If I were an Aussie living down under I would beat the bushes for a 2002-4 GTO. My neighbor had one…great car.
Haha can easily get one of those here, locally it's known as a Holden Monaro. They were $60k Australian brand new, and some people bought it and stored it, so have no km on it. You can view them at carsales.com.au if you're keen. Yanks get a good foreign exchange rate at the moment!
What’s the “penalty” for driving a less than 25 year old car with LHD? In other words, what are the fines? A 23 R/T might cost $40k + import costs of what?…. Another $5-7k? So maybe $50k into the project to have a bone stock AMERICAN left hand drive Challenger R/T in Australia. If doing it legally is $170k - $200k that leaves $120k - $150k in fines available. How often might you get caught?
I like the cut of your jib, son. It won't really be feasible to do that here because in order to get insurance on a car it needs to be registered. Without it you're up for some pretty big penalties if you drive it. The cost to drive a car unregistered is $607. Sticking on licence plates not belonging to the car they're on will only draw attention. The police in Australia, at least in my state, have cameras mounted on the side of their vehicles which can check something like 10 licence plates per second while driving, and it'll highlight that my plates don't match the model of vehicle I've attached them to. That's before the heightened attention a unique car will bring to them as well. Doing it more than once would likely lead them to seizing my car. You also have to have licence plates on the front of your car or else there's a fine for that too. Might be a bit stricter than most of the world but I guess that's a good thing that they do to keep us all safe.
So to answer your question I probably have two bites of the cherry before the car is taken off me 🤣😥
I’m really happy for you!! Even here in the U.S. where I live, driving along in my RT, I always get a little thrill when I see another Challenger approaching from the other direction! So many different colors & trims😁👌🏻. The first thing I look for is whether it is a Widebody, because I bought a 2021 Scatpack WB Shaker package , ordered her from the factory. Loved that car...after awhile I was in some financial need so regrettably sold her but I purchased a 2019 RT Shaker which does the job for me!!
You say that you get excited seeing another one in the US, imagine how we feel over here when we see one! I've yet to see one in the wild, and have only seen one Camaro not in a showroom here.
I'd love to get the scat pack, or a Hellcat for that matter, but then I'd have to buy a significantly worse house and at this age, I can't justify it. So I'm absolutely envious of you blokes who have one.
Do you find it being enough fun, even at the entry level for a hemi, after giving up your scat pack? I imagine that it's fast enough for the majority of driving that you don't notice the difference too much? Unless your motto is to drive it like you stole it.
Why not get it converted here in the states and then shipped over?
Another Aussie night be able to correct me, but j think that while this would be achievable, it would add to the purchase cost of the vehicle entering Australia, thereby increasing the tax I have to pay. I reckon that the Aussie government thought this through and have snookered us.
The guy I'm using to convert says that while I own the car I get a lifetime warranty on the conversion process so that is maybe worth a little bit of money too.
There was a lot of interface between US citizens and Australians at the company I worked for. Vegemite (yeck!) and accent aside I never really noticed a difference. Good luck with your pursuit.
Mate, Vegemite is disgusting. It's the dregs of the creation of beer that they realised some people will eat. Be weary of anyone who says they like it.
I have imported my 2018 SXT+ Dodge Challenger to Cyprus from UAE, where I used to live. Freight costs were very high (1,200 USD). The car was placed in a 20 ft container and arrived in Cyprus within 35 days. It was loaded and unloaded onto three cargo vessels. I managed to pay 0 import taxes due to laws in Cyprus permitting importation of one vehicle per family of repatriated Cypriots. Processing time was 4 months. In Cyprus one is permitted to use a LHD car, because we also drive on the left, as in Australia. I would be skeptical to convert the drive, as it really is not necessary. I understand that in Australia LHD driving is prohibited. You must be really fond of the Challenger, to be willing to undergo these procedures. Have you considered another brand of muscle car? In Cyprus it is well possible to buy a factory made RHD Ford Mustang, but still, that's an inferior vehicle to a Dodge.
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Another Kypreos! I'm of Cypriot heritage, my parents were both born there and grew up there, one on the (now) occupied side. I have a national ID card and when I come over I'm getting my passport. Never thought that I'd see one there of all places.
That seems like a long time to transport your car home, 35 days. It'll only take 60 days from California to Melbourne and that's a significantly longer distance. Looks beautiful in that Cypriot background though! συγχαρητήρια!
Yes, we do have mustangs sold locally in Australia from dealerships but it lacks the raw appeal of a challenger and it's retro styling. Camaro I've driven and it was nice, but nowhere near as nice to look at and it's not cheaper.
Congrats on wanting a Challenger. I have the 6.4 Scat Pack and couldnt be happier. Might I suggest getting the car converted here in US before shipping to you, as parts might br chraper as well as availabity of shops experienced in doing it right. You might even be able to get one of those TV shops, like Gas Monkey Garage or Iron Resurrection or similar to do it for a reduced rate, to televize how its done. Just a thought. But I have sold several mustangs to people in Australia and know the hoops to get the american car there.
I'll actually have to look into that, you make a good point. Would American shops have the expertise to convert though, it's probably not a common occurrence for people to ask them to switch the side of the steering.
Are the mustangs you've sold classic models or new ones? Once I have the dodge paid off I plan to get a '67 Mustang to add to the collection. Love the old school muscle!
Hi Wombat, I'm in Newcastle and have a 2018 SRT Challenger Hellcat. Whilst I didn't import mine, one the guys in the Hunter Valley Chrysler Club (HVCC) did. He used Matt Dean at Crossover (in SA I believe).
Mine was very professionally done by Eric Roelse in Brisbane, and I can't fault it, they did a great job. I got it with <6k on the clock and have put 15k on it since, as it's my daily drive.
Good Luck and enjoy, it's worth it!
I'm from the other steel city, Wollongong!
I'm actually using Matt Dean, so far he seems like a really good operator. Did the person in your car club have anything to say about the quality of his work? On google maps he has dozens of muscle cars out front so he must be half decent at his job.
How do you find it as your daily driver? I shudder to think what a Hellcat fuel bill looks like 🤣 and I take it that Shannon's were the only ones who could/would insure it?
If you ever plan to sell let me know 😉
I had a great neighbor from Melbourne, Australia that moved here in Melbourne, Florida. Yes, there is a Melbourne in Central Florida about an hour away from Disney World. He sold his house here for more than double what he paid for it and then moved to Texas and bought an even larger home for less. He could have bought a couple Challengers if he wanted. Was sorry to see him move away.
Learn something new everyday, didn't know that Florida had a Melbourne! Lucky fella.
