Hello,

My wife and I will be living in Lausanne for 9 months and need to purchase a car. We plan on making several trips around Europe during that timeframe. We can't rent because then we are not eligible for a Blue Zone parking permit. We can't use the Leasing programs for French cars because 1) they are only for 6 months, 2) they seem expensive, and 3) we don't like the vehicles. Only option left therefore would be to buy now, and sell in June. ( and Wife has Swiss citizenship so no problem with Insurance etc)

Wife would like a Mercedes A Class because she wants a real small car for the parking. I am partial to something like a BMW 3 series. Audi is also a possibility. We plan on skiing, and have concerns about sufficient power for the mountains. Also needed is a bike rack.

The purchase price is not as important as the cost of ownership; i.e. I'd rather spend 50,000CHF and sell for 42,000, than buy for 30,000CHF and sell for 20,000.

With all that in mind, what cars would you specifically suggest here for us to consider? Are we best off using Compris.ch or Autoscout24.ch, or going to a dealer? Do you have any other pointers or tips?

Many thanks
Newt