Importing a Vehicle under the Letter of Compliance Option?

[Crazy Dazz]

Has anybody done this? Or even tried?

This option allows for the importation of vehicles which complied with the applicable Australian Design Rules (ADRs) at the time the vehicle was originally supplied to the market overseas.

Unfortunately this sounds dangerously logical for something administered by our government.

And sure enough, a brief read of the guvment website is not only confusing, but contains the usual circular reasoning and inevitable gaps of logic.

Please note that a Certificate of Conformity issued by an overseas vehicle manufacturer is not a Letter of Compliance

So, the most obvious application of this rule is that the vehicle as manufactured complied with ADRs and the OEM can certify that, but this is apparently excluded.

The details of IPA holders and the persons permitted to issue a Letter of Compliance are available via the RVCS Certification Unit Search. (Which essentially only lists importers of current models)

Right, so you can only import a vehicle that is a current model, and currently available new in Australia!
(And so you'd be banned from doing that by parallel import rules.)
And that's assuming the Importer of the new vehicles wants to help you out by issuing an LoC.
Gotcha

[malazn mafia]

Hmm, well I guess perhaps it allows an expat who recently brought their new car overseas with them to bring it back to home soil with them, should they choose to return to Australia. Does sound a bit lame though

[Crazy Dazz]

On the face of it, it sounds great. If the car complied with ADRs at the time it was sold, then you're allowed to bring it in.
You'd imagine that if you were to buy a reasonably modern premium European brand, that it would comply.

But the problem is who you get to certify it.
The manufacturer, who would have certified compliance at the time, isn't good enough.

The guvment helpfully points to those listed on the RCVS system, but in terms of cars that basically only lists current models.

Hence why I am interested if anybody has used this method??

In WA at least, we can register LHD cars over 15 years of age. So anything manufactured before 2004. That opens it up to some really interesting cars.
And when you look at car prices in America, there are some interesting cars available at rock bottom prices. A lot of 15 year old cars, even premium luxury cars and exotics are practically fully depreciated.
For some, it may even be possible to get RHD versions from the UK??

The problem with these low volume cars in Australia, is that their rarity drives the price up, and even old examples (with their plethora or age and maintenance issues) are ridiculously expensive.