Aussie Car Imports in Battle Ground, WA (1 Viewer)

[jaybonecrow]

Does anyone have any working knowledge of this company? Good? Bad? Anything?

They import FJs and resale here in the states. My son is wanting to buy one from them but dad wants to know more about them before sending my 16 year olds hard earned money.

Were in Texas some 3000 miles away form WA.

Thanks in advance

 

[Living in the Past]

Search AUStoUSA in the importing section. Pretty sure it's the same company. I just used them to import a five speed from Australia. I paid for importing and then to arrange shipping from WA to AZ. The account I deposited money in was Aussie Car Imports. Shipping wasn't fast waiting for a container to fill in Melbourne. Then time for the container clear customs here. But when it arrived here is was in the same condition it was dropped off to them in Melbourne. I can't comment on the vehicles they selling because I used them to ship a transmission I bought from someone else. From when I bought it the whole process took five months. Big advantage having a vehicle here. Not sure about the US title process. Believe @Funner bought a trayback from them year. While not as active on Mud @DesertDan has dealt with them too.

 

[Funner]

My experience was mixed, good and bad. I bought one from them through ebay. The deal with most of the cars they sell is that they position themselves as an intermediary so they kind of absolve themselves of any real responsibility in the transaction, ie the seller is some dude in Australia, you’re the buyer and they really just deal with the transportation and paper work. The vehicle I bought was already in the US, through customs and at their facility in Washington State when I bought it and still took almost two months to get from them even though I paid in full and for shipping through them immediately. When I finally got frustrated and told them I wanted out of the deal they said there was nothing they could do as the seller had already received the money (this was also the first time I knew their was a third party involved in the transaction, not listed in the ad). Communication was slow and frankly inadequate given the long delay in receiving the truck. There were some issues with the paperwork which could have really screwed me had the local dmv not been as helpful as they chose to be. I could not leave feedback on ebay because the window for leaving feedback had already closed by the time I received the truck, was their intent all along? Who really knows. My feedback wouldn’t have been bad.
The positive- I did eventually get the truck, I feel it was representative of what was in the ebay auction and they did typically answer the phone if I called for an update. They were pleasant in conversations, never felt like I was being scammed, but it was a hard feeling to fight back when you shell out $10k to soemeone through the internet and can’t get straight answers on what the hell is taking so long.

 

[myquestoyota]

I am not too far from Battleground if there's something there to look at for you. It's about an hour away. I am no expert by any means and my judgement would be far from expert. I can spot obvious flaws and have owned a couple of 40's. Let me know if I can help.

 

[Franclee]

I'm smack in the middle purchasing a Troopy from them. It has been a bit frustrating at times due to lack of responses - specially when you have paid for the vehicle. The good news is that the troopy I purchased is packed and now have an arrival date of the vessel into Portland. I think it's a small operation and the person communicating is also the one that is traveling and purchasing cars....

 

[jaybonecrow]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[whitey45]

Phil is a good guy, he is on mud, helped me a few times, what I have learned over the years, is it is a logistical nightmare to bring trucks into the states, you have to be patient and expect it to be a few months for delivery!

 

[SugarBear]

Not a comment about AUS to USA, but my advice would be to search for an imported LHD truck, if you are wanting a diesel, etc... personally. The act of learning to drive a RHD truck is easy, but daily driving a RHD truck takes some work & requires a lot of risks that don't exist with driving a vehicle on the correct side for your country. I wouldn't let me 16 year old, first time driver take on the added risks personally.

 

[SteveJackson]

Funny, the only people I see complaining about RHD are guys who sell LHD trucks lol. I've had more than a few very young women (20-22) fly in and drive home 1200+ miles in RHD trucks. None of them had any problems.

Back on topic. I've not dealt with AUStoUSA personally although I have dealt with many people who have relayed their experiences to me. In general, it seems that the final rating of the experience is positive. The trucks arrive as represented. Although I've heard comments similar to those posted here such as communication problems after the sale and customers left to resolve paperwork/titling issues stateside. I do not believe those are concerns sufficient enough to eliminate AUStoUSA from consideration, just something to be aware of.

 

[SugarBear]

Funny, the only people I see complaining about RHD are guys who sell LHD trucks lol. I've had more than a few very young women (20-22) fly in and drive home 1200+ miles in RHD trucks. None of them had any problems.

Back on topic. I've not dealt with AUStoUSA personally although I have dealt with many people who have relayed their experiences to me. In general, it seems that the final rating of the experience is positive. The trucks arrive as represented. Although I've heard comments similar to those posted here such as communication problems after the sale and customers left to resolve paperwork/titling issues stateside. I do not believe those are concerns sufficient enough to eliminate AUStoUSA from consideration, just something to be aware of.

To be fair, you could rephrase your statement to make your counterpoint. The only people that ever claim there are no issues to a RHD truck, are the ones selling them.

