name 1 out of my head in US (a university) and Canada surely has one too.
And are test drivers, especially for "concept sport super duper cars" not factory linked?

As said this probably goes into the MALCThread

On the OP, look for a company that makes all (import+ conversation+ homolgation) and get that all on contract (black on white). If the price doesn't bother you, we are not to judge.
 
*ibo* S3 Racer
Ok first what GTR are we talking here?
Because 120 000 is a bit of a lot. Also importing cost rougly around 5 grand not 12!
Also there are more than 2 GTR's in North America, even with all the impounded ones.
I already can name 1 out of my head in US (a university) and Canada surely has one too.
And are test drivers, especially for "concept sport super duper cars" not factory linked?

As said this probably goes into the MALCThread

On the OP, look for a company that makes all (import+ conversation+ homolgation) and get that all on contract (black on white). If the price doesn't bother you, we are not to judge.
Click to expand...
He's talking about the R35 GT-R Spec-V. We didn't get that model in the US because the GT-R head man didn't think the US was ready for such a car & only just gave 40 models to Europe alone. It's a grossly overpriced car that only Nissan buffs would buy for the ludicrous amount of money it takes to buy & maintain one.
 
*ibo* S3 Racer
Ok first what GTR are we talking here?
Because 120 000 is a bit of a lot. Also importing cost rougly around 5 grand not 12!
Also there are more than 2 GTR's in North America, even with all the impounded ones.
I already can name 1 out of my head in US (a university) and Canada surely has one too.
And are test drivers, especially for "concept sport super duper cars" not factory linked?

As said this probably goes into the MALCThread

On the OP, look for a company that makes all (import+ conversation+ homolgation) and get that all on contract (black on white). If the price doesn't bother you, we are not to judge.
Click to expand...

it was a 10' spec v and I had to get it shipped from Japan! The reason it was more than a spec v would be in Japan is because I didn't get it from a dealership I bought it from a friend of a friend who flips cars.
 

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