Car advice - new to Switzerland
Discussion
Sorry for missing the thread up to now.
The vast majority of cars in Switzerland are leased. You can lease any car as long as it is still eligible for claiming back VAT (ie it was owned by a company, including a lease company, in the past).
Most of the big car companies have fixed schemes where for different sizes of business there is a 'standard' discount. As a small business for me it was about 15%. If you new employer is mentioning a discount that is probably what they're talking about. It could be as much as 20% depending on manufacturer. These discounts on new cars often make it not appealing to get a nearly-new model (where the discount doesn't apply)
AWD cars are definitely preferred here. For example BMW stopped selling 3 series over the 320i / 320d with RWD.
I've always had 2 sets of wheels on my cars. For the last 2 cars (BMWs) I've always negotiated that the garage looks after them during the alternate season. Most of the big manufacturers do discounts in about September.
Diesel was always more expensive here than in other countries (as a proportion of petrol) to dissuade industry from transporting on the roads (vs the rail). It's on the decline as in most places.
If you're going to get a lease look for offers as there always seems to be something going on. I think BMW have one at .9% for 'stock' cars at the moment. It wouldn't surprise me if you couldn't get a 540 touring for your sort of budget. If you are thinking new / nearly new autoscout.ch is probably where to look - most of the dealers own websites use this an an engine. Ricardo is like eBay for Switzerland (We sold an old Subaru that way).
Estate cars are much more popular than saloons at the moment, SUVs are of course the big thing.
The Swiss also seem to be much more sensitive to km than in the UK. Many folks will commute by public transport so cars often don't get used much in the week. It's hard to go skiing without one though.
Road tax will depend on your canton. Some waive it for EVs.
The vast majority of cars in Switzerland are leased. You can lease any car as long as it is still eligible for claiming back VAT (ie it was owned by a company, including a lease company, in the past).
Most of the big car companies have fixed schemes where for different sizes of business there is a 'standard' discount. As a small business for me it was about 15%. If you new employer is mentioning a discount that is probably what they're talking about. It could be as much as 20% depending on manufacturer. These discounts on new cars often make it not appealing to get a nearly-new model (where the discount doesn't apply)
AWD cars are definitely preferred here. For example BMW stopped selling 3 series over the 320i / 320d with RWD.
I've always had 2 sets of wheels on my cars. For the last 2 cars (BMWs) I've always negotiated that the garage looks after them during the alternate season. Most of the big manufacturers do discounts in about September.
Diesel was always more expensive here than in other countries (as a proportion of petrol) to dissuade industry from transporting on the roads (vs the rail). It's on the decline as in most places.
If you're going to get a lease look for offers as there always seems to be something going on. I think BMW have one at .9% for 'stock' cars at the moment. It wouldn't surprise me if you couldn't get a 540 touring for your sort of budget. If you are thinking new / nearly new autoscout.ch is probably where to look - most of the dealers own websites use this an an engine. Ricardo is like eBay for Switzerland (We sold an old Subaru that way).
Estate cars are much more popular than saloons at the moment, SUVs are of course the big thing.
The Swiss also seem to be much more sensitive to km than in the UK. Many folks will commute by public transport so cars often don't get used much in the week. It's hard to go skiing without one though.
Road tax will depend on your canton. Some waive it for EVs.
chandrew said:
...
The vast majority of cars in Switzerland are leased.
I wasn't aware of that and most of my friends don't have a leased one. But it is certainly attractive because interest rates are low but if you don't have the funds to buy a 2nd hand one go for it. If I was in your situation I never would lease one.The vast majority of cars in Switzerland are leased.
Why do foreigners tend to buy big cars like X-drive, Cayenne etc. ? They are impractical on our roads and parking them, drink a lot of fuel, offer not more space than a good mid-class station wagon are expensive in maintenance and tax (and are not even fast or sporty).
So having been here a couple of weeks and doing the rounds at car garages ...
