Buying a car in Switzerland
Discussion
We're new here and so I'm just trying to work out how some pretty basic stuff works.
We've picked up a 5 series estate for family duties (bought through an agency called Autociel in Lausanne who did a decent enough job). And now I want to find a runabout for me. I'm thinking small, nippy and petrol engined. Ideas currently include a new MX5, a new-shape Mini Cooper S, an Elise, older BMWs (e36 / e46 M3, Z3 / Z4 etc), a Porsche 928 / 944 / Boxster, etc etc. So there's a broad pool of new and old that I'm currently contemplating.
In relation to new stuff, how amenable to discounting are dealers generally? Are there good websites to find the sort of cheep lease deals that pop up in the UK? Or the Drivethedeal outfits that are useful in finding good discounts on headline prices?
And for older stuff... I've been looking at the Comparis website, which seems to bring together results from a number of others. But am I missing any great sources of interesting cars? Ebay over here seems to be very seldom used for car sales - is there a Swiss equivalent to the burgeoning ebay market place back home?
Any pointers would be most gratefully received.
We've picked up a 5 series estate for family duties (bought through an agency called Autociel in Lausanne who did a decent enough job). And now I want to find a runabout for me. I'm thinking small, nippy and petrol engined. Ideas currently include a new MX5, a new-shape Mini Cooper S, an Elise, older BMWs (e36 / e46 M3, Z3 / Z4 etc), a Porsche 928 / 944 / Boxster, etc etc. So there's a broad pool of new and old that I'm currently contemplating.
In relation to new stuff, how amenable to discounting are dealers generally? Are there good websites to find the sort of cheep lease deals that pop up in the UK? Or the Drivethedeal outfits that are useful in finding good discounts on headline prices?
And for older stuff... I've been looking at the Comparis website, which seems to bring together results from a number of others. But am I missing any great sources of interesting cars? Ebay over here seems to be very seldom used for car sales - is there a Swiss equivalent to the burgeoning ebay market place back home?
Any pointers would be most gratefully received.
For new cars, ask your HR if your company has agreed fleet discount (Flottenrabatte) rates. As an example you can get ~16 to 20% discount plus the "Euro Rabatte, another 5 to 7% off list price off BMW, VW, Audi etc . Total 25% dicount is quite normal So many times buying new is cheaper than a 1 or 2 year old car.
My last car had over 35% discount due to all the deals at the time.
My last car had over 35% discount due to all the deals at the time.
Thanks! We'll look into work discounts next week. Sounds promising!One more question... how big a ballache is it to import a car from back home?
My Defender is in limbo in a friend's barn In Guildford while I decide whether to sell it or bring it over.
The process of "immatriculation" looks like a bit of a PITA and our experience of Swiss "efficiency" (read "bureaucracy") to date doesn't fill me with excitement. Added to which, getting a COC is going to be complicated by the fact that LR messed up the VIN thing when they built it, so DVLA had to issue a new VIN - so the number LR has is different from the number on the car / V5 etc. There may well be a solution to this, but it just feels like it is adding to the palava.
I'm really tempted to bring it over for winter (and declare it at customs etc) and then take it back to the UK to sell it in the spring without doing anything more to register it. I appreciate the market is stronger this side of winter than the other, but I'm happy to forego a few quid to enjoy another few months with the car... and then pick up something sportier for the Springtime.
Any thoughts? The insurance angle is covered through a special policy with Stuart Collins.
My Defender is in limbo in a friend's barn In Guildford while I decide whether to sell it or bring it over.
The process of "immatriculation" looks like a bit of a PITA and our experience of Swiss "efficiency" (read "bureaucracy") to date doesn't fill me with excitement. Added to which, getting a COC is going to be complicated by the fact that LR messed up the VIN thing when they built it, so DVLA had to issue a new VIN - so the number LR has is different from the number on the car / V5 etc. There may well be a solution to this, but it just feels like it is adding to the palava.
I'm really tempted to bring it over for winter (and declare it at customs etc) and then take it back to the UK to sell it in the spring without doing anything more to register it. I appreciate the market is stronger this side of winter than the other, but I'm happy to forego a few quid to enjoy another few months with the car... and then pick up something sportier for the Springtime.
Any thoughts? The insurance angle is covered through a special policy with Stuart Collins.
Hi Gruber,
As I understand it the MFK test would be applied - this basically is a very tough MOT where they ideally want to see that all of the parts on the car are OEM.
I looked into this for an old Merc G Class but would not have been worth it as it had several non OEM parts.
Best way is to import it as part of your personal effects - no tax. This gives you 12 months to drive with it in CH on UK plates - after that you can either get it registered or send it home.
One option would be to take the 12 months, then stick it in for the MFk and see how many issues they bring up. Could only be a small amount.
As I understand it the MFK test would be applied - this basically is a very tough MOT where they ideally want to see that all of the parts on the car are OEM.
I looked into this for an old Merc G Class but would not have been worth it as it had several non OEM parts.
Best way is to import it as part of your personal effects - no tax. This gives you 12 months to drive with it in CH on UK plates - after that you can either get it registered or send it home.
One option would be to take the 12 months, then stick it in for the MFk and see how many issues they bring up. Could only be a small amount.
Just saw the question on where to buy cars here.
comparis is ok, but can be out of date.
Best bet is to find a garage that is trying to clear a part ex as these are the only real bargains - only do this with good garages though. For example the ferrari dealer in Zurich had a 911 that they had taken in part ex and wanted to clear.
Or to find an expat that is moving back and has a car to shift quickly - a lot of friends have done this.
My experience is to go through the main dealer as it gives me more security - been to several used car places, but as in the UK would not really trust them; just a feeling I get from the salesmen.
Also make sure that it is a Swiss car, not an import, as the value of these imports is lower and they are much harder to sell.
comparis is ok, but can be out of date.
Best bet is to find a garage that is trying to clear a part ex as these are the only real bargains - only do this with good garages though. For example the ferrari dealer in Zurich had a 911 that they had taken in part ex and wanted to clear.
Or to find an expat that is moving back and has a car to shift quickly - a lot of friends have done this.
My experience is to go through the main dealer as it gives me more security - been to several used car places, but as in the UK would not really trust them; just a feeling I get from the salesmen.
Also make sure that it is a Swiss car, not an import, as the value of these imports is lower and they are much harder to sell.
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