I thought I'd add to this my experience with Shermatt International and a bit of info for anyone considering importing to let you know what to expect.
The Good ...Firstly, it was pleasant dealing with Matt and Sheri and I'm really happy with the end result.
This was my first time importing, I didn't want to take risks with unknowns and after reading a few of the comments above and in other posts I kept Shermatt as an option. I followed the 'Florida Finds' for some time and when I saw one I liked decided to give Matt a call. During our discussion I could see he knew what he was talking about and his efforts saved me a great deal of hassle. Throughout the process, he was always helpful, quick to respond, kept in touch, made it all easy and most importantly - delivered to expectation, in fact it's pretty much how he put it later on, 'be patient, it's about getting you the right car'.
When Matt's travelling he can take a few days to reply to emails but he said if anything was urgent to give him a call, as long as he was awake (time difference) he'd answer.
Here's a rundown of how it all went:
9th November 2011.Matt posts an ad in
Florida Finds for this fastback:
VID00002I called Matt, he sent more pics and after some research I saw an online magazine article on it as well as a few youtube clips so I sent Matt the money.
During the process the owner gets offered 7k more at a car show and ups the price. This was a real let-down, I wasn't prepared to pay what he was asking, Matt was on the seller's case for a few weeks and tried to bargain him back down - no go!
My concern at the time was I had such a large sum of money sitting overseas with someone I've never met and barely know. It was a real worry, it was close to Xmas and my money's overseas without even a car in mind.
I started browsing (along with Matt) many car ads for either a mid-year Corvette or 66 Mustang, there was one close call with a 67 'vette - it looked great in the photos but luckily I found out through the Corvette forum it had been checked out, had a 15 foot paint job and everyone there said it was overpriced. There was also a few nice dealer Mustangs which I suggested to Matt along the way. Thankfully Matt steered me clear of them, they looked good but in his opinion were all overpriced. We'd been sharing opinions on quite a few Mustangs and Corvettes and by that time I was starting to look forward to owning a midyear 'vette
9th January 2012.Matt sends me these pics.
BINGO! A great looking car at a much better price than the red one. The interior and drive-train were also more to my taste, the last pic shows the car with bonnet stripes so it had been some time between pics. I quickly replied, 'if it's anywhere near as good as it is in the photos - buy it!'
It's not a 'vette but for my money I couldn't get a midyear of this calibre so I'm quite happy.
The Bad ...If I could call anything bad it's not to do with Shermatt but factors and costs associated with importing. Regardless of who you go with, it ain't cheap but having said that, after you add up all the costs you can still end up saving money compared to buying local if you buy the right car and there's a good range to choose from in the US - even less now with this one currently in Aus.
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For anyone considering importing, here's a few things to keep in mind: -Currency fluctuation:- Unfortunately I sent Matt the money while the AUD took a brief nose-dive. If I'd sent the money 2 weeks either way I'd have anywhere up to $1,500 extra in my hand today
I had to send it over reasonably quick not to miss out on the red fastback .... and then the owner jacks up the price?
Matt explained the costs involved during our first phone call, his usual fee, transporting the car from location to docks, Schumacher's shipping fee, import approval, insurance, customs, GST etc. Admittedly at the time I didn't know another company (Freightnet) took over on 'this side of the pond'.
Travelling expenses (if required) : - if you go with any inspector and the car is not local to them you have to pay for their expenses associated with travelling. Matt explained all this beforehand. My company pays for all my expenses when I travel for work so I know how it goes. If you end up having an inspector do a few interstate inspections, it'll get expensive and it's best to check with Matt beforehand to make sure you know what costs you can be up for. Thankfully I got the car on first inspection.
Customs: - Another big hit is the 10% Customs GST.
Note: it isn't 10% on the cost (sale price) of the car. You pay 10% GST on the CIF value that is 10% x (Cost + Insurance + Freight). If you insure it's usually 2-3% of what you want to insure it for, I was recommended to insure for the market value in Aus. The freight component is the port to port cost charged by the shipping company.
Shipping companies: -
With some gripes about shipping fees in another thread on the forum:
http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,10569.0.html I decided to ring around to compare prices. Schumacher charge $1,550 for shipping and charged me $250 to de-gas the air-con. Mainfreight they say it costs $100 to degas in L.A. and they add $25 to get it done at their facility so getting back to Schumacher I asked how they justify $250 for a de-gas, they told me they have their own set price and I knew of it beforehand. True, I knew of it ... after I was locked in and paid them for shipping and it's not like I can get someone else to do it while it's in their hands. They were however kind enough to throw in a free clean of the car (it was covered in dirt when it arrived) and to waive a second online transaction fee since they billed me later for the de-gas. I also insured through Schumacher at 2.25% of market value, some shipping companies include insurance in their price for total loss or up to a certain value so it's definitely worth shopping around for the best deal.