We have owned a RHD truck for roughly 15 years. We love it & aren't planning on selling it ever. We also don't daily drive it, because it is a pain in the butt to do so, and yes, it is a riskier vehicle to drive than a LHD, with a lot of trade-offs. Anyone who claims otherwise is in denial. It is worth the risks & tradeoffs for many people. And I wouldn't bat an eye at advising someone with more driving experience to get one. It is a fun & unique experience for sure. But I would NEVER put a 16 year old into daily driving a RHD truck in a LHD country. 16 year olds have enough issues with driving to begin with, they don't need more things to focus on when behind the wheel.

 

[SteveJackson]

To be fair, you could rephrase your statement to make your counterpoint. The only people that ever claim there are no issues to a RHD truck, are the ones selling them.

If you're planning to pass someone on 2-lane mountain roads around a blind corner, yes it's dangerous. Other than that, the "dangers" are vastly overstated. If you want to have a convo about LHD vs RHD, it should be in a different thread.

 

[jaybonecrow]

Back on topic! So far Ive had a good transaction with Aussie Car Imports in Battle Ground Washington.
Thanks for the feedback to those of you that made comments and helped my decision making on dealing with this importer of FJ's.

***Oh and BTW ill teach my very competent 16 year old how to drive a RHD Cruiser just like i taught my other 4 boys how to drive a column shift, use firearms responsibly, stay off drugs, and to keep their peckers in their pants and not get their GF pregnant. This aint my first parenting rodeo, as we say here in the Great State of Texas! Down here we like to teach our kids God Country Family and independence!
Were not raising sissy snowflakes.

 

[4runnered]

Back on topic! So far Ive had a good transaction with Aussie Car Imports in Battle Ground Washington.
Thanks for the feedback to those of you that made comments and helped my decision making on dealing with this importer of FJ's.

***Oh and BTW ill teach my very competent 16 year old how to drive a RHD Cruiser just like i taught my other 4 boys how to drive a column shift, use firearms responsibly, stay off drugs, and to keep their peckers in their pants and not get their GF pregnant. This aint my first parenting rodeo, as we say here in the Great State of Texas! Down here we like to teach our kids God Country Family and independence!
Were not raising sissy snowflakes.

Just curious what cruiser you got and was there pricing pretty good? I'm in WA and am putting feelers out for importers. And please let us know how this importer work out. Thanks.

 

[Rustic76]

I’ll pass on my experience with AustoUsa /Aussie car imports.

I used them to import a 1984 HJ47 troopy in 2016. I contacted Phil via MUD about what I was looking for and within a couple hours he was on the road to try and secure a deal for me. Within 24hrs the deal was done and the troopy was mine.

Shipping from Australia can take a while depending on what else is lined up to ship. If your vehicle is the second one to fill the container it will be quicker, if it’s the first you may be waiting around for a while for another that’s headed to the same place. This process takes patience, it is not quick.

After the troopy made it to The port of Portland and cleared customs, it was taken to their shop in WA. Once unpacked and ready to go, I drove the 35 minute drive up there and drive it home.

All in all, Phil was great to work with and I will use them again some day for another Aussie cruiser.

 

[geoffnlp]

I purchased two Troopies thru Phil from AustoUsa and had a great experience with both of them, the second one he did an inspection on and negotiated a better price for me after looking at it. I was very pleased with both vehicles, it was a little bit of a lengthy process but it was Customs who made it that way, first in Aus. then in the US. I had them delivered to their warehouse in Charlotte and dealt with Michael there who was a great person to deal with also, they both helped in every way they could to make them both great transactions. I may be looking to purchase another Troopy in the future and will be looking to Phil to take care of the transaction again for me. I sold the green one and am in the middle of building the three door.
Cheers, and good luck.

p.s. It's a blast and easy driving a RHD, especially when you have your dog in the left seat driving down the highway and everybody is doing a double take on who's driving it.

 

[Funner]

My dealings were a little different in that my truck was already in the US, through customs and sitting at their facility in Washington State when I bought it and it still took almost two months to receive it. So, yes, expect it to take longer than you would think it should and you’ll survive. It’s great to be able to get something like these imports.

 

[athensrep]

I’ll weigh in - I’ve had nothing but great experiences with Phil and company. I’ve purchased two Hiluxs and one Troopy over the course of a few years. The hardest thing here is having patience, and like someone stated, the communication gap in time. The process was painless and each rig was exactly as decribed and inspected. Phil is a great guy who really does his best to help get you want you’re looking for. It took some time, but he found a pop-top 70 for me. I’d use them again - no worries here.

 

[CAFJ40]

Does AUStoUSA take a commission or fees? I see their site for the cost breakdown, but it looks like they don’t really make any money off it. Aussie sellers maybe pay a fee for posting there?

 

[Funner]

Does AUStoUSA take a commission or fees? I see their site for the cost breakdown, but it looks like they don’t really make any money off it. Aussie sellers maybe pay a fee for posting there?

I assure you they are not working for free, they fill a nitch or niche market and they provide an in demand product for a reasonable premium.

 

[CAFJ40]

Figured and from what I have heard they are good. Now I just need to talk myself through if RHD is the way to go.