Good 993s in New Zealand seemed to be pretty rare, and expensive (~NZ$50-70k, which is substantially more than in the UK at the poor exchange rate in 2010/11). Importing an older car is certainly rather complex, but not too daunting. In my case after a little web research, plus some excellent advice from the AA in New Zealand (contact Mr Wally Gee), I found that I had to obtain a Certificate of Compliance from Porsche before shipping to prove that she met their regulations ($750). If she had been a year younger this would have been unnecessary.
I got several shipping quotes, which varied widely, but ended up paying £1800, plus marine shipping insurance. I decided to ship the car with Anglo Pacific, who moved my house contents, in a shared 40 foot container, which is substantially cheaper than a sole use of a 20 foot container. However, a key point is to ensure is that nothing is packed above your pride and joy, all other items must be put behind a strong bulkhead. At the time of writing she is on the way, so it remains to be seen if this was a good move or false economy...
Having decided to ship her I had to consider whether to make some final improvements in the UK, or wait until arriving in Kiwiland. I decided to get the jobs done (such as air conditioning, which I lived without in the UK) simply because I knew who to go to and what to expect from independents in the UK, and also knew I would be very busy setting up home in NZ.
Read on for final preparations.
