Crikey - you thought Z4M's were expensive where you are....

[enzed4]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1078263521.htm
Spotted this on our auction site. Ignore the $70,000 price - they've just put that there to discourage bidders while they get the car compliance checked after importing from Japan. Looks like they might be having issues with the Recaro seats.
FYI the 'correct' price is $55,800, which is £26,753. Car has done 40234 Miles (64750km)
Jap import means the satnav won't work without an expensive mod (if at all). Also highly doubt it will come with any service history (unless someone has gone to the trouble of keeping the Japanese service history so it can be translated).
I didn't post this in the 'M Market Watch' thread as it's not really relevant to any of you looking to buy.
What do you think? Seems silly money to me, but I know some M's command very good prices.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

It's the same here in Sydney, which is why I'm going to import my Zed.
Shayne, if you ever see a Z3M Coupe for sale in NZ, please let me know. There have been none advertised in Aus for over six months. I suspect that many of the few that were sold here have been shipped to the UK and sold for a vastly inflated amount!

 

[srhutch]

Why won't the nav work, any ideas?

Surely it just needs a new map.

 

[enzed4]

Why won't the nav work, any ideas?

Surely it just needs a new map.

I think the main reason is that Japanese video is NTSC, and our system (same as UK) is PAL. Our NAV discs won't work. Also, this is from a company that does Jap to NZ conversions

"...navigation systems on Japanese imports cannot be simply converted to NZ by means of a firmware upgrade or even unit replacements for some. Japanese Navigation Units are designed as “country specific” for Japan and have completely different hardware. They are not compatible to work in any other region of the world. Furthermore, the DNA of these cars is coded to Japan, and the records on the manufacturer’s computer system would match that. Therefore changing the software of the car or even replacing the unit to New Zealand standard, would only cause a conflict during the next visit to your local dealer. Upon your next visit to the dealer for service or to amend a fault in the car, their computer system would recognize the foreign software or hardware, which has been installed on your Japanese car, and will proceed to reprogram your car back to Japanese standard, as part of the service.
...we have noted the Japanese imports we have found to have been most commonly “Patched”, so be very wary of cheap conversions for the below:

Audi
BMW
Mercedes"

Since mine is a UK import, I was able to throw a NZ CD (or DVD, can't remember) in the Nav system and it just worked.
Later on, I changed the nav/audio system to 'APAC' instead of UK (using the 'hidden' menu), but it didn't seem to make any difference that I could see.

 

[enzed4]

It's the same here in Sydney, which is why I'm going to import my Zed.
Shayne, if you ever see a Z3M Coupe for sale in NZ, please let me know. There have been none advertised in Aus for over six months. I suspect that many of the few that were sold here have been shipped to the UK and sold for a vastly inflated amount!

I saw my first Z3M just a couple of weeks ago - the famous 'bread van' but I haven't seen any for sale.

 

[Anonymous]

A mate Damion Smy the Aussie car journalist
Wanted me and him to do an import thing with M3s as prices over there are barking mad!!

 

[exdos]

I suspect that many of the few that were sold here have been shipped to the UK and sold for a vastly inflated amount!

Richard, I've not heard of any MCs coming to the UK from "down under". The sharp increase in value of MCs in the UK has only really occurred in the past 2 years. I've tried to find the numbers sold in Aus/NZ but can't find anything. I've seen it reported that only one S54 MC was sold in Aus (Phoenix Yellow) which was for sale earlier this year for $120,000, but I've seen it reported that there are 2 S54s there.

 

[Babw]

You should see how much a friend paid for a low mileage E46 M3 imported into Singapore. (F430 and an Elise with the change.)

 

[pvr]

Why won't the nav work, any ideas?

Surely it just needs a new map.

I think the main reason is that Japanese video is NTSC, and our system (same as UK) is PAL. Our NAV discs won't work. Also, this is from a company that does Jap to NZ conversions

"...navigation systems on Japanese imports cannot be simply converted to NZ by means of a firmware upgrade or even unit replacements for some. Japanese Navigation Units are designed as “country specific” for Japan and have completely different hardware. They are not compatible to work in any other region of the world. Furthermore, the DNA of these cars is coded to Japan, and the records on the manufacturer’s computer system would match that. Therefore changing the software of the car or even replacing the unit to New Zealand standard, would only cause a conflict during the next visit to your local dealer. Upon your next visit to the dealer for service or to amend a fault in the car, their computer system would recognize the foreign software or hardware, which has been installed on your Japanese car, and will proceed to reprogram your car back to Japanese standard, as part of the service.
...we have noted the Japanese imports we have found to have been most commonly “Patched”, so be very wary of cheap conversions for the below:

Audi
BMW
Mercedes"

Since mine is a UK import, I was able to throw a NZ CD (or DVD, can't remember) in the Nav system and it just worked.
Later on, I changed the nav/audio system to 'APAC' instead of UK (using the 'hidden' menu), but it didn't seem to make any difference that I could see.

May be for newer cars, but doubt that to be the case for an E85/E86. When I retrofitted my Nav system, I did not do any coding and I bought a US Nav unit and Nav radio. The US is NTSC based as well, but I can't see anything in the system to output that though.

