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Importing a car with us, or buying in israel



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amother


 

Post Mon, Jan 21 2013, 9:15 am
I have been getting very helpful answers so far to all my aliyah questions.
I have one more question.
As far as I understand when bringing in a car we would have to pay 50% tax on the value of the car. which is a huge sum, but if we were to buy a car in israel we would anyway have to pay the 50% tax.

My question is what is more financially worthwhile, paying the importing fees to bring our really great condition, fully paid for, car with us? or selling it and buying a used car in israel?

from what I can find on google, it seems that prices of cars in israel are among the highest in the world, so bringing a car that we have already paid for and own, seems to be a good choice.
how much are the fees to ship the car and clear customs?
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Marion




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 21 2013, 9:18 am
One of the reasons it's so expensive to purchase a car in Israel is the 97% tax on the vehicle. If you don't have to pay the full amount (and I have no idea what the oleh regulations are any more) then it's not *quite* as bad. Keep in mind that fuel is insanely expensive here, and you have to factor in the maintenance as well. In order to import your existing vehicle there are a slew of restrictions you have to meet. I would start by checking if your car meets the criteria, then figure out how much you would get if you sold it and how much car that would allow you to purchase here.
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Tamiri




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 21 2013, 9:19 am
People generally don't bring cars with them. It's a hassle to import a car. And insurance companies don't like insuring them.
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grace413




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 21 2013, 9:21 am
The general consensus is that it does not pay to import a car.

You have to look very carefully into all the details. There are only specific makes and models that are allowed to be imported. Even some of these will need certain modifications in order to be driven here. I don't know all the details but you should check with whoever is helping you with aliyah - NBN or whatever.

Do not make a decision without having permission to import that specific car in writing.

You can contact anybody who ships to Israel re fees.

New immigrants get somewhat of a reduction on taxes for new cars here (not used cars) so if you are going to buy here it's sometimes worthwhile to buy new.
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amother


 

Post Mon, Jan 21 2013, 1:24 pm
just to get a rough estimate, how much would it cost to buy a 7-8 passenger minivan in israel? either new (to take advantage of the tax breaks for new olim) or about 4 years old?
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lst




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 21 2013, 1:50 pm
at least 20,000 dollars
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jkw




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 28 2016, 6:04 am
Bumping up this thread to 2016.

We have a 2012 Toyota Camry, with only 85K kilometers (that's about 50K miles). Really incredible road car.

Just the two of us and occasional friends.

Import or not?

We will be in Jerusalem.

All thoughts welcome, thank you!
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Nov 28 2016, 6:21 am
jkw wrote:
Bumping up this thread to 2016.

We have a 2012 Toyota Camry, with only 85K kilometers (that's about 50K miles). Really incredible road car.

Just the two of us and occasional friends.

Import or not?

We will be in Jerusalem.

All thoughts welcome, thank you!


Figure out how much it will cost for you to bring it in. Divide that by the number of years you expect to get out of the car. Compare that to the price of buying a car here.

Having a car can be super convenient, but it's also super expensive. So much depends on your lifestyle and neighborhood. Does your new place have assigned parking spots, or do you have to find a spot on the street? Do you have small children, buy groceries in bulk, or like to take road trips off the beaten path? Do you need a car often?

Taking the train and bus is easy and cheap here, and you can get to most places, but you are obviously limited to established routes. Renting a car for the occasional trip is a good idea, but if you need it more than that, it won't be cost effective at all. If you have small children who will dump juice and nosh all over the seats of your rental, you'll have to pay for the cleanup, too. Whether you rent or own, you'll end up paying for gas and insurance either way.

The good news, is that it's easy to find Toyota parts here, because they are very popular cars. Some people have brought over cars, just to find that there are no parts, or no one knows how to fix them. If you have an unusual car, you're in big trouble. Toyotas also have really good resale value here, as everyone wants them, and they have a reputation for being reliable.

In other words, it's complicated! Wink
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