Importing caravans

Some of US quality is fairly ordinary. WE have a great range a quality right here and you alo get to support local manufacturers and the flow on effect of purchase of the parts required to put it together.. Now is the time when they need it most.. Up to ou really but Supporting local when you can is ideal.. regards Michael

Hi Tasobb
Dont want to be a kill joy BUT wont the van access doors be on the wrong side of the van for here in OZ you would be getting in and out of the van on the traffic side

Greenant

Aside from all the good reasons given above, you'd have difficulty registering the van without an Australian compliance certificate.

Copied from the ADR...

44.2.8. MOTORHOMES AND 'CARAVANS’
44.2.8.1. Doors
Every motor vehicle (motorhome) or trailer (‘Caravan') equipped with
fuel burning (cooking) facilities or living or sleeping accommodation
shall have only outward-opening or sliding doors. At least one such door
shall be located on the left-hand side or at the rear.


A US van can not be registered in AU.

D

I think the consensus will be, that for the amount of dicking around you will have to go through to get it complied and licensed versus what you will save dollar wise in buying from overseas, it isn't worth it.

Apart from ADR regulations, how much was shipping? Compare that to buying here with combined cost etc.
While it is possible to get things like that approved here, you may find that it goes under a similiar rule to cars and bikes. Generally you are only allowed to bring them back it you bought it specifically to use while travelling over there, fell in love with it and wanted to keep it. (there are exceptions)

All mostly nonsense answers from people who think they know something.

We have imported a US truck and a slide-on camper as well as a boat.
Friends have imported a Jayco 5th Wheeler from the US and a truck.

Can all be done. The fact that you post here the way you do means you don't have a clue and that's whats gonna cost you big time.

The $ exchange rate is one thing, the quality of the vans is another ..
If you buy in the below $100K bracket here then forget it, the savings are not worth the hasel when you just want to save money. We imported because there is nothing in Australia we liked and there was heaps to save on the truck (because the importers overcharge on US trucks) and the slide-on is just a load (no need to register it).. is it worth it ? only when you want something which does not exist here. The other alternative is you build it yourself .. thats what I am currently doing with a 33' gooseneck caravan with garage for my F800GS.

If you want something very specific like our friends with the Jayco 5th wheeler then it can be done. They got ripped off with the freight because they did not do their homework properly.

Adapting to the ADR - yes it is possible and not as expensive or hard as some here make it appear.

Door to the left, cupboard locks, gas installation, 240 volt wiring, coupling, lights and a few other things ...

If exchange rate and money saving is your motivation then it it will probably not work out in your favour.

good luck
gmd

tasobb,

I have a friend who ordered a heavy duty off road van from an Aussie Company importing vans from the USA. It was very cheap compared to a similar size van made in Australia, and would be another 20% cheaper now, with the current strength of the AUD.

The van turned out to be totally unsuitable for dirt road corrugations and was a disaster until the entire suspension was ripped off and replaced. The rest of the van is very "lightly made" too, but so far has hung together.

The US manufacturer seemed to have trouble grasping what 1000 km down the Tanami could do to his caravans. I would say that a standard black top van made in Australia, is stronger built than the "off road " merry can one he bought.

So tasobb, be very very careful or you could get burnt.

Willie.

A couple more things to consider.

You also have to pay GST on the cost of the van and freight/transport.

Watch the width of the van as many in USA are 8' 6" wide which is overwidth for OZ

Has to be inspected by AQIS (not fun and expensive)

As others have stated: brakes, coupling, lights, wiring, tyres, clearance and AC all have to be addressed as well as the door.

If you buy from a private individual in the USA you will need to transfer registration (fee plus 8-9% Sales Tax) in order to prove ownership to Australian Customs. If you buy from a dealer you need to have it delivered to your shipper directly.

All imports must be preappoved, turn up in Oz with an unapproved import and it must be re exported or destroyed.

We have a local boat dealer over here who has exported 58 boats to Oz so far this year.

Also went to a Landscaping Trade Show last week and it seemed that every second stand commented on sending containers to Australia,

Bruce in San Diego

Also some have to have suspension completely replaced.
USA use 110 volt 2 wire against our 240 volt 3 wire
All wiring has to be replaced to Australian Standards All appliances except maybe the fridge chucked.
As said must have a left hand door and have heard r/h ones may be banned completely.

The width can be a problem as said as their widths are too wide for here.

Some boats coming in need a wide load permit.

Awnings on wrong side. Etc Etc

They look nice but so does Pamela Anderson and shes not very practiical either. Probably as much maintenance as a USA van.

LOL

WOW , thanks all , alot more to the idea than imagined, this is why these forums are such great places to get and share info.
I'll be sticking to the Evernew and lowering the stress level
Cheers Tas

Well I understand the market in both places, there are a lot more options in the US for RVs (caravans), and I have found they tend to be much better made.
Some of the biggest manufacturers in the US (travel trailer and fifth wheel) are:

Keystone
Dutchmen
Heartland
Jayco
Forest River
Newmar
Crossroads
Airstream (only get one of those if you HAVE to have an Airstream)

Most companies I mentioned, brand their RVs under separate brand names, and have quite a few subsidiaries.

I don't know why people are making a big deal about the door being on the other side. Do you avoid getting out of the driver's side door when parallel parking?

One of the issues that doesn’t appear to have been canvassed here is warranties. What if you have some sort of warranty claim; how will that be handled if they are in the USA...

I’m sure many people successfully import all kinds of products ranging from small to large for personal use, and with the value of the Australian dollar I suspect this will increase. But I think the question everyone should ask themselves before they do it, especially for large ticket items, is what sort of product/manufacturer support will I receive if it fails or there is a problem. In the case of a caravan it might be a case of get it back to us for repairs....in which case you effectively have no warranty.

Another consideration is you won’t be able to walk into a showroom and look at the item, size it up, determine whether it is precisely what you want.

There is some upside if you feel you can get a good deal, and benefit financially by getting a product for less than you will pay here locally, the big question is whether the downside risks are worth the financial savings you ‘might’ achieve.

Good luck either way, The Landy.....

Here are the regulations for importing

Please read

IMPORT REGULATIONS

Bruce