BAd news Guys,

Last Thursday 11 June 2009 I was headed on my way to work.....

A nice young lady decided that she liked the Diamante front end so much that she drove her Toyota Echo out of a stop sign in front of me to see if The Echo would look good with a Diamante Front end. Things didnt work out too well.

For a start The echo hit MY Car on the rear door and wheel and 1/4 Panel.. (A bit far from the front end of an Echo)

Secondly There was nothing that she was willing to exchange for the removal of my front end.....

The Bad news.....

Total loss write off (NRMA)
Waiting on details of payout / repairable write off or Statutary write off.


The good news.
Looks like I am looking for a new car...... Cant seem to get my eyes of a 2nd gen Magna though.... Actually I was thinking of finding a 1st gen Diamate from NZ and having it shipped over?? Looking into import costs etc. If it is viable enough I may just do it.

Cars in NZ are cheap. Only drama will be Our Customs department and government.

Will let you know as things come to hand.

For the meantime... Does anyone have a 2nd gen going Cheap????

That sucks man!! Also sad, to see another 2nd gen bite the dust.
I dont think, you will be able to import a Diamante/Sigma from NZ, as you need to own it for 1 year privately. Correct me if im wrong?

Bad news dude! bugger. :/

my 2nd gen will be sold if I get an offer of around 4.5k ;)

Now, As for provate import of Diamante. As the diamante is not on an import list, you'll need to privately import it and comply it to Australian Standards. Seeing as there are some diamantes floating around Aus, I dont imagine it would be too expensive, but for sure far form worth it.

For private import, you need to have owned the vehicle overseas for 6 months minimum to qualify.

If you're looking to import for parts, you must be aware that the law has recently changed because too many cars were being imported and rebirthed. So, now, if you import a car for its engine, the engine must come separate on a different ship. If you are importing an entire car, it must be a ROLLING SHELL that is with no engine, doors, glass, anything that will make it look like a car. Fail.


Pretty much either own it over there for 6months, or just find a nice 2nd gen here and start again.

So what if you say bought one in NZ while on hollidays then put it in storage?

So what if you say bought one in NZ while on hollidays then put it in storage?

well you'd have to pay storage. Also I think it has to be registered for the 6months, which means being a resident...

Okay, did some research from our good friend google.


Age of the Vehicle
Post January 1989

If your vehicle is less than 20 years old, you will need to have owned and used the vehicle for a continuous period of NOT LESS than 12 months for an Import Approval (permit) to be issued by the Department of Transport and Regional services (Canberra), and for Customs clearance purposes. Ownership will need to be substantiated by formal documentation. Duty and G.S.T. will be payable. Alternatively, if the period of ownership is less than 12 months and you can gain approval for the vehicle to be Complied* to Australian Standards, Canberra will issue a permit.


Retrieved Saturday Jun 20, 2009 from http://www.fpi.net.au/pages/cars.htm ,


Turns out it's not 6 months it's 12 months. Doesn't say anything about the regitered owner, but yeah. You need to have used the vehicle so I suppose yes it must have been registered.

It's always been 12 months. Not going to happen. Forget even considering trying to make it work.
The good news.
Looks like I am looking for a new car...... Cant seem to get my eyes of a 2nd gen Magna though.... Actually I was thinking of finding a 1st gen Diamate from NZ and having it shipped over?? Looking into import costs etc. If it is viable enough I may just do it.I suggest you get out and test drive some different cars.

pics?

Yeah, any pics?

Sorry to hear man... :(

Mate thats really bad to hear... I have a ts magna 94 wagon for sale..

my understanding is import costs are about 100% of purchase price. So you buy a car for 5k it will owe you 10k by the time you get it into the county. Thats what it used to be. You will have to suss it out.

I wouldnt...Better off just finding a nice KS xi and doing a manual and DOHC conversion to that.

For all those asking..

Pics Forthcoming.. Watch this space.

Yeah I am inclined to think that an import is out of the qn.

I did see this though.. Needs manual which I got in the dead car....

http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/MITSUBISHI/VERADA/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=11692376&lid=11692376&pg=1&pp=3&d=0&nv=1&SG=-743658082&pt=1.

This is almost too good to pass up!!!

