Discussion
Hi,
Will be taking a job in Zug and want to get another car (have a G class at the moment). Want something quick, but not sure if RWD would be a massive pain in Winter.
Also is it worth me buying a car outside of switzerland and importing it (they seem expensive), or is it not worth the hassle.
Any suggestions welcome
Thanks for your help
Will be taking a job in Zug and want to get another car (have a G class at the moment). Want something quick, but not sure if RWD would be a massive pain in Winter.
Also is it worth me buying a car outside of switzerland and importing it (they seem expensive), or is it not worth the hassle.
Any suggestions welcome
Thanks for your help
RWD shouldn't be too much of a pain in winter- winter tyres are the key. Also depends on where you want to drive it of course! But you should be fine.
What cars are you considering?
As for importing, yes it should be cheaper than buying in Switzerland, purely because of the way the exchange rate has gone. If you buy a car at least 6 months before moving to Switzerland, you can import your car as part of your personal effects without paying any import duty. Note this would only apply on first entry into Switzerland- i.e. you can't move, buy a car and wait until 6 months ownership before importing it- you would have to pay import duty in this instance.
Import duties (dependent on car) would amount to approx 12-13% of the value of the car- what you paid for it in the UK. Bear this in mind if you buy privately 2nd hand- you'd have to somehow prove how much you paid for the car.
I would reccommend buying LHD, even though they are more expensive in the UK- unless you are going for something really special.
Selling on a non-Swiss car in the future will be more difficult and you will not get as much money for it- that's just how the Swiss are!
More extreme cars- e.g. Ariel Atom- would not be able to be registered in Switzerland. Not even worth trying!
You will have to make changes to whatever car you import to meet the Swiss MFK (MOT equivalent) requirements. The MFK is about 100 times more stringent than an MOT. Ideally you want to be buying a completely standard, non-modified car- all mods must have Swiss certificates of conformity.
Loads more info available- go the the English Forum Switzerland and browse the transportation section. But don't mention you're a petrolhead or people will get all Mumsnet on you! No doubt Smiler Baker will be along shortly- he's imported an MG (RHD) into Switzerland and can give you the lowdown I'm sure!
What cars are you considering?
As for importing, yes it should be cheaper than buying in Switzerland, purely because of the way the exchange rate has gone. If you buy a car at least 6 months before moving to Switzerland, you can import your car as part of your personal effects without paying any import duty. Note this would only apply on first entry into Switzerland- i.e. you can't move, buy a car and wait until 6 months ownership before importing it- you would have to pay import duty in this instance.
Import duties (dependent on car) would amount to approx 12-13% of the value of the car- what you paid for it in the UK. Bear this in mind if you buy privately 2nd hand- you'd have to somehow prove how much you paid for the car.
I would reccommend buying LHD, even though they are more expensive in the UK- unless you are going for something really special.
Selling on a non-Swiss car in the future will be more difficult and you will not get as much money for it- that's just how the Swiss are!
More extreme cars- e.g. Ariel Atom- would not be able to be registered in Switzerland. Not even worth trying!
You will have to make changes to whatever car you import to meet the Swiss MFK (MOT equivalent) requirements. The MFK is about 100 times more stringent than an MOT. Ideally you want to be buying a completely standard, non-modified car- all mods must have Swiss certificates of conformity.
Loads more info available- go the the English Forum Switzerland and browse the transportation section. But don't mention you're a petrolhead or people will get all Mumsnet on you! No doubt Smiler Baker will be along shortly- he's imported an MG (RHD) into Switzerland and can give you the lowdown I'm sure!
Whitean3 said:
...
Import duties (dependent on car) would amount to approx 12-13% of the value of the car- what you paid for it in the UK. Bear this in mind if you buy privately 2nd hand- you'd have to somehow prove how much you paid for the car.
...
Would that be 12-13% of purchase value, as opposed to market value ?Import duties (dependent on car) would amount to approx 12-13% of the value of the car- what you paid for it in the UK. Bear this in mind if you buy privately 2nd hand- you'd have to somehow prove how much you paid for the car.
...
Someone call?
You have to be able to prove the purchase price, if you buy it privately then this is impossible and they will look up the price on the internet for similar cars, find the most expensive and say your car is worth that (that's what they did for us anyway)
You also need the export certificate from the uk (eu1 form I think) otherwise they will also tell you the car isn't from the EU, they charged us based on our MG being from the USA!! as its more expensive tax to import from non EU, we could have got a refund on the difference if when later gave them the eu1 certificate, but it wasn't worth the time and hassle.
You'll need a certificate of conformity as well.
Don't even think about trying to import anything that was imported from japan to the uk, if it doesn't have an eu type vin plate then its a no go before you start.
