Hello

[catatonicChimp]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Andrew, I can't say that I own a muscle car, or anything that even closely resembles one.
I have what is probably the least muscle car ever created... however I hope to tap into the collective knowledge that you have on importing older cars into Australia, specifically sydney NSW.

My Situation is that I have a 1977 Trabant 601, yes the smokey cold war relic from east germany. I Imported it into New Zealand where I currently work in the middle of 2012 and it is currently in the last stages of restoration. It complies with the rules and regs here.. (I've switched the headlights to left dip and replaced the front seat belts (original hardware/new fabric)) along with having the rust cut out and replaced with factory replacement parts (wheel arches and door sills).

However I am contemplating the idea of moving back to Australia sometime later this year or early next year, and I want to make sure I can bring the car of the proletariat back with me.

From what I've read so far it seems like it should be fine to import under the pre-1989 scheme the question is how much if any modifications are going to be need in order to make it legal, and should I get those modifications done here before I leave or wait till I get to Oz.

The main things are:
Seat Belts:
      Fronts:currently on the front seats have lap/sash seatbelts (non retractable), are these ok or do they need retractable belts?
      Back: New Zealand has no problems with my lack of rear seatbelts, but I can at least tell from all the posts I've read that rear belts will need to added for Oz, can i get away with lap belts or do I need sash as well? Will there be problems if I get them done in NZ prior to bringing it over?

Lights:
          Fronts have already been switched to left dip
          Indicators: Are Orange/Yellow, but there are no side flashes, front and back only. Do I need to put sides in?
          3rd Brake light, is it required? Currently None
          Reverse light, is it required? Currently None




Many Thanks



Andrew

[69DirtyRat]

I cant see a problem, but Im not an expert on imports. Coming from 77 it would need seatbelts but whether they need retractable? Hopefully Mick or Yvette will chime in, they are the experts on Importing vehicles!

[LeighP]

It would need retractable belts....front and probably rear.
Anything built after AUG 71 (pretty sure thats the cut off - the "72" model year) requires to meat the applicable ADRs of the date of build.....this is a NSW rego requirement, not an import requirement.

So, look at local Aussie cars built in 1977 for what your car will require.

You'll need import approval from Canberra prior to shipping the car.

Of course, since you've owned the car for a some time, you may qualify under the personal import scheme.....worth reading up on that. Its not often that we're in a position to use that scheme as it requires ownership in a foreign country for a minimum period of time.