Shipping a campervan

Now that the ITA has arrived, I'm turning my mind to some of the finer practicalities of the move. Wondered if anyone could help with this....?

As and when we go, we'd quite like to take our family campervan with us. Lots of reasons why, the main one being that the same van new in NZ costs almost 50% more than it does in the UK.

The manufacturer currently exports UK spec models to NZ with no changes or modification. However - and there had to be one - the NZ dealer has told me the van will need between $4,000 - $5,000 in alterations to meet NZ regulations. I've asked them to give me a breakdown of the work needed, but haven't had a reply.

Other than different 220v electric sockets for the telly and kettle (which we probably wouldn't change) does anyone out there know what these changes might be? $4000+ seems a lot of money when the people who build it don't bother....

Hi, theres a guy on another forum who has shipped a camper van across to NZ.
If you get no luck on here, try on there...Im sure he'd be able to help you. :icon_biggrin:

PS...were hopping to ship out our VW camper, so if you do get any vital tips, cud you pass em on? :icon_wink:

Thanks for the lead Bugeye. We'd be glad to share information Bugeye, but it's only fair to warn you that our campervan file is bigger than our migration file....

At this stage, the main thing is to hope you can get your VW into a container, because that's the cheapest option. Our van is too big for even a hi-cube container, so we're going to have to ship it by roll-on/roll-off ferry. Shipping fees are based on the cubic volume of the vehicle (about ?100 per m3 from the UK).

Unfortunately, you're not allowed to store anything extra in the vehicle during transit. It hurts to think we'll be paying to ship fresh air. Guess it's a van thing...

Hi kokopeli,
I cant imagine where that dealer got the figure from! I would imagine, the only changes that may be required would be the electric hookup system. Apart from that, there shouldnt be anything. After all, they import japanese cars like there is no tomorrow, which can sometimes be of a lower standard that UK spec vehicles emissions wise!

I would certainly look into it much deeper that the word of a dealer! You might even want to contact MAF as they have to clear all imports before customs get their hands on it.

Thanks Taffy - I've had some good help from a guy in Christchurch who is the LTSA inspector for imported Fiat vans. He reckons the dealer is trying it on and that the van will meet NZ requirements.

I'm still waiting on the dealership to get back to me. Isn't is such a cliche how franchised dealerships work the same way the world over....? :icon_neutral:

[kokopeli]

Further to the earlier thread, I've just had a detailed cost breakdown from the very helpful LTSA inspector in Christchurch. He reckons the fees and changes required for my imported camper include:

N.Z. Compliance =$487.00
R.U.C. =$200.00
REG. =$230.00
SERVICE =$400.00
Totlal =$1217.00 plus some other small compliance costs
Say $1750.00 which will include all the necessary to be on road for 6 months.

Even with a service (probably not required, but worth it after 42 days at sea) his estimate is only a third of the quote from by the greedy franchise!

Chris

Waiting for blood results - ITA ready to go!

[slim]

Hi, I am the guy from the other forum and I did indeed ship my vw campervan out. Would I recommend it? Definately not - but that is my experience.
First off if you do not have PR then you have to pay GST. As it is a camper you have to pay 17% or thereabouts of the total value of the van to bring it through customs (a lot of money). You will have to have it cleaned by MAF regardless of how good a job you do in the UK including having it steam cleaned before you load it (they don't care and any number of certificates saying you had it steam cleaned will cut no ice).
You then have the fun of trying to get the vehicle registered here. If it is relatively new and in very good condition (ie no rust) then it's not a big problem but there may be some saftey issues that they pick you up on (i heard the other day that somebody importing a people mover had had to have their swiveling seats welded so they would not swivel!).
If like ours it is very old and rusty (despite having an MOT the day before it went in the container) then forget it. They pay a lot of attention to imports and the cost of putting everything right is ridiculous, I was even told I would have to replace the mirrors as they would not pass muster for import.
We are attached to our VW camper but given the benefit of hindsight i would not have brought it with us as it has cost a small fortune (far more than a good nick one here) and we are not finished yet.
For more specific questions, especially you bugbabe contact me via pm or email.
Andy

[kokopeli]

Hey Slim, sounds like you'll be able to drink out on that experience for a good while yet... You were lucky to fit into a container. Our van has a high top and won't fit. The roll-on/roll-off ferry from Europe to Auckland is very expensive, but the cost of a van the same as ours iin NZ is even higher!

The whole experience so far has been an eye-opener and we haven't set off yet! We're aiming for PR and for the van to be over 12 months old when we move, so we hope to avoid the GST. The van was brand new in 2004, so we're hoping not to have too many major issues, but you never know...

The LTSA inspector I've been dealing with has confirmed that our platform vehicle (Fiat Ducato) meets NZ spec. He said about cleaning and warned me to expect a bill from MAF whether the van needs it or not. I can understand their perspective, not wanting all the road crud and stuff from overseas. However, part of me thinks that private importers (and campervanners especially) make easy targets. Do you reckon they are as stringent with the high volume second-hand Japanese imports?

Chris