 

[enzed4]

May be for newer cars, but doubt that to be the case for an E85/E86. When I retrofitted my Nav system, I did not do any coding and I bought a US Nav unit and Nav radio. The US is NTSC based as well, but I can't see anything in the system to output that though.

I guess I should take my cd/dvd to a car sales yard and pop it into a Jap import Z4 and see what happens, or ask someone with a Jap import Z4 (there seem to be more and more of them all the time as age goes up and prices come down) if they have managed to get their satnav working here. Would certainly make the satnav option more attractive on used imports of Z4's.

 

[Zed Five]

A mate Damion Smy the Aussie car journalist
Wanted me and him to do an import thing with M3s as prices over there are barking mad!!

if i recall correctly, you must have owned a car for a couple of years before importing in Oz, unless its quite old. Older 911s would be a good bet.

 

[Anonymous]

V true as they've gone nutty prices also

 

[Mangozac]

if i recall correctly, you must have owned a car for a couple of years before importing in Oz, unless its quite old. Older 911s would be a good bet.

Correct, you need to own the car overseas for 2 months and then you must own it for 12 months here before you can sell it on. It sucks balls when you're in the market for a car that was imported in such low volumes. It was all to protect our local car manufacturing economy but now that car manufacturing in Australia is dead they finally decided to open up importing.......to cars that are less than a couple of years old only!

I'm still hanging out for a Z4MR, ideally in Interlagos, but although it was a popular colour elsewhere I've only ever seen one listed in the past couple of years.

 

[enzed4]

if i recall correctly, you must have owned a car for a couple of years before importing in Oz, unless its quite old. Older 911s would be a good bet.

Correct, you need to own the car overseas for 2 months and then you must own it for 12 months here before you can sell it on. It sucks balls when you're in the market for a car that was imported in such low volumes. It was all to protect our local car manufacturing economy but now that car manufacturing in Australia is dead they finally decided to open up importing.......to cars that are less than a couple of years old only!

I'm still hanging out for a Z4MR, ideally in Interlagos, but although it was a popular colour elsewhere I've only ever seen one listed in the past couple of years.

That's interesting about you not being able to import cars older than a couple of years old. We can still import much older cars from Japan. In fact, I've just had a look at a freshly imported 2006 3.0Si coupe - very nice.

 

[Mangozac]

The import restrictions are still a massive joke though. I just looked up the proposed new regulations:

Cars must be right-hand-drive, less than 12 months old and have less than 500 kilometres on the odometer. Vehicles must initially be sourced from Japan or the United Kingdom, though other right-hand-drive markets such as New Zealand, South Africa and India may be considered in the future.

Plus it won't take effect until 2018. Waste of time.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

As a non-Australian, to import a vehicle for personal use you must have applied for Permanent Residency in Australia and to have owned and regularly used the car overseas for at least 12 months. Also, there are restrictions on how many vehicles an individual may import in a given period - perhaps one each two years (I can't recall the detail as I plan to import only one at the moment).
You can import a vehicle outside of these conditions but this will incur heavy tax levies. As far as I understand the current legislation, there's nothing to stop commercial importation of new or old vehicles except for the punitive tax penalties (which likely make it pointless importing secondhand European cars as a for-profit exercise).
I believe Australians returning from overseas also must have owned and used the vehicle for 12 months prior to importation.

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I suspect that many of the few that were sold here have been shipped to the UK and sold for a vastly inflated amount!

Richard, I've not heard of any MCs coming to the UK from "down under". The sharp increase in value of MCs in the UK has only really occurred in the past 2 years. I've tried to find the numbers sold in Aus/NZ but can't find anything. I've seen it reported that only one S54 MC was sold in Aus (Phoenix Yellow) which was for sale earlier this year for $120,000, but I've seen it reported that there are 2 S54s there.

My statement is only postulation - or perhaps more a conspiracy theory! Last time I was in Aus, there was a steady flow of Z3Ms for sale, albeit in very low numbers. As the prices in the UK have grown exponentially, increasingly LHD cars are being advertised in the UK by people seeking to jump on the money train. Coincident to this, Z3Ms have disappeared from the Australian market. This might be wise owners keeping hold of their investments but I prefer my conspiracy theory!

This isn't a Z3M and it started life in the UK, but it spent half a century in Australia before repatriation:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/jaguar/e-type/jaguar-e-type-52/4998276?v=b

 

[Mangozac]

You can import a vehicle outside of these conditions but this will incur heavy tax levies. As far as I understand the current legislation, there's nothing to stop commercial importation of new or old vehicles except for the punitive tax penalties (which likely make it pointless importing secondhand European cars as a for-profit exercise).

No, other than personal import when migrating, unless the car falls under a handful of very restrictive categories (the main two being built pre-1989 or model never sold in Australia) you simply can't import it. And apparently they are super strict regarding personal imports - the car needs to have been "in use" for the preceding 12 months (you may need to show proof of registration, etc.).

 

[BMWZ4MC]

That's very interesting and different from what I was lead to believe. Fortunately, I fall into the "migration" category...

 

[Mangozac]

That's very interesting and different from what I was lead to believe. Fortunately, I fall into the "migration" category...

You're lucky! Trust me, if it were possible all of us Aussies would be importing cars for far cheaper than local prices!