Hi everyone:

I have a large family and I may move to Bern this Summer. Could you please advise me about moving my Lexus SUV to CH? I love driving it and it is a great car. What complications would you estimate that I have about this? Coporate relo is probably covering this move, so cost is probably not an issue (other than the gas). What would you advise me to do? Can a car like this be serviced here? Thanks.

they have Lexus here, even the 400h model.

It's 3½ litre V6 isn't it? Beware gas prices here are higher.

It would be easier to import an EU version but it does also depend how long you're staying. With insurance, you can keep US plates for a year - insurance from the US though.

www.lexus.ch will give you some contacts. German French or Italian site though......

Thanks for the quick response.

Actually, I have the straight 6, but it is a guzzler. My move is for about 2yrs, so I guess that's my question. Is is worth it to transport so I don't have to sell it? Leaving my car parked for 2 yrs is not advisable.

As far as transport, how long does that take?

A couple points to consider...

* How old is the Lexus now? Will your employer guarantee you get blue book value if you sell it in LA rather than move it? This might work out cheaper for the company and easier for you. You might be able to negotiate $ toward a leased/purchased car on this end and avoid the cost of shipping here and back for the company. We sold our car prior to moving rather than dealing with the ship/store issue.

* Are you sure you'll only be here for 2 years? We moved here for 2 years over 9 years ago... Many expats stay longer than expected so this might affect your ship/sell/store decision.

* We knew an expat a number of years ago who was able to keep his US plates for more than a year, but he was on a shorter-term contract that kept getting extended so this might have affected his ability to keep the US plates. There might be an exemption available if you can show you're definitely leaving after 2 years.

* Lexus SUVs are more expensive here than in the US so if you're just going to "replace" yours with a new one here, you'll do better to ship your current SUV here yourself, depending on the shipping cost and who pays. (Just bought a 400h and love it, but know I paid more for it here than I would have in the US.)

Cost of port-to-port shipping: Appx. $2000 (one-way) (pick it up somewhere in France of Netherlands)
Takes about 3~4 weeks from west coast. You could do a road-trip USA, drive it to NY and save shipping cost and time
(11 days to ship)

Cost of airlift: ca. $7000


There are no major problems importing a car BUT:
-if you intend to get swiss license plates you will have to pay VAT (7.6%) + import tax (4%)

-you can drive it with your US plates for 1 year in CH (or is it 2 years? someone correct me pls..)
---> this means that you just drive it into the country (assuming you pick it up at a port) and don't do any paperwork. Be sure your US insurance is valid tho'.

-as an alternative, like someone already mentioned here, why not just lease a new one here?


my 2c

Greg

Are you sure? I though if you had owned it more than six months you can import is as part of your possessions.

D

Sorry I was wrong about the import taxes. If you bought the car longer than 6 months ago (in the US), you can import it tax-free as a "personal relocation item".

Ha-ha! I was just fixing my mistake hoping someone wouldn't spot it sooner

The rest all sounded convincing though!!

I am planning on importing a light duty truck...(I did so 2 years ago also and had some issues with the emissions sticker, b.c. it did not mention 'California on it' however it did pass the newest emssions tests in 2005-after I had to fork over way too many francs!)
Does anyone know the latest emssions requirements for light duty (US) trucks in Switzerland? The one I am looking at to buy emissions sticker reads ''meets US emissions requirements for light duty truck.....runs on gasoline and ethanol blends e0 to e85'' Got to love Corn!
Any info out there please?
Thanks a million
EVSimms

search for someone who imports US trucks - it'll be likely easier than a personal import, especially as the vehicle is not moving with you.

Also do search for "import car" and see some more information.

hi everyone, I'm new to the forum so please be easy on me!

my question is similar to this topic, so I thought I should post it here.

I live in the US, and just got a job offer from a company in Switzerland.

My options are: to continue living in the US, or move to Switzerland. (duh!)

I have also been considering buying a new car for a while now.

I learned that to import your car to Switzerland duty-free, you should have owned it for more than six months.

My question is (finally!) this: if I buy a car now, and then move to Switzerland three months later, can I keep my car for three more months in the US (with my wife) and then officially "import" the car?

In other words, do you have to bring your car with you when you start living in Switzerland, or can you have your car shipped later?

I tried to check Swiss-DOT pages, but they don't have an English version!

The short answer is no.

The slightly longer answer is you have one chance to import household furniture etc and vehicles without duty. All the items go on one form. If you put your vehicle on the form you should make a note that it will travel seperately and on a different date. However, you declare that on the date of completing the form that you have owned the items more than 6 months so what you intend to do would leave you, technically, liable to import duties.

It may be a bit more expensive to buy a vehicle here but the advantages coupled with less hassle probably outweigh the extra cost.

thanks swissbob!

I also read/heard somewhere else that as a 'foreigner' I can use the car with non-swiss license plates for up to two years (after when to pay taxes).

would that apply to my case then?

I guess the downside would be I would probably pay more insurance.

Maybe I misunderstood - are you coming on a fixed term 2 year contract? i.e. when you import the car do you intend to leave with it after two years?

If so then this could work for you but, of course, you will probably pay through the nose for insurance, will be stopped regularly by the cops to check your paperwork, and may have issues if you have a prang.

well, initially the position is for two years, with option to extend.

however I think after using the car with non-swiss license plates for two years, you either pay taxes, or take the car out of the country without paying taxes, right?

I don't think the prang will be an issue, as long as I can prove that I know the local traffic rules and have a good driving record.

In other words, I think the 'suspicious' part will be the 'foreign' driver, not the 'foreign' car, in a prang.

about the insurance, I live in a small town in the US and pay about $1500 for three 8+ year old cars (that's really a good deal here, I shop well!)

my Swiss city will be Lugano, if I move there. What would be the ballpark range for the car insurance bill, -say- for a 2007 toyota camry (or equivalent), in Lugano?

try Comparis they will give you an idea

assume 1500-2000 francs fully-comp for insurance. Assume you will have problems to get insurance locally on foreign-plated car.

You have ONE year to import the car. YOU start the clock ticking.

If you were coming from the EU, I would say take your chances. As you're coming from the US, I can only suggest consider strongly whether you're going to do it - based upon experiences I've heard of, it's not worth it.

that's not too bad. insurance prices are higher in the US then.

so does that mean I can buy a car now here in the US, move to Switzerland in October, and 'import' the car in January or February?

well, I was inclined NOT to do it, but then I got price quotes for a toyota prius (one of the cars I consider buying) and there is 10K+ price difference in US dollars!

doesn't that make it worth it?

Another point to consider when importing a car from the US is to check that the specification of the US model is identical to the European version. The reason I mention this is that a few years ago I knew someone who imported their car but found, when they had a mechanical problem, that the part had to be specially imported which took time and a lot of extra cost. If you have to rent another car while you wait it makes it a very expensive operation. It’s also a problem if you want to sell the car here.
It’s worth checking this with the manufacturer.