Question: Shipping to Australia

[Clint Press]

A big G'DAY to all you Opel GT fans. I am a classic Holden man myself but have recently got the urge to buy a sporty small car (I think this came from my brother who, although a Holden man, has owned both a mint Datsun 1600SSS and a 260Z) from our cousins at Opel. The American 1.9L Opel GT appeals to me and I am wondering if anyone knows the best (and hopefully NOT too expensive) way of shipping the GT to Oz. Realistically the expense of this will be the major determining factor in the purchase. I am a first timer have never imported a car before but am looking to start now. ANY info you have that you think may help my cause is going to be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time and happy motoring!

Clint Press

[First opel 1981]

Originally Posted by Clint Press A big G'DAY to all you Opel GT fans. I am a classic Holden man myself but have recently got the urge to buy a sporty small car (I think this came from my brother who, although a Holden man, has owned both a mint Datsun 1600SSS and a 260Z) from our cousins at Opel. The American 1.9L Opel GT appeals to me and I am wondering if anyone knows the best (and hopefully NOT too expensive) way of shipping the GT to Oz. Realistically the expense of this will be the major determining factor in the purchase. I am a first timer have never imported a car before but am looking to start now. ANY info you have that you think may help my cause is going to be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and happy motoring! Clint Press

Having a little experience shipping some cars to Ghana, the best and most affordable method to ship is by cargo container. It will help a TON if you can find someone who regularly ships from where you will be getting the car to Oz and can buddy up on some cargo container shipping.
You will likely want to ship from an Eastern port as this is the main shipping channels to Australia.
Be forewarned, however, that the container could get temporarily lost in transit. Unless it is a preferred shipment (food, medical supplies, normal commerce) the priority for tracking goes down. My former employer had a pair of vehicles in a container stuck in Singapore for over 5 months.

[GTJIM]

Welcome to this site, Clint - plenty of GT info here.

There are about 10 old (1969-73) Opel GTs in Australia and one member here on this site has a very nice restored one in Melbourne [Cees].

I have a nicely painted body here in New Zealand and another 'roughie' - but not for sale. There are about 10 or 12 here in various states of repair.

Shipping across from the USA is basically container shipping cost - your best line of enquiry may be one of the specialist US classic car importers in Australia. There should be one or two who advertise in your local Hot Rod magazines.

Hope that helps!

[wklopf]

I have no information relating directly to shipping to Australia, but I did recently have an Opel Rekord Coupe shipped from Sweden to the us. I was quoted $2700 for shipping it in a container. Two Swedish shipping companies quoted me $1700 and $1800 for roll on roll off shipment. These prices included preparing the exit documents for Sweden, port charges and ocean freight. I went directly to a steam ship company and they quoted me $780 for the sea freight plus a 15% fuel surcharge on that, for a total of $879. I found a freight forwarder in Sweden who prepared the paper work for about $100. The port charges were a bit over $200. The steam ship line sent the car freight collect. I paid them at their US office for the sea freight as well as the Swedish port charges. So for what the freight shipping companies were going to charge me $1700 or $1800, I got for $1210! On the US end I had to work through another freight forwarder who did the necessary paper work and cleared the car through customs. Their charge was $125, plus the import duty. Since January one of this year a special security clearance is required to enter a US port. Therefore you have to hire one of these people to pick up or drop off your car at the port. That was another $150, bring the total to $1555, excluding the import duty. The ship line which I used was Wallenius-Wilhelmsen. I have no idea whether they ship between the US and Australia. Their web site is Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics - worldwide ocean transport, inland services, supply chain solutions. My car was loaded onto one ship in Gothenburg, shipped to Southampton, unloaded and them loaded onto another ship for the trip across the ocean. I have no idea whether this additional handling of the car added to the cost and if so, how much. Good luck with the project. Oh yes, should you find a car in Hawaii, you would be half way home! Bill

[Clint Press]

Thanks for the prompt reply and warning about the low tracking priority for containers that get lost. For sure I'll try the buddy up option with somone else whos in-the-know if that is going to be at all possible.

Cheers mate

[Clint Press]

Originally Posted by GTJIM Welcome to this site, Clint - plenty of GT info here. There are about 10 old (1969-73) Opel GTs in Australia and one member here on this site has a very nice restored one in Melbourne [Cees]. I have a nicely painted body here in New Zealand and another 'roughie' - but not for sale. There are about 10 or 12 here in various states of repair. Shipping across from the USA is basically container shipping cost - your best line of enquiry may be one of the specialist US classic car importers in Australia. There should be one or two who advertise in your local Hot Rod magazines. Hope that helps!

Cheers Jim, I'll have a suss of the US classic car importers and see what they offer. Even better would be if one of the dirty dozen GT owners here in Oz is keen to sell, they see this post and get in touch.... don't have their number do you? Im in Melbs right now but am going home to Adelaide tomorrow!!

