Can any one please explain me how the car leasing works in Switzerland ? I visited some car dealers(BMW) in Altstetten but unfortunately none speak English.

You can google for answerd also look at places like Autoscout24.ch and they may have links or info.
BankAg (I think it is) do finance so have a look at their website.

When I did it I found the car, decided on how much to put down and how long to have the lease etc. When I was happy with that, gave the dealer all the required info, he did his stuff, informed me all was ok and got the car. I intended to keep the car at the end of the lease but others may want to do something else.

Go to Binelli BMW at Wiedikon. Thats where we got our lease car from. They speak great English and wonderful service.

Generally, for car leasing, you turn up with your residence permit (B and above), permanent work contract, pay a downpayment (some garages might not need that), be subjected to approval from the bank and off you go for a specific period of time. You can choose to either return the car at the end of the lease period or keep it at the value its at, at that point in time.

Servicing cost will be included but you must bear the cost of insurance. For more information on how car leasing works, a quick search on the forum will pop up many useful threads.

You have to be careful about the number of kilometers in the
lease. They can really get you there. If you go over the given
number of kilometers, you will be charged heavily.

Because of my bad estimate, I decided to keep my car.

Good luck!!

I would suggest that if you're likely to be spending a few tens of thousands of francs on a car, that any dealer will find someone who speaks English fairly quickly. That's my experience, anyway. (Currently on my fourth car).

Also check with your company's HR department on any arrangements they may have with car dealers to offer good discounts. Probably not as prevalent as it used to be, but it's worth checking. Same goes for buying tires, they sometimes have special arrangements with dealers for discounts. Doesn't mean you shouldn't shop around of course, you may still be able to beat whatever the discount price is.

As HollidayG says, check what kilometres per year you're allowed. It's usually 10,000 per year and if you go way over your limit by the time the lease ends it will cost a lot. Leases usually run for 4 years for new cars so the occasional trip which takes you over one year could be balanced out, but if you do a lot of car journeys then see if they can offer you a better yearly limit. It will probably cost you a bit more for the monthly lease price, but you have to offset that against a nasty bill at the end of the lease, particularly if you plan to keep the car when it finishes and have to make the final payment for that too.

I think you'll find that their ability to speak/not speak English is very selective.
Switzerland's car showroom attendants have pretty good form for being about as helpful as a cock flavoured lollipop.

The one's I've dealt with have been Basellandschaft, Baselstadt and Argau.

...where does one find one of those?

In the same isle where you get the "Big O" packs of life saver candies of course

I have had 2 leases with AMAG from different locations and they couldn't have been easier to organise.

• Specify the kilomaters you want to commit to - 10,000, 15,0000, 20,000 or 25,000
• Specify desired deposit as long as it meets the minimum
• A residual value is determined based on the KMs, deposit and length of the lease
• A monthly lease amount will be calculated based on the above
• Servicing is not included but you are free to service at a place of your choice örovided they are authorised for your make of car
• Dealers may not all speak english so having a grasp of german in Zurich area helps however there is nearly always someone in the dealership that speaks english and you will find it easier to find them if you make an effort
• When I converted the first lease to a second one I actually got credit for being under the KMs as a tradein

In summary, organising a lease is straight forward and a very effective way to pay for a car over a few years instead of a bulk purchase up front

How is credit determined for the car lease? Is having a certain amount of money in the bank and proof of employment/paystubs sufficient, or do you have to build a credit history with a credit card in Switzerland?

They apparently have a little bowl at the car dealer like at the American bank

I've got to say - and it's just a personal thing - that I've never really got the whole 'new car' thing.
I mean it's a hefty whack every month isn't it? Even for a mid range car. Then the deposit & all the restrictions & you still have to pay for servicing which can be tied to expensive dealerships.

The general quality [of cars] has been so good for the past 10 yrs or so, that I've had a couple of really nice 2nd hand ones that would have been impossibly expensive [for me] new.
My latest is a late 2004 A6 Avant quattro with all the toys & only 120km that cost me considerably less than a basic new VW Polo.

Other opinions are available of course

I have to agree with you on this one, but also I think cars are a bit better cared for in CH (again a generalization). When I arrived here for the 2nd time August of '10 (1st time was 2003-2004) I bought a 2006 Audi A4 Avant Quatro TDI with just under 70K, extremely well cared for and it runs like a champ.

Better quality new cars + well maintained cars = Excellent used car value

Disclaimer: I reserve the right to change my opinion and rant my butt off if it turns Jekyl on me and starts stranding me in the middle of no where