That is a very nice looking gen2 Verada and yes i agree too good to pass up and buy you one back if you can to get the good parts of it. i know someone who will be envious of that if you do it.

Sorry to hear Damian......'

That Verada is a nice buy though...... but you can find them much cheaper

There's red manual verada for sale on eaby right now. Look ok but needs just a clutch. Very rare car apparently $2900. It's just north of brisbane however. Might be worth putting on a truck?

Edit: oh forgot, it's a wagon (but they're kool right?)

There's red manual verada for sale on eaby right now. Look ok but needs just a clutch. Very rare car apparently $2900. It's just north of brisbane however. Might be worth putting on a truck?

Edit: oh forgot, it's a wagon (but they're kool right?)

Yeh i saw that way cool. pity its got alot of kms.

Yeah saw It.

Not bad..

190,000k Is not an issue.

I will talk to the Boss.......

man that sucks sorry to hear!. thats a clean ks bit pricey though. Im about to go and pick one up now (ks xi) it was a hell of alot cheaper then that but not as clean. A mate brought a KS xi last week the thing is in mint cond 150,000k and he paid 3 for it

Thanks for all your kind toughts. Pics are still on their way. Waiting for a day when I get home from wk that still has daylight........ A daunting prospect at the moment.

I have found something that I going to get on the road. The idea of a diamante is off the cards I think. I do have a mate that is an importer though so I going to buy him a few bears and see if I can twist his arm.. :)

Otherwise just waiting for my settlement on the insurance and to get PAYED!!!.

Once I get the pics sorted Ill post em up.

We're about to pick up a '96 Pajero on the weekend, which renders the TS surplus to requirements. Not sure if it would suit you though? It's a 1994 3.0 TS with 360,000km - a lot of kays, but the only issues we've had have been standard wear-and-tear maintenance stuff, nothing major. Did all of the belts when we got it 20,000km ago, new CV's both sides, just did the alternator (used off a Verada), 10-stack CD. Body is good, just the usual odd minor dent, tow bar, interior is okay - a bit worn as you'd expect, but everything still present and functional, seats etc intact. Rocker cover gaskets need doing, but not urgently. Other than that, I don't think there's a whole lot else to it. I was going to try my luck on eBay first and see what I can get for it, but any offers in fair proximity to $1500 wouldn't be likely to be subject to any haggling (Redbook is $1300 with up to 375000km), so I figure that's a good point to start. Happy to post pics and answer questions if you or anyone else happens to be interested. I wasn't planning on advertising it quite yet, but when I saw the thread I thought I'd at least let you know it's a maybe. I'm in Goulburn, btw, which may also be a factor for consideration depending on where you are yourself! :)

Dude, I called and PM'd you....

Is the front bar ok>?

Dibs if it is

Dude, I called and PM'd you....

Is the front bar ok>?

Dibs if it is

How nice of you to see if he's OK lol and did you not read

A nice young lady decided that she liked the Diamante front end so much that she drove her Toyota Echo out of a stop sign in front of me to see if The Echo would look good with a Diamante Front end. Things didnt work out too well.

For a start The echo hit MY Car on the rear door and wheel and 1/4 Panel.. (A bit far from the front end of an Echo)

Secondly There was nothing that she was willing to exchange for the removal of my front end.....

I read that as the front bar might still be ok..........

I read that as the front bar might still be ok..........

Ah, i would od assumed that if he was talking about the lights setup as being ruined the car would of gone with it

As Promised here are the pics.

It is a sad day.

Insurance finally gave me a pay out figue.. now just have to wait another week for the cheque.

I am going to strip this car to make a TS SE in the back yard road worthy. I think that is the cheapest option. So engine/Manual Gearbox is coming out.

KS Taillights and garnish.
Looking for a new Diamante front end to put on the TS.

Brakes and wheels.

DVD System.

Speakers and Sub.

By the end of it I will have a TS SE V6 Manual that is White..........

Keep you updated on the progress of the rebuild.

And all because you had your numberplate on the side :(

Mate that's a real shame :(

And all because you had your numberplate on the side :(

Actually the number plate was moved after the fact.......

Actually the number plate was moved after the fact.......

It'll buff out.

Well I have gotten onto getting the TR Stripped and the TS SE that I had a Home rebuilt.

Thanks for your support and I will keep you posted here.....

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68812