About Us

Grabacar.au is part of the Autoport Group of companies that includes Autoport New Zealand (autoport.nz), Autoport UK (grabacar.uk) and Autoport Japan (autoport.jp) but we're new to Australia.

Having been incorporated in New Zealand and operating successfully for many years as autoport.nz, we have given NZ consumers and dealers the ability to buy cars at drive-away prices from Japan and the UK with certainty and surety that their money is held safely with us throughout the entire transaction, minimising the normal risks associated with international purchasing.

After refining the process and increasing the number of suppliers in Japan we decided it is time we opened up the opportunity to other countries and started operations in both the UK and Australia giving wholesale (through our wholesale platform autoport.net) and consumer buyers access to the same great, trusted and easy process that has served NZ buyers so well.

To provide a platform where buyers can find the car they want, irrespective of whether that car is with a local supplier or an overseas vendor and be able to buy it at a known price.

Our (Autoport Group's) story began over 25 years ago in New Zealand when the founders, David Paviour and Hamish Lusk created one of the first web sites in NZ for dealers of cars, boats, trucks, motorbikes and machinery to list their stock so that consumers could easily find what they were looking for in one place. That site was AutoBase.co.nz and long story short, Trade Me, NZ's most well known shopping web site, acquired AutoBase in 2012 after a very successful 9 year joint venture together.

After years in the industry, the founders thought there was an opportunity to create a truly global buying platform for consumers so that if the vehicle that they sought was not available from local vendors then they could purchase from suppliers in other countries and know exactly what the cost of the vehicle would be to them, drive-away, in New Zealand. Dealers were also given access to purchase vehicles at wholesale prices through the autoport.net platform so that at the end of the day, the consumer was getting the vehicle they wanted regardless of how.

Can't find what you want from a local supplier and want to buy from overseas but having trust issues? That's good. In today's online world you should be. It is important to know exactly who you are dealing with and you should be asking questions.

If you are looking at buying a car from the international stock listed from overseas suppliers, we have your back. Grabacar handles everything and you just have to pick up the vehicle when it arrives in Australia. The information we provide here will answer some of the questions you should be asking and will give you comfort that you are dealing with a company that has been providing car buyers in New Zealand with solutions to buy cars since 1999 and is now bringing that same tested and trusted process to buyers in Australia.

Currently in Australia our operation is entirely based online to minimise overheads so we can provide the best pricing to you the consumer. This doesn't mean that there aren't real people behind the scenes and we are always available for a chat with a support team in NZ and Japan to ensure we are providing the quality process that our reputation has been built on. On the ground in Australia is Top Secret Imports who handle the logistics, compliance and delivery within Australia of internationally purchased vehicles ensuring a smooth and seamless process.

You can also find more answers in our Frequently Asked Questions or of course you can always Contact Us to talk. In fact, for purchases over a certain value we also require this as we too need to know who we are dealing with.

If you are a local Australian dealer then Contact Us to see how you can list your stock to local Australian Buyers.

As mentioned we are new to Australia and so currently our testimonials are dominated by those from NZ buyers via autoport.nz. Below are some references and historical articles below written by news sites in NZ about autoport.nz or you can search the Australian Securities and Investments Commission website for 'Autoport Australia Pty Ltd' if you still need more convincing.

Testimonials
Google Reviews

Stuff.co.nz (June 2019): The new model that is shaking up the car industry
Stuff.co.nz (June 2019): Why is it so hard to buy a car if you're a woman
Stuff.co.nz (May 2019): How to take less of a risk on a used car