Costs - MFK, your car has to be swiss clean, so underneath and engine bay have to be spotless, your best bet is to get a garage to do this (local, not main dealer), an leaks of any kind have to be fixed, oil leaks are a massive no-no, you'll need LHD headlights and the fog light on the correct side for here (opposite side to the uk, unless you have them on both sides)
No modifications, no after market wheels, no decat, no loud exhausts, superchips etc etc etc unless you have a swiss certificate for them (yes this includes wheels) then you will fail, this also includes things like break discs and pads, if the are not OEM and they are not swiss certified then they are not allowed.
The MFK takes a couple of hours, they test everything including sticking the car in a sound booth and measuring the DB.
We paid the local garage to take the car to the MFK place and get is passed, they also did a pre-MFK test to make sure it was all ok. He then had to argue with, and prove to, the mfk tester that the bodykit on the car was factory fitted and standard, he seemed to have preempted that strike and had car mags with ad's and reviews of the car that clearly showed the body kit.
In total we paid around 5k chf to import, which was more then the car was worth in the uk (but less then its worth here) but our was 'special' as it was never officially sold in switzerland in that spec, I know others on EF have imported run on the mill stuff with no bother at all, as long as all the paperwork and parts etc are in order.
Is it worth it?? unless its something really special, or special to you, then no, its not. You'll have saved money, but the time and effort involved, taking it to various different offices, getting it to the mfk testing station etc etc or paying someone to do all that probably means you wont (if you take the costs of your time / time off work into account) and your car will be worth at least 25% less then a swiss sourced car, and if its a RHD car then its worth nothing here
personally I'd just use the cash for a deposit and lease a car here
You have to be able to prove the purchase price, if you buy it privately then this is impossible and they will look up the price on the internet for similar cars, find the most expensive and say your car is worth that (that's what they did for us anyway)
You also need the export certificate from the uk (eu1 form I think) otherwise they will also tell you the car isn't from the EU, they charged us based on our MG being from the USA!! as its more expensive tax to import from non EU, we could have got a refund on the difference if when later gave them the eu1 certificate, but it wasn't worth the time and hassle.
You'll need a certificate of conformity as well.
Don't even think about trying to import anything that was imported from japan to the uk, if it doesn't have an eu type vin plate then its a no go before you start.
Costs - MFK, your car has to be swiss clean, so underneath and engine bay have to be spotless, your best bet is to get a garage to do this (local, not main dealer), an leaks of any kind have to be fixed, oil leaks are a massive no-no, you'll need LHD headlights and the fog light on the correct side for here (opposite side to the uk, unless you have them on both sides)
No modifications, no after market wheels, no decat, no loud exhausts, superchips etc etc etc unless you have a swiss certificate for them (yes this includes wheels) then you will fail, this also includes things like break discs and pads, if the are not OEM and they are not swiss certified then they are not allowed.
The MFK takes a couple of hours, they test everything including sticking the car in a sound booth and measuring the DB.
We paid the local garage to take the car to the MFK place and get is passed, they also did a pre-MFK test to make sure it was all ok. He then had to argue with, and prove to, the mfk tester that the bodykit on the car was factory fitted and standard, he seemed to have preempted that strike and had car mags with ad's and reviews of the car that clearly showed the body kit.
In total we paid around 5k chf to import, which was more then the car was worth in the uk (but less then its worth here) but our was 'special' as it was never officially sold in switzerland in that spec, I know others on EF have imported run on the mill stuff with no bother at all, as long as all the paperwork and parts etc are in order.
Is it worth it?? unless its something really special, or special to you, then no, its not. You'll have saved money, but the time and effort involved, taking it to various different offices, getting it to the mfk testing station etc etc or paying someone to do all that probably means you wont (if you take the costs of your time / time off work into account) and your car will be worth at least 25% less then a swiss sourced car, and if its a RHD car then its worth nothing here
personally I'd just use the cash for a deposit and lease a car here
snowmuncher said:
The type of vehicle I personally had in mind would be classic VWs' and Porsche's, pre-1971, restored in US+UK.
I'm guessing the vehicle in question has to pass MFK standards relevant to year of manufacture ?
NO!! MFK is always updated IMO and any restoration would have to be 110% as most US restorations are not factory standard and would be frowned upon by the Swiss.I'm guessing the vehicle in question has to pass MFK standards relevant to year of manufacture ?
My daughter took her german reg, 13 y.o., perfect in every way, VW Golf convertible back to CH. Had to pay the ASAG over CHF 1000,- as it didn't have an EC conformity, (although the VIN plate stated made in Wolfsburg), then over CHF 2500 for the MFK..... the baaassstttaarrrddss wanted to charge her import duty as an american car as well although it'd never been off a D-plate from new!
