# Nissan 370Z Aussie Ripoff



## Garpal Gumnut (7 August 2009)

A mate of mine in Atlanta Ga. USA just bought a Nissan 370Z for $30000 US .

To get the same car here would cost $80000 AUD.

That is one big ripoff, even discounting for the exchange rate, we are closer to bloody Japan than he is.

gg


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## Boggo (7 August 2009)

GG, you are forgetting to take into account that the shares in General Motors last traded at around $US 1.27 while the shares in Mattel (the people who make Matchbox toy cars) are trading at $US 17.19   :knightrid

Think about that before you go to sleep in Detroit City


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## jono1887 (7 August 2009)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> A mate of mine in Atlanta Ga. USA just bought a Nissan 370Z for $30000 US .
> 
> To get the same car here would cost $80000 AUD.
> 
> ...




did you take into account taxes?


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## Sean K (7 August 2009)

jono1887 said:


> did you take into account taxes?



No, but I guess that's the reason why and gg is pointing that out.

Import taxes on vehicles are designed for some reason.

Maybe to keep our local industry afloat.

Or, just to place money in the tax coffers to pay for roads and other trivial items.


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## Datsun Disguise (7 August 2009)

bigger market - higher volume slimer margins and healthy competition... Making a car costs about $11,000 in parts and labour...... The ones with only 2 doors are even cheaper....


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## insider (8 August 2009)

EVERYTHING IN AUSTRALIA IS MORE EXPENSIVE. Makes me sick. Feel like moving overseas sometimes.


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## insider (8 August 2009)

Garpal Gumnut said:


> A mate of mine in Atlanta Ga. USA just bought a Nissan 370Z for $30000 US .
> 
> To get the same car here would cost $80000 AUD.
> 
> ...




Understand that the Nissan 350 and 370 Z's are built for americans. Wouldn't be surprised if they made them locally. That's why they suck


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## Monario (8 August 2009)

GG,
      Everything is more expeno here, and it drives me mad..

How is it possible I can save 10K+ on what would cost 40K here in aus. from the sates, including shipping...

Ebay and amazon are an amazing source for cheaper than in Aus. items, check them both out when buying anything I say!!!!


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## MrBurns (8 August 2009)

It's a Nissan I mean really ?


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## jono1887 (8 August 2009)

Monario said:


> GG,
> Everything is more expeno here, and it drives me mad..
> 
> How is it possible I can save 10K+ on what would cost 40K here in aus. from the sates, including shipping...
> ...




but after postage and all that, it will often cost more...


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## Monario (8 August 2009)

jono1887 said:


> but after postage and all that, it will often cost more...





No Jono, that is what I am saying, I cant get it here cheaper with the postage charges, thats what amazes me!!!


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## manuelg (11 August 2009)

GG, If it makes your mate feel any better, its just as bad for all cars.  A US $75K Porsche 911 cost over $200K here!  I doubt the "built for US in the US" explanation can be used here.  We're just overtaxed


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## J.Baker (11 August 2009)

Pontiac GTO msrp $31,500usd 
Holden Monaro     $60,000odd... aud..


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## Glen48 (11 August 2009)

Street ice cream Cornette  in Manila about 70C here $2-$3 why because they push the price up until sales drop and then back them off a bit and if we don't have the loot use B/card.. 2 hect block  2 hr out of Manila 15k with river for a border.
25 yr old girl friend $25 pw guess where I am going asap.


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## YOUNG_TRADER (11 August 2009)

You'd be surprised what $2 can buy you in the states   :


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## nunthewiser (11 August 2009)

YOUNG_TRADER said:


> You'd be surprised what $2 can buy you in the states   :




lol hanging round them crackhouses ?........ i even think hugh grant got change out of his 2 bucks ?


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## ajjack (12 August 2009)

Sure is a ripoff, but its no new thing, its been that way for years.

That Nissan 370Z  is listed in US at $29,930 East Coast price.
Wheels magazine has it listed at $68000 here.

This is no 'Lucky Country' where cars are involved.


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## CanOz (12 August 2009)

My mate in Canada ( who recently retired from Wells Fargo at 42....arrrgh, thats another story) bought 2, yes two new Lexus E something or other's for 80,000 CDN on the road. The thing is he bought them in Seattle, when in Vancouver he would have had to pay nearly 72,000 each.

By "on the road" i mean through the border, legally.

Its a strange world right now.