In the end upped our budget ...
1) Dealers seem to be hard work here - they don’t really seem they want to sell..
2) Private much better priced but not that many private sellers
Seems I may have found a decent looking private car in Zug
Being in Lausanne area does anyone know or recommend a decent independent garage that can service modern BMWs? I want to avoid main dealers if I can
In the end upped our budget ...
1) Dealers seem to be hard work here - they don’t really seem they want to sell..
2) Private much better priced but not that many private sellers
Seems I may have found a decent looking private car in Zug
Being in Lausanne area does anyone know or recommend a decent independent garage that can service modern BMWs? I want to avoid main dealers if I can
fizz47 said:
....Being in Lausanne area does anyone know or recommend a decent independent garage that can service modern BMWs? I want to avoid main dealers if I can
Why do you want avoid main dealers ? Only main dealers have the right equipment (engine and car diagnostic analyzers) to diagnose and service your car. Independent dealers are not really allowed to stamp your service booklet unless they are accepted as a service agent.I'm near Zug, if you need any help ...
Peter
crypto said:
Why do you want avoid main dealers ? Only main dealers have the right equipment (engine and car diagnostic analyzers) to diagnose and service your car. Independent dealers are not really allowed to stamp your service booklet unless they are accepted as a service agent.
I'm near Zug, if you need any help ...
Peter
The car will be 4 years old so out of warranty and everyone i have spoken to here says that they main dealers here in Vaud are extremely high ...I'm near Zug, if you need any help ...
Peter
In the UK I had 2 really good specialists that were half the price of the main dealer so thought if there was something similar here then would try and save a little ...
If there are no good specialists with equipment then yes totally agree that should just go to main dealer..
Thanks for the offer of help- much appreciated ..
Sorry to resurrect a thread. We moved to Lausanne (Ouchy) in January with my English car, a beaten-up old Landcruiser.
However, I think we are going to be here a bit longer than first anticipated and so we are looking at buying a Swiss car, maybe around 5k budget
Looking around it is tricky to find a good deal, anything my girlfriend likes (X5, Cayenne etc) can be almost 1000CHF in tax and similar in insurance.
I wondered does anybody have any hints on how to get a good car for a reasonable price? I saw an X5 appear on anibis, 4.5k e70 with 330km but it had disappeared before I had even sent a message! Clearly bargains don't hang around!
I also found what seems to be a good garage (Garage Schneeberger & Co) about 30 minutes from Lausanne! Around 1/3 the price of the garage around the corner for an air con regas.
However, I think we are going to be here a bit longer than first anticipated and so we are looking at buying a Swiss car, maybe around 5k budget
Looking around it is tricky to find a good deal, anything my girlfriend likes (X5, Cayenne etc) can be almost 1000CHF in tax and similar in insurance.
I wondered does anybody have any hints on how to get a good car for a reasonable price? I saw an X5 appear on anibis, 4.5k e70 with 330km but it had disappeared before I had even sent a message! Clearly bargains don't hang around!
I also found what seems to be a good garage (Garage Schneeberger & Co) about 30 minutes from Lausanne! Around 1/3 the price of the garage around the corner for an air con regas.
Hi. Lots of the high-mileage or older cars are bought by folks exporting them to places like Romania (I sold my old Subaru on Ricardo to one) as Swiss cars are generally well looked after and the local market doesn't really prize them. Hence why you don't see many old non-classics on the roads.
The other issue is that Swiss labour is expensive so keeping them running would be more expensive than in the UK, hence they become uneconomical to run here. There don't seem to be so many specialists as most cars are newer and stay in the dealer network. Many new cars here will come with 10 years / 100,000km 'free' servicing.
The other issue is that Swiss labour is expensive so keeping them running would be more expensive than in the UK, hence they become uneconomical to run here. There don't seem to be so many specialists as most cars are newer and stay in the dealer network. Many new cars here will come with 10 years / 100,000km 'free' servicing.
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