Freightnet's price seemed high, they get charged per container and then charge each car owner a rate per cubic metre, after a bit of negotiating they gave me some relief on their cubic metre rate and the final price was $1,712. Add to this $200 for AQIS steam cleaning, at the docks I could still see light dirt in the engine bay and grille so I don't know if they really cleaned it but I wasn't going to point that out to them and get hit up for another clean.
I had a good chat with Lee Amour at Mainfreight, they bought out Kiwi shipping and acquired a large depot in L.A., it's run by an Aussie and they ship to Sydney Brisbane and Melbourne every 2 weeks. They charge around $3,000 all up for shipping so I could've saved a few hundred going with them and it may have arrived a little sooner but be wary ... I've haven't read feedback from anyone that's used them. Matt's trusts Schumacher and I've read good reviews about Schumacher/Freightnet from forum members. Mainfreight did mention the first 3 weeks storage in L.A. is free then they charge by the week for additional storage, Schumacher didn't charge for storage in L.A. If you go with Mainfreight and the car is held up in L.A. it could be a case of, 'what you lose on the swings you make on the roundabouts' when compared to Schumacher.
I've seen some US car dealer ads where they claim they can ship a car to Aus. and quote a cheap price but it's only the shipping price from US port to Aus. port, add to this any trucking fees to the port and what they also don't tell you (as you can see above) is you have to pay at least that much again at an Aus. port to unload, so keep that in mind.
The Ugly ...What I could refer to as 'the ugly' is post-purchase ... the waiting.
9th January 2012. Matt sends me the pics above.
13th January 2012. Matt inspects and buys the car in Denver Colorado.
26th January 2012. I receive shipment instruction from Schumacher.
Schumacher waits for the import approval to clear before they ship it.
15th March 2012 I received the import approval from Matt which was also sent to Schumacher, upon which they book the car to a container. I'm told the container has to fill before they book it to a ship.
One hiccough, the owner of the car had the wrong VIN on the cert. of title. I could've kept hush and let it sail with the wrong VIN but I didn't want to risk it so alerted Schumacher. Matt in his wisdom applies for another import approval with correct VIN, it arrived in the meantime and didn't affect the wait (afaik) as the car was already booked to sail. Schumacher charged $200 to get the title corrected.
Lee (Mainfreight) said that price sounds right and Schumacher did the right thing to wait for approval, if you send a car over and the approval isn't ready when it lands, you'll get charged like a wounded bull for storage in Aus. till it's approved.
9th April 2012 Ship departs Long Beach California
13th May 2012 Ship arrives in Sydney
17th May 2012 Car is unloaded by Freightnet
18th May 2012 Quarantine inspects it and states: 'soil detected underneath of car' and it costs $200 for a steam clean. It gets inspected again that day (for a fee), approved and is ready for release after I pay Freightnet's final invoice. It's Friday the warehouse closes 3pm and I have to wait till Monday.
21st May 2012 I turn up to the warehouse with documents, once cleared I call the tow truck. We tow the car to SMS Padstow for a blue slip inspection.
As I drive into the sunset...Both the tow truck driver and Chris at SMS said the Mustang is the best one they've seen to come straight off the docks. Another guy was picking up his black 65 fastback at the docks at the same time, we got speaking and the US sale price on his was $500 more than mine, the rear quarters are bogged (at least), interior not as good, no mods apart from Foose wheels. Don't get me wrong it's a great looking car. He bought his off ebay un-inspected and sure, I paid more on top for Matt's inspection, services, advice, etc. but I know which car I'd rather any day. His car was stock as a rock and he got his blue slip straight up. Not the case for me, there's some modifications so I've got a few hurdles to jump before this pony can be set free.
There's arguments about buying local vs. imported, personally I did like the choice and prices of cars in the US, all up this was a great learning experience for me and it was fun window shopping for US cars. It seemed so easy at first I even entertained the thought of updating with a new classic car each year but finding the right car can take quite some time and the long wait to get it here, compliance, etc. makes that dream a little unrealistic. Also the car Matt got me is stunning, everyone who's seen it is impressed and it sounds killer! I think I'll stick with this one for a while. I'm still a little hooked on browsing so who knows, maybe every few years?
Those keen to see more, Matt's inspection video, pics and details about my car here:http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/index.php/topic,18004.0.htmlClosing credits...Would I recommend Shermatt International?
Certainly!
I wouldn't have got this car without them.
After such a long slog getting it here it's finally in my garage and a big thank you goes to Matt and Sheri for making it happen.
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