How to import a car 101

In the last issue, we looked at the numbers and types of classic cars being exported from or imported into New Zealand. The good news was that there were more cars coming than going but the main takeaway was that it was American cars coming in. In recent years, there has been a steady stream of ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s classic car imports from the US of A, driven by the sheer variety and volume of cars available there and for the savings that can be made.

Naturally, it’s a high-risk proposition, handing over thousands of dollars to someone overseas who isn’t subject to our Fair Trading Act and then having to wait several weeks before you get, or even see, what you have paid for.

Then there’s the anxiety about getting it certified fit for our roads. New Zealand certifiers are notoriously difficult to please, especially with regard to anything modified. We’ll stick to original-spec cars for this discussion but it’s still a challenge getting a 50-year-old car through standards designed for modern cars. That a vehicle is judged roadworthy in the UK, for example, means nothing to assessors here. UK councils salt