Cheers from the west island

[Clint Press]

Originally Posted by First opel 1981 Having a little experience shipping some cars to Ghana, the best and most affordable method to ship is by cargo container. It will help a TON if you can find someone who regularly ships from where you will be getting the car to Oz and can buddy up on some cargo container shipping. You will likely want to ship from an Eastern port as this is the main shipping channels to Australia. Be forewarned, however, that the container could get temporarily lost in transit. Unless it is a preferred shipment (food, medical supplies, normal commerce) the priority for tracking goes down. My former employer had a pair of vehicles in a container stuck in Singapore for over 5 months.

Hey mate my other reply was directed at you.... anyway, curisity has got the better of me... cars to Ghana? What?? Now that must have been expensive?

[Clint Press]

Originally Posted by wklopf I have no information relating directly to shipping to Australia, but I did recently have an Opel Rekord Coupe shipped from Sweden to the us. I was quoted $2700 for shipping it in a container. Two Swedish shipping companies quoted me $1700 and $1800 for roll on roll off shipment. These prices included preparing the exit documents for Sweden, port charges and ocean freight. I went directly to a steam ship company and they quoted me $780 for the sea freight plus a 15% fuel surcharge on that, for a total of $879. I found a freight forwarder in Sweden who prepared the paper work for about $100. The port charges were a bit over $200. The steam ship line sent the car freight collect. I paid them at their US office for the sea freight as well as the Swedish port charges. So for what the freight shipping companies were going to charge me $1700 or $1800, I got for $1210! On the US end I had to work through another freight forwarder who did the necessary paper work and cleared the car through customs. Their charge was $125, plus the import duty. Since January one of this year a special security clearance is required to enter a US port. Therefore you have to hire one of these people to pick up or drop off your car at the port. That was another $150, bring the total to $1555, excluding the import duty. The ship line which I used was Wallenius-Wilhelmsen. I have no idea whether they ship between the US and Australia. Their web site is Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics - worldwide ocean transport, inland services, supply chain solutions. My car was loaded onto one ship in Gothenburg, shipped to Southampton, unloaded and them loaded onto another ship for the trip across the ocean. I have no idea whether this additional handling of the car added to the cost and if so, how much. Good luck with the project. Oh yes, should you find a car in Hawaii, you would be half way home! Bill

Great to know what you went through mate... seems like a hell of a lot of steps involved!! Like your ideas and will definetly follow up. So you know someone in Hawaii with a GT for sale???

Cheers mate

[wklopf]

It was a bit of a chore, but I saved a fair amount of money. I would have had to deal with the two people on the US end even if I had gone with one of the Swedish shippers, because their rates did not cover these things. I originally thought that a forwarder in the US could give me a recommendation on a forwarder in Sweden. They could not. They just work with the ship line on each end and never make contact with one another. No, I don't know of a GT in Hawaii.

Don't be intimidated. This was my first time at making all of the arrangements, but again, $500 is $500! If you were shipping out of Baltimore I could recommend a freight forwarder, but I doubt that would be the case for going to Australia.

I visited your fair land many years ago as well as your smaller neighbor to the east. I need to start planning a return trip. Regards. Bill

[First opel 1981]

Originally Posted by Clint Press Hey mate my other reply was directed at you.... anyway, curisity has got the better of me... cars to Ghana? What?? Now that must have been expensive?

It wasn't cheap but less expensive than my employer had thought.
The employer was Ghanian. He had been living in the states with a dual citizenship for 20 years and decided to open a business in Ghana so, naturally, he wanted to send his Land Cruiser, Acura and a couple BMWs to Ghana for "personal use" but they ended up being sold there for a LOT more money than they were worth in the states. To make it even more profitable he filled the empty space in the containers with laptops (thats what his business in Ghana sells) and other hard to find electronice.
In the grand scheme of the shipping, the shipping charge was miniscule.

In Ghana, shipping is easier depending on who you know and who gets their palms greased.

[opelbits]

Clint-

One of the guys on the Australian Ford Falcon clubsite regularly ships containers both ways between the US and Oz. This includes cars and parts. I believe he ships out of Los Angeles.
If you want I will contact him and see if I can put you two in touch.

Tony P.

[GTJIM]

Originally Posted by Clint Press Cheers Jim, I'll have a suss of the US classic car importers and see what they offer. Even better would be if one of the dirty dozen GT owners here in Oz is keen to sell, they see this post and get in touch.... don't have their number do you? Im in Melbs right now but am going home to Adelaide tomorrow!! Cheers from the west island

Hello Clint,

Go to this link which should take you to Cees details.
(pronounced "Kase" - dutch name!)

http://www.opelgt.com/forums/members/cees.html

Just left click on the 'send message' in the dark blue line under 'opeler' and two alternatives come up in a pop-down box. Click on 'send private message' and that should allow you to send a PM to Cees van Leeuwen. You might even be able to find his phone number in the Melbourne White Pages - I don't know it as I contact him via this site too. HTH

Giday from the Shakey Islands!