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

Audi A3 Quattro. We live in Switzerland! Not south west Z!

The short form used for Switzerland is CH. It keeps everyone happy if you could use it

On to your specific question. For a stay of 9 months I really think you should rent from one of the two low cost agencies in Lausanne. You can surely negotiate the number of km you need as well.

Since you wife is Swiss (French speaking?) you could try to talk your way into having a macaron (free parking in a blue zone where you live) since you will have the same car for the full 9 months.

If the Lausanne parking authorities will not give you a macaron, you can surely find a parking spot in the neighbourhood. Just put up some posters by the buildings in the area.

I think that your total cost of ownership (and hassle) would be lower with a rental.

Depending on the car you rent/buy you can get bike racks and magnetic ski holders from the dealer or from Migros do-it, Jumbo and Coop Brico as well as some on-line dealers.

If you would like the names of the two agencies, let me know.

Look at the monthly rates. You will need to decide on the km you will need (often 2'000 or 3'000). Unless you are driving a lot, 2'000 should be enough as an average over the 9 months. Keep in mind that insurance is included.

Enzo has the Mercedes.

http://www.enzolocation.ch/index.php...id=7&Itemid=13

Momo has some problems with their website so you might need to drop by to see about models and pricing.

http://www.momohlocation.ch/73/Fran%...is/Tarifs.html

Look at the Fiat 500 here. It is a good small car. They offer longer term prices and I am sure you can negotiate further.

http://www.aloc-cars.ch/anglais/00-Index.asp

If you definitely want to buy a car, then go for a VW Golf (or something else in the top 5 best sold cars).
Reason is that it is probably the car that is easiest to sell.

Thanks for all the replies so far!

Verbier - good tips. My wife will go and check on the Macaron as you suggest.

K and E - what are the top 5 cars for resale here?

Has anyone ever gone to a dealer and purchased a used car with a guarantee buy back price x months later? (it would decrease the hassle factor immensely, especially the unknowns of selling when we leave). We went to a Mercedes dealer who will sell us an A class 180 NEW for 34,900CHF, and buy back at 25,000CHF 9 months later. That would be less than 9 months rental at Enzo for 1350CHF, and thus seems like a good deal.

Newt

PS: I have banished the abbreviation "swz" from my lexicon, never to return <G>

So car cost of CHF 1'055/month with the dealer. How much are you counting for car insurance? If he SELLS you a car, you have to insure it. Insurance is included in the Enzo offer. Have you gone to talk to Enzo? I am sure you can negotiate a price that is lower than the monthly rental rate.

Best to look at all of the costs of ownership (and hassle) before taking a decision.

Best selling cars in CH:

http://bestsellingcarsblog.com/category/switzerland/

Showed the wife the Enzo site.....she says she won't rent a car with advertising on the side! And as they say " a happy wife is a happy life!"

So I guess that settles that !

You could buy my Fiat 500 :-)

Seriously, we used it to ski and cycle virtually every weekend for the past year and never found it too small or underpowered. It's really easy to drive and park too.

Drop me a mail if interested!

To bring closure, we decided to purchase a new car from a dealer who guaranteed a buyback..and we are free of course to try and sell the car ourselves first.

Thanks to all!
Newt