I want to sell a traditional 32 3W hot rod (originally built by Vern Tardel) and reach all potential Australian buyers. Apart from Ebay US and the Hamb classifieds are there any other sites/places you would suggest I advertise it? Thanks very much.
Just cars, Unique cars the Trading post or ebay Australia, good luck we got import problems at the moment.
AND ALLOWING our apples into your country for the first time in 80 years......,must have been a trade off
Rob, Sorry to hear you are selling it. What a great car. Anyway, I can help put the word out to some key contacts in Australia if you like? Just email me and we can talk from there. There could also be some serious guys in NZ too you know? Greg
Give it to me. I'll drive it around with a FOR SALE sign on it. Trading Post Online might be a good start as well.
There are definitely issues at the moment. I know of 6 cars that had Import Approvals and have been either sent back to the US or have been refused entry and the owners are appealing the decision. There are people trying to sort out why there has been a sudden change (Feb this year). Hopefully it comes down to an over zealous bureaucrat and the matter can be sorted. The issue appears to be around the definition of "date of manufacture". There is a section in the Motor Vehicle Standards AcT1989 that seems to imply that any modification of a vehicle, resets its date of manufacture. Chris
There is an overzealous bureaucrat who "needs" to make a name for mimslef...new in the job as you would expect. The issue seems to be one of establishing a vehciles originality. IF its a glass bodied Deuce thats come into AUS declared as a 32, then my understanding is that it would be pulled up as a car thats being passed off as something it is not. Esp if its on a repro frame. Also, Pro Street cars, POS rat rods and massive mods are being frowned upon. IF its a std type, original car or mildly modded original car I don't believe there have been any issues at all. I know of two cars atm that are having issues; one is a radically modded rat rod, the other a severely chopped car. The point is, this new guy/bureaucrat has NFI. Im sure once they get threatened with being sued things will turn around. Rat
I just checked all this with my importer (because this thread had me worried with all the parts and cars I'm stashing for a big load and he says "nothing has changed recently". He imports all sorts of cars and bits and pieces every week. If your car is very modified bring it in as a race or off road car and make sure you have all the paper work (ebay, Paypal and email printouts help. They just don't want to be surprised. If they know what's coming and what comes is what you told them would come you should have few or no problems. If you fill out the paper work correctly there should be no problem bringing in anything that's not illegal and cars and steel are not illegal last time I checked so we should be good to carry on.
The main problem is people are importing US hot rods and calling it something like a "32 model 3 window" on the import documents, when it has a fiberglass body. Now we all know fiberglass was not around in 1932, so the vehicle could not have been manufactured like that in 1932. So maybe you call the same vehicle a 1990 model Ford 3 window fibreglass replica '32 hot rod, or something. And they say, what about all the emission gear, and all the design rules and safety features every 1990 car must have? Where is the VIN ? Basically they are disputing the vehicle description and identity. You can bring in any original car in any condition, or any restored car, and state exactly what it is, and it will get in o/k. But some assemblage of odd parts, or a radical custom show car, loses it's original identity, and that is the main problem with this class of car. Your best bet is to pull the car to bits, and ship it as secondhand parts in several batches. It will have to be stripped to the bare frame and completely rebuilt anyway to get it engineered if you plan to get full road registration in any Australian state. If you do as the previous poster suggested, and import it as a race car, or off road vehicle, it will get in. But then there is absolutely zero chance of ever getting road registration for it, because you waived that right to bring it in. You need to be VERY CAREFUL how you describe the vehicle on the import documentation. If the vehicle is not exactly what it is supposed to be when it is inspected, it will be rejected. But a bunch of spare parts, is just a bunch of spare parts, not a vehicle. And the legal distinction is huge. I realize you are only selling a vehicle, not importing one into oZ, but a prospective buyer could be getting into a world of pain if it has to be returned to the US and be resold because it was rejected for import on a technicality.
The Jalopy Journal
