Shipping from Aus to UK - Talk me in to it....

Greetings,

New to the forum, lovely to e-meet my fellow global cohort of Landie lovers.

I am the proud Dad of Charlie, a Disco 1 V8 (97) who I rescued from near scrap yard obscurity (despite being s Series and Defender man) and have nursed back to health, well 6/10 he still chugs like an Irish digger, but the current timing work should take care of that. Currently in Brisbane, Australia but moving back to UK in July to Inverness.

I've been in Australia for 10 years and never thought that I'd develop such a parental love for a Disco, but I have. Charlie is rust free, LPG converted and a great runner (290km) with some work still to be done. I have a dream of doing a complete interior refurb and re-spray as soon as the mechanics are sound. But as you will likely be thinking now, "why the bleep would you ship it when there are so many in the UK".

Only a Landie lover could talk me in to shipping the old boy back due to loyalty with me, and I don't know the V8 market in the UK for Disco's!

Any advice or opinions? Thanks.

You've been in the sun to long

Welcome to the forum pal, how much are the shipping costs?

Marmaduke said:

You've been in the sun to long

Welcome to the forum pal, how much are the shipping costs?

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Ha! Thanks for the reply Marmaduke.

Def been in the sun too long, me and Landyface are ready to get back to the cold and wet.

Quote is Approx $2500 (GPB1,500) end to end. I've had a look and I'll get a TDI for that but I heard that Diesel is getting a bad name in the UK?

£1500 to ship something you absolutely know, have worked on and love seems a small price to me.

20 year old Disco's are pretty cheap here for good reasons, they're mostly rotted, need welding or engine work or both, and are mostly now used as 'project' material, I'd suggest you'd search a long while and maybe still not easily find exactly what you want!

Paul D said:

£1500 to ship something you absolutely know, have worked on and love seems a small price to me.

20 year old Disco's are pretty cheap here for good reasons, they're mostly rotted, need welding or engine work or both, and are mostly now used as 'project' material, I'd suggest you'd search a long while and maybe still not easily find exactly what you want!

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Thanks Paul D. Agreed, I know the engine back to front and don't want a D2/3/4 and from what you said getting hold of interior parts to refurb the inside will be fairly good hunting.

Good looking 90 btw.

if i was going the other way from UK to Oz i would ship my defender. I kinda understand. £1500 isnt so bad. Also you can stuff it with lots of stuff to go in the container with it, maybe bring back a bunch of oz things that would sell in the uk but arent here as the shipping is high? or just stuff it with household stuff


Diesel is getting a bad name in the uk but it isnt going anywhere fast

Tomnahurich said:

...
Quote is Approx $2500 (GPB1,500) end to end. I've had a look and I'll get a TDI for that but I heard that Diesel is getting a bad name in the UK?

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That's a really good price for shipping - is it going to be in a container? If not roll on roll off stories may apply!

Other things that you might want to consider are the import related costs. In addition to paper work you might need to swap in a miles per hour speedometer and UK spec lights (not sure what they're like in Australia). These little things often have a habit of ending up being more than anybody ever though possible...

...as for diesel. Well yes - there is a Europe wide anti-diesel sentiment. Unless you drive an old old old classic vehicle, diesel will probably be harder and harder to use in future. But on the flip side perhaps a UK registered TDI won't last that long anyway so perhaps having temporary ownership won't be such a problem...

Stretch said:

That's a really good price for shipping - is it going to be in a container? If not roll on roll off stories may apply!

Other things that you might want to consider are the import related costs. In addition to paper work you might need to swap in a miles per hour speedometer and UK spec lights (not sure what they're like in Australia). These little things often have a habit of ending up being more than anybody ever though possible...

...as for diesel. Well yes - there is a Europe wide anti-diesel sentiment. Unless you drive an old old old classic vehicle, diesel will probably be harder and harder to use in future. But on the flip side perhaps a UK registered TDI won't last that long anyway so perhaps having temporary ownership won't be such a problem...

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my uk registered ex-mod defender has KM speedo and it isnt a problem

flat said:

my uk registered ex-mod defender has KM speedo and it isnt a problem

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Oh that's alright then. Still might be worth a check - I remember seeing something written about it a few decades back (!) perhaps the law has changed.

Many thanks guys.
1500 is the approx RORO price, to fill him up with my belongings means another 750 quid on top of that as he's need to be in a container the whole way.
You speak of RORO stories Stretch?.......

Tomnahurich said:

Many thanks guys.
1500 is the approx RORO price, to fill him up with my belongings means another 750 quid on top of that as he's need to be in a container the whole way.
You speak of RORO stories Stretch?.......

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It is one of those things "you" (meaning I've read about it on the interweb) hear about: Particularly shipping classic vehicles to and from the US of A. "Everyone" says a container is less likely to mean dents, scrapes, people sleeping in your car, people leaving windows wound down...

...I mean it is a bit like going on to one of those online doctor websites - fill in the questionnaire and you're gonna have a brain tumour and die tomorrow. Roll on Roll off often has a reputation much akin to letting the lowest paid, bad tempered, couldn't give a **** courier drive it on and off the boat and abandon it in a muddy lake (or sell it directly to Eastern European criminals)...

...filling a car up with possessions also seems to be especially risky...

Thanks for the heads up Stretch. I suppose I seek solace in the fact that he has a wonderful sense of humour, often the windows elec windows won't work and he has a few dinks anyway, alas always a risk bit for the sake of a bit of cash and insurance perhaps worth it! Plus the Eastern Europeans would be so horrified by his fuel economy he would send the cartel out of business in a week...