I'm going to be moving to Switzerland soon. I'm thinking about bringing my car from Canada which is a BMW e46 2002 sedan.. I also have a Lexus LS430, but if I understand correctly, any engine over 3L pays a hefty 8000chf per year tax (did I understand that correctly?)

So it seems more reasonable to bring my 2.5L bmw instead.. Is there anyway/anyone who could perhaps explain what I would need to modify on the car so it meets Switzerland specs? I know I need to add the triangle and first aid kit.. But i'm worry i'll get hit with some other large repairs..

Any help would be appreciated..

A similar model car will cost you between 5,000 and 16,000chf (depending on condition and KM).

IMHO it isn't worth the cost/hassle to import such a car.

Hi, I imagine so.. But its my car with low km's..

But to the rest of the world it is just another 11 year old middle of the range BMW saloon.

Unless a car is relatively new, rare or particularly special - the cost of shipping and importing is not worth it (IMHO).

How much could you sell it for in Canada?

The cost of shipping it isn't that much.. I had a friend who did the same with his VW Jetta..

And how about my question on the tax on over the 3L engines? Its true eh, 8k chf for those?

We brought our BMW over from the US despite it 'not being worth the hassle'.

How are you going to ship it? If it's RORO and comes to port in Bremerhaven (or somewhere in Germany), make sure you're ready to put up 30% of the value (in cash) as collateral--you get it back after you cross the border.

Also, check into having the changes made in Canada--or else get them done in Munich on your way in to Switzerland. Not sure about your generation, but we just had to get our parking lights changed.

There are also several threads on here already covering similar topics, so be sure to search for those--lots of good information in there. Good luck!

For Basel?
Importing: http://www.baselland.ch/main_import-htm.288728.0.html
Tax: http://www.mfk.bs.ch/steuern/index.html

Worst case is 636chf for the BMW per year

Can't imagine where CHF8k p.a. comes from. I have a 3.2 litre BMW, pay CHF 446 road tax p.a., plus liability and full comprehensive insurance for CHF 2334 p.a. In the Swiss context, I also find upkeep quite reasonable.

In addition to Swiss adaptations, you will also need to have your 2002 car pass Swiss DMV road worthiness inspection.

Oh great.. So maybe I was reading this info wrong.. There won't be import tax, since I can bring this in duty free.. However I wanted to make sure the yearly is ok..

I will look at the links.. Then maybe I will consider bringing the other car also..

When did you arrive in Switzerland? Or are you still in Canada?

When will you ship the car?

It will all depend on whether they consider the car as personal items or an import.

It will be personal item and not import.. I read about this, as long as you owned it 6 months before your arrival to Switzerland..

I'm nearing finalizing a job offer, and then I will move..

If you remove the 'e46' from the description, then it would be worth it - otherwise it's just another drug dealers wheels.