CH burocrats do ANYTHING to stop imports that have not come through "official" channels i.e Frey or AMAG!!!!
snowmuncher said:
thanks for the info 
The type of vehicle I personally had in mind would be classic VWs' and Porsche's, pre-1971, restored in US+UK.
I'm guessing the vehicle in question has to pass MFK standards relevant to year of manufacture ?
oldtimers have different rules iirc, but they have to be really old, not 1970's, I looked at importing a beetle from the uk, that was 1972 but that didn't count as an oldtimer, see this link for the cost of classics here, there is a beetle on page 5 and a few old porsches, I have checked out some of the cars there and for the money I'd say they are having a laugh, nearly 14k for a beetle that imho still needs a full restore.The type of vehicle I personally had in mind would be classic VWs' and Porsche's, pre-1971, restored in US+UK.
I'm guessing the vehicle in question has to pass MFK standards relevant to year of manufacture ?
Edited by snowmuncher on Tuesday 14th June 23:21
http://www.oldtimers.ch/en/index_en.htm
I recon you'd be charged tax on the prices (or round about) on that site, so that's going to be a fair chunk, and as JMGS4 says finding a restored car of that age that hasn't had an upgrade of some sort is going to be nigh on impossible, and personally I wouldn't want to be driving around here on 40 year old brakes, especially in winter.
Its a nice idea, given that similar cars in the uk / us would be a fraction of the cost here but I recon you'd end up pulling you hair out, and unless you can speak fluent french / german or know someone who can, and don't mind spending days filling in forms and going to various offices etc etc then its a non starter, else we'd all be doing it
put it this way, I'll not be importing another car from the uk.
JC29 said:
thanks for the help gents. One more quick question, do main dealers over there have approved used cars like in the UK, the websites dont seem to have a clear link
Thanks
Yes they do; but I'd also add that the condition of cars over here is in a different league to back in the UK- the MOT equivalent is far stricter, and cars seem to be in much better condition. Stone chips seem less of a problem- my 911 is 9 years old now, has never had a front end respray, and has maybe one or two stone chips on it.Thanks
I bought the Elise in the UK with the exchange rate at 1.65, ordered to LHD / Swiss spec. I also used an import broker who handled all the paperwork, etc and meant that the car was first registered by a Swiss dealer (Autociel). Purchasing via a Swiss dealer also enables you to get it on lease.
I saved c. 20-25% on the Lotus. If buying a car now I probably wouldn't even consider buying new in Switzerland, but would probably go to Germany (we're really close to Konstanz).
The biggest issue buying from the UK was the order time for a LHD car. You get the impression that the car companies have to supply LHD but as they're obviously making a lot less cash your order is a low priority for them.
I saved c. 20-25% on the Lotus. If buying a car now I probably wouldn't even consider buying new in Switzerland, but would probably go to Germany (we're really close to Konstanz).
The biggest issue buying from the UK was the order time for a LHD car. You get the impression that the car companies have to supply LHD but as they're obviously making a lot less cash your order is a low priority for them.
Whitean3 said:
Yes they do; but I'd also add that the condition of cars over here is in a different league to back in the UK- the MOT equivalent is far stricter, and cars seem to be in much better condition. Stone chips seem less of a problem- my 911 is 9 years old now, has never had a front end respray, and has maybe one or two stone chips on it.
CH second hand cars are so good that often people go to CH from D to buy them.... says a lot really!Don't forget also that if you are buying a new or nearly new car you may be entitled to a fleet discount or "Flottenrabatt". Most main companies in Switzerland have pre-agreed discounts. For example I am entitled to min 15% off BMWs, Mercedes, Opel etc. So pick a new car, take the discount then lease (which is very common). You can end up with a very nice car for not too much per month and a lot of new cars also come with 10 year free servicing.
Carmo99 said:
Don't forget also that if you are buying a new or nearly new car you may be entitled to a fleet discount or "Flottenrabatt". Most main companies in Switzerland have pre-agreed discounts. For example I am entitled to min 15% off BMWs, Mercedes, Opel etc. So pick a new car, take the discount then lease (which is very common). You can end up with a very nice car for not too much per month and a lot of new cars also come with 10 year free servicing.
Agreed - I specced up a fully loaded Z4 (can't remember the model name, but it had 340 bhp) and payments were going to be about CHF 1,200 a month over 3 years.dictys said:
Can you use a UK car on uk plates for a certain period.
i.e if I moved to Zug could I used my UK LHD Porsche for a while? It would be taxed and insured in the UK.
Yes, lots of foreign plated cars over here and plenty of UK reg cars in Zug. I believe you can use your car for around a year before you have to import it in to the country (someone else will have the exact requirements).i.e if I moved to Zug could I used my UK LHD Porsche for a while? It would be taxed and insured in the UK.
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