Hi everyone,

Next year we may end up moving to the UK for work, so I was wondering if anyone has imported one to the UK, and if so was it a troublesome process, considering the Mini was originally made in the UK, I would rather spend the money to ship it, than store it for a couple of years.I have a 1969 MK2 S.
Cant find much info regarding classic car importing on the net??

Cheers and thanks

Andre and Fi

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The Only Easy Day was Yesterday

If you are worried about storage costs - don't be. I'll happly look after your car and keys

I have heard recently that Aussie cars are given a hard time compliance wise...silly I know. In my humble opinion, store the MKII or leave it with family/friends and get hold of a UK Mini over there. If you plan on being there up to year, then plan on bringing one back!

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"Show me the Mini!"

Exporting it over there would be cheap at the moment if you have some pounds saved up... not cheap if you have to buy them.

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From memory you would be able to inport a car into the UK without having to pay any taxes or duty on a temporary importation permit and you will be able to drive it on Australian Registration. I don't know how long the permit is for but I remember we just used to go across the channel and come back and it is automatically renewed. Might be an option if you do not intend to leave it there. I would not take a car on their roads unless you only intend to drive it on dry days, then again there are not many of them !!!. Years ago I took a Motorbike there that was registered in Malta. It had Maltese Rego and plates. I was an old 1958 Triumph Tiger Cub, Rode that thing every where and even carried on riding it when the Rego ran out. I got away with it. Eventually I sold it to a Collector in Liverpool UK. The police don't bother stopping to ask if it is registered as long as it has forign plates. They have no access in on board computers to other Country's Rego systems. As Mine used to be an old classic, Cops used to stop next to me at the lights look at the bike and give me the thumbs up.

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DID I MENTION THAT I AM THE BEST SUPPLIER FOR MINI ELECTRICAL PARTS AND REPAIRS?
"Let us remove your "SHORTS"

If it's for under a year, you can keep it on it's local rego and get a Carnet d'Passage, which is like a car passport.

(If you watched 'Long Way Round' they had to process the Carnets at each border crossing, it caused them a problem when the docs weren't with the vehicles at one point)

Other than that, i'd maybe agree with 9YaTaH, store here and buy there, the cost of shipping in one direction alone will buy you a decent runaround for the UK whilst you're there

Lets also not forget that the Brits salt some of their ice and snow prone roads during winter...so while the roto-dip rust proofing that was done here is probably holding up well (especially compared to other old cars), you may end up with a rusty car to bring back....

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1969 Morris 1100 S Automatic

ahhhh......the interior smell of an old British car....

Good Point, minis get very very rusty in the UK compared with here.

why dont the poms put grit on the road rather than salt?

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Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do...



“A turbo: exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster.” - Jeremy Clarkson

They call it Grit, but the stuff they use is a combo of Salt & Grit. The salt is needed to lower the melting point of the snow or ice, without salt, grit is just dirt/stone granules, which might give some traction but will not get rid of the ice very well by itself

salt helps to melt the snow

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Noli Illegitimi Carborundum