Cheers,


CanOz


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## Beej (12 August 2009)

It's not just import tariff (which is 10%), the main tax is the bloody luxury car tax (25% of wholesale price). Most expensive cars have nearly half their on-road price made of taxes (GST, import tariff, LCT. stamp duty). Add to that the lower demand world wide for RHD cars, and our smaller, isolated market compared to the US or Europe, and the you see why those cars cost so much more here. It could be worse - check out the price in NZ or Singapore 

Yes it is a rip off, but you just have to accept that in AU "they" (the government) don't care about people who might want to buy/drive flash cars. If you buy a cheap car (Korean/Japanese) or a locally made car (Ford/Holden) you get more value for money relative to other countries like the US/UK. Over $50k you get reamed - not sure it will ever change in this country.

Actually when I lived in the US, the ONLY reason I could think of to stay was being able to get great cars at half the price as in AU, but nearly everything else about living there sucked, so here I am 

PS: Remember also the exchange rates fluctuate - when you only bought US 50c for AU $1 the difference didn't seem as large! 

PPS: Markets are also funny things - the fact that flash cars cost more here also means that we have a much more active used car market, so you get much better resale value (less depreciatino) than you do in the US - so that needs to be factored in as well.

Cheers,

Beej


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## jono1887 (12 August 2009)

Things are worse in Singapore where a toyota corolla can cost $80k... the taxes are there to shift demand away from cars and towards public transport. Even though the govt is profiting significantly from their taxes, if the taxes were removed and all cars in aust. were 40-50% cheaper, imagine the increase in cars on the road. We wouldnt have the infrastructure to support that and there would be a significant increase in fuel demand and greenhouse gas emissions.


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## TradeDaily (12 August 2009)

My mate bought a 2003 BMW M3 for USD$21k when the same car here would cost approx AUD$100... :s


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## MrBurns (12 August 2009)

Isn't there a way to import them yourself ?


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## ajjack (12 August 2009)

There's no cost saving in importing a new daily driver yourself.
By the time they are made compliant with our ADRs, the costs have doubled.
You hear some horror stories around the car clubs.

Better to import a Classic over 30 years old, ... the compliance 
rules are not so strict.  Even LHD is permitted  in some states.


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## Mr J (12 August 2009)

TradeDaily said:


> My mate bought a 2003 BMW M3 for USD$21k when the same car here would cost approx AUD$100... :s




More like 60-70k, but yes it's still a ripoff.



> Isn't there a way to import them yourself ?




As far as I know, you can't import a car that was sold on the local market, unless you haved owned it for at least a year (i.e. you were living overseas, and you're bring it across).



> Things are worse in Singapore




It could definitely be far worse, like Singapore or Denmark.


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## insider (22 October 2009)

J.Baker said:


> Pontiac GTO msrp $31,500usd
> Holden Monaro     $60,000odd... aud..




There we go... Getting screwed over again... I can't take it anymore


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## insider (22 October 2009)

MrBurns said:


> Isn't there a way to import them yourself ?




Yes the cheapest cars I think are from the UK... They are RHD... Its really only worth it when you import High end models but you still need to pay taxes on the perceived value of the car in Aistralia plus remove AC gas... That's about it I think... Oh you need an importation license or a friend who has 1


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## Mr J (22 October 2009)

I thought there was a rule against importing models that are sold locally, unless we had owned them for 12+ months (so aussies can bring their car back with them)?


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## jono1887 (23 October 2009)

Mr J said:


> I thought there was a rule against importing models that are sold locally, unless we had owned them for 12+ months (so aussies can bring their car back with them)?




So we can't import models that are being sold here? I don't think thats the case, alot of Jap higher end sports models are imported here second hand.


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## Mr J (23 October 2009)

Sure, but how many of those models were being sold new here? They're mainly 90's models. I did a quick google, it seems some people have been importing the new GTR much to the anger of Nissan Australia. It's an exception though, as otherwise people would be importing Ferraris and Lambos from Britain for half the price.


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## GumbyLearner (23 October 2009)

What are the tariff import taxes like on a Nissan 370Z?
Is it classified as a luxury automobile?


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## jono1887 (23 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> What are the tariff import taxes like on a Nissan 370Z?
> Is it classified as a luxury automobile?




Isn't the cutoff for luxury cars at 60-70k? The 370Z is 80k+ right? so it should classify as a lux car


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## gav (24 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> What are the tariff import taxes like on a Nissan 370Z?
> Is it classified as a luxury automobile?




Yes it falls in the price category for the "luxury car tax".  

