Hey guys,

I've been doing some research and looking at some prices of performance turnkey engines in the states.
I was wondering whether anyone here had done this and whether they would advise it or not?
Also, are there any hidden taxes etc when brining in an engine from overseas?

Cheers,
Ollie

Mmmmm.........risky.

I have 1915 in my shed that cost $3k landed, but seized with no oil pressure on start up......

Turns out was not to badly assembled/built, just inexperienced owner!!!

Yeah I have herd some horror stories about that.
However if I get one I'm thinking of taking it to a workshop to be run in.

we got a complete mtr several yrs back
it ran great until it began to leak oil
pulled it down to discover the case was cracked
not happy jan still rings in my ears

why would you bother?
Shipping taxes etc , I dont think you will be saving any money
I have seen some excellent prices for engines here.look at this seems hard to beat. Mitchell

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=84553 

get yours rebuilt here much cheaper and you know what will go into it

Hiya OMC,

I am overseas in the States and I don't think I'd be taking a chance ordering an engine if it had to be shipped. It's akin to buying a pig in a poke. You really don't know what you're going to get.

Now I realize that some builders have excellent reputations. A few years ago when I did order an engine I ordered from what was then considered the finest builder of 1600s in the States. This guy had the best of excellent reputations. I had to wait six months for the engine. It detonated less than three thousand miles later due to parts quality issues. The builder was cross country from me. Sure, it could have been adjusted (pull the engine, more crating and shipping, waiting, waiting) but the builder died the same week I received the engine.

The further away you are from the source, the more expensive and the more protracted any future problems will be. I've never been to Oz (I'm hoping to get down there sometime soon) but I've just gotta believe that there are folks who are local to you that can do a super job rebuilding a 1600 or modifying it for performance. Why not go with one of your mates?

Anyway, I learned my lesson from my experience. I rebuild my own engines. I now have a much more responsive builder and he offers a lifetime guarantee.

Good advice.

It's like buying a lucky dip from the travelling carnival .. who are you going to go to if it all goes wrong?
Warranty is always a pain in the bum, but it is better if it is somewhere nearby from someone you know.
A few more $ spent now is a lot less $ spent later on. My thoughts.

Agree with all the comments above re warranty etc, but on the purely import side of things... yes, there are hidden costs.

- First up, there's the customs entry fee... last time I copped it was a couple of years ago, and from memory was around $57... but may have gone up since.
- There may also be duty payable, but generally VW stuff is exempt from that due to the age (basically exemptions for anything over 30 years old)
- Finally there's GST... Free Trade Agreement or not, you still gotta pay it - so add on 10% of the Australian Dollar equivalent value, excluding shipping, but including the customs fee and any duty.

There's also some paperwork you have to do... registering both you and the sender with Customs and so-on, but that's just messing around, phone calls, sending faxes etc - no $$$ charged.

To be really sure tho, give the Customs people a call... I've always found them really helpful answering questions, explaining what duties etc. there are.

Customs contact info:

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page5834.asp 

Quote:

Originally posted by Sides - Finally there's GST... Free Trade Agreement or not, you still gotta pay it - so add on 10% of the Australian Dollar equivalent value, excluding shipping, but including the customs fee and any duty.

What i find funny/strange is that people want to buy a turn key motors cause they cant buy the parts for the same price

Surely it is the same price to ship a motor in pieces as it is to ship a complete motor??

So - you are saving the assembly cost from overseas.
The difference in assembly costs cant be more than ....... what and additional $750 here cause we pay propper wages???

So... if you are buying a complete turnkey motor from overseas for cheaper than you can buy the same parts parts.................................... maybe you aint getting what you thought you were getting???

I just had my Country buggy motor assembled for $450 by Stan Pobjoy.........so why people have motors assembled O/S amazes me!

do some research as to what constitutes an engine...versus parts.

A guy who was importing big V8s from the US once told me if you took out the distributor and some other key part it was no longer an 'engine' and was partially assembled..... something like that.
Could save you some bucks... maybe.