Even the new Volkswagon Golf GTI (mk6) crosses into the "luxury car tax" territory when you add a few options! (xenon lights, leather seats)  It is the GST and stamp duty that pushes it into LCT range, so essentially you are being taxed on taxes


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## GumbyLearner (24 October 2009)

gav said:


> Yes it falls in the price category for the "luxury car tax".
> 
> Even the new Volkswagon Golf GTI (mk6) crosses into the "luxury car tax" territory when you add a few options! (xenon lights, leather seats)  It is the GST and stamp duty that pushes it into LCT range, so essentially you are being taxed on taxes




Yep. That's regrettable. Not as bad as the taxes and fees on super though.

At least you can enjoy the car before you turn 65. :knightrid


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## gav (24 October 2009)

Hahaha, true...

In fact you may as well spend an extra few k and get the Audi S3!

BTW there is no way I could afford these cars in the near future, but I am sure one day I will


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## GumbyLearner (24 October 2009)

gav said:


> Hahaha, true...
> 
> In fact you may as well spend an extra few k and get the Audi S3!
> 
> BTW there is no way I could afford these cars in the near future, but I am sure one day I will




How many different cars have you driven Gav? 
And I don't mean test driven

Here's my list

Holden Commodore VL, VN, VS, Longreach
Ford Fairmont XC, XD, XE, XF (with 250 cross flow LPG modification)
Toyota Hi-Lux, Corolla
Hyundai Sonata, Excel, Tiburon coupe
Datsun 240 Z with V8 modification
Subaru WRX
Mitsubishi Magna
Daihatsu Charade
Honda Civic
Mazda 323, 929, RX7

For straight line speed I would take a Subaru WRX over a Porsche anyday.
For highway travel I would have to take the Magna for comfort over Ford or GM. Difficult to roll around corners too!


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## GumbyLearner (24 October 2009)

MrBurns said:


> Isn't there a way to import them yourself ?




I'm fairly sure you can import one car a year without an importers licence.
I'm not exactly sure of the rules now. A bloke I knew a Uni in the mid 1990's used to import one Maserati a year and have it modified to RH drive. He would enjoy it for 6 months and sell it at a premium after he had attracted enough female interest. But that was over ten years ago. Maybe there has been a legislative change since then. I dunno.


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## Dreadweave (24 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> For straight line speed I would take a Subaru WRX over a Porsche anyday.
> For highway travel I would have to take the Magna for comfort over Ford or GM. Difficult to roll around corners too!




This sums it all up. People are paying for the name, not for quality or performance.

Simply put you want performance get a wrx.
Comfort = Magna
Economical = Lancer
(dont even get me started on 4WD's)

If you want a fancy name, then get the name you want, just dont be disappointed when you are outperformed by the mid/lower price range cars.


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## MrBurns (24 October 2009)

C63 AMG, M3 or Porsche 911 S ?????

I've driven all 3 and I really dont know, think I'll stick with the E500


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## GumbyLearner (24 October 2009)

MrBurns said:


> C63 AMG, M3 or Porsche 911 S ?????
> 
> I've driven all 3 and I really dont know, think I'll stick with the E500




How about this Mr Burns?

You get your Porsche and I'll get a Subaru WRX.

Let's have a standing start and drag over 2 kms.

If I lose, you get everything I have.

If you lose of course, I get everything you have.

Deal?


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## MrBurns (24 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> How about this Mr Burns?
> 
> You get your Porsche and I'll get a Subaru WRX.
> 
> ...




The Porsche will beat you 0-100 after that you can deal with the cops.

The C63 would leave you looking foolish as would the M3



> If I lose, you get everything I have.




Why would I want the pox and bad breath ?


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## Mr J (24 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> For straight line speed I would take a Subaru WRX over a Porsche anyday.






> Let's have a standing start and drag over 2 kms.




Normal WRX or STI? Underpowered Boxster/Cayman or the Carreras? WRX can't match a base Carrera. The STI will be in there though, and will give the Carrera S a challenge. Over 2kms is a joke though, as the Porsche's are higher geared, have more power and a better drag coefficient. A real driver is more interested in going around curves though :.

Have you driven any of the Porsche models?


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## GumbyLearner (24 October 2009)

Mr J said:


> Normal WRX or STI? Underpowered Boxster/Cayman or the Carreras? WRX can't match a base Carrera. The STI will be in there though, and will give the Carrera S a challenge. Over 2kms is a joke though, as the Porsche's are higher geared, have more power and a better drag coefficient. A real driver is more interested in going around curves though :.
> 
> Have you driven any of the Porsche models?




No, I haven't driven a Porsche. Whoa is me? I'm not a rich ****! Please forgive me!  (But sure I could modify one to smoke a Carrera in a straight drag. Or over a 5km cornered circuit!)

Actually come to think of it, a Datsun 240Z with a V8 would bury a Boxster over the same distance.


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## Mr J (24 October 2009)

Sure, but a wealthier bugger could modify the Porsche and turn the tables once again. If we're going to talking about bragging values, how about spending 10k on a motorbike that will take them both, plus pull more girls :. In the end, we can only drive so fast on public roads, and since most people don't track their cars, it really comes down to image.


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## GumbyLearner (24 October 2009)

Mr J said:


> Sure, but a wealthier bugger could modify the Porsche and turn the tables once again. If we're going to talking about bragging values, how about spending 10k on a motorbike that will take them both, plus pull more girls :. In the end, we can only drive so fast on public roads, and since most people don't track their cars, it really comes down to image.




Yes Mr.J, but would he?

The car is purely there to get prestige and gash. 

What about your backyard fella with tonnes of time on his hands?
Probably will never get the impressionable lass but he can win the race! LOL

It brings back memories of the great flick Better Off Dead with John Cusack.


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## Vizion (24 October 2009)

Heh amazing how fast these topics go "off topic".

Anyhoo, the problem with importing any cars here is that all the major manufacturers and most of the smaller ones are imported by one company per make. Neville Chrichton for instance is Alfa & Fiat & I think Citroen too. Same for bikes, so if your a dealer you pay what they tell you, import taxes aside. Must be why ole Neville can afford to race yatchts...

No grey / parallel imports allowed and that goes for allot of other products too. If a company has the distributor rights for anything then you are not even going to be able to buy it OS and get its shipped here. 
Try buying even a set of brake levers for a bike like say Pazo's, because one guy has the rights the guys in the states will not ship OS to here. 

Try importing anything here even on the SEV's list and it gets out of hand financially very quickly. 

It sucks big time, we are ripped of right left and centre by greedy sods who see it as an excuse to add more mark up on everything. Give it ten years there will be no car industry here then we shall see what excuse they use to keep prices so high


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## Mr J (24 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> Yes Mr.J, but would he?




Nope, so the one who does has an element of surprise!



> The car is purely there to get prestige and gash.
> 
> What about your backyard fella with tonnes of time on his hands?
> Probably will never get the impressionable lass but he can win the race! LOL




Getting the lass is winning the race! He may not pull the late 20 somethings who hang around in upmarket bars, but he will do okay with the teens and early 20-somethings. Most cars are status symbols though. Just think of how many people buy performance cars (regardless of where they're from) and don't actually do anything with them except cruise around, occasionally blipping the throttle?


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## gav (24 October 2009)

GumbyLearner said:


> How many different cars have you driven Gav?
> And I don't mean test driven
> 
> For straight line speed I would take a Subaru WRX over a Porsche anyday.
> For highway travel I would have to take the Magna for comfort over Ford or GM. Difficult to roll around corners too!




Hi Gumby, dont wanna go off-topic too much so have you a PM. 

Not only are US cars cheaper due to higher demand and other things already mentioned in this thread, but sometimes in the US they will get the car with a lot less options than the exact same car available here - which will also make it cheaper...


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## MrBurns (24 October 2009)

C63 AMG 450BHP 0-100 in 4.5 secs

I drove one and you giggle like a schoolgirl when you touch the accelerator it has so much power it's hard to actually comprehend.

The noise is incredible.


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## Mr J (24 October 2009)

A decent Lotus 7 replica (e.g. Caterham) will do me well. What a biker gets when he feels he's getting on .


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## GumbyLearner (25 October 2009)

Vizion said:


> Heh amazing how fast these topics go "off topic".
> 
> Anyhoo, the problem with importing any cars here is that all the major manufacturers and most of the smaller ones are imported by one company per make. Neville Chrichton for instance is Alfa & Fiat & I think Citroen too. Same for bikes, so if your a dealer you pay what they tell you, import taxes aside. Must be why ole Neville can afford to race yatchts...
> 
> ...




All valid reasons not to buy a Honda. Unless youre a grease monkey willing to give up weekends at Super Cheap Auto/the Backyard!


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## jono1887 (25 October 2009)

Well apparently its not only for importing cars. Our windows software is more expensive than anywhere else in the world too..

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,26245515-5014239,00.html


> MICROSOFT is blaming retailers for the fact Australians are paying almost $200 more for the same version of Windows 7 as their overseas counterparts.






> Elise Davidson of consumer group Choice said it wasn't the first time Australians had been slugged extra for Microsoft products.
> 
> "It was the same with Vista and what we expect will happen is that most people won't fork out for the upgrade. They'll simply wait until they get a new computer," she said.


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