Hi guys,
I am looking into my options for buying a car. based in Basel.
It will be most likely be second hand, a bmw 3, around 3 years old. Or a new passat.

I can think of few alternatives:
1- buy second hand in switzerland
2- buy second hand in germany, keep using german plate (possible?)
3- buy second hand in germany, import to CH
4- buy second hand in france, keep using french plate (possible?)
5- buy second hand in france, import to CH

which is usually best option?

aren't you the one with the 200K check? why second hand dude?

remember I am in finance? cars depreciate first 3 years a lot.

you can live in France or Germany and have local plates.

importing used may not be worth it.

you won't be leasing then?

the forum etiquette:
1) is at least to introduce yourself in the Introduction section (but I think after a few posts most already guessed what type of person you are)
2) do a search before asking questions
3) do your homework before asking

hmm, I think I will live in Basel. I do not have a company car, so could lease, but has to be private lease.

It depends on the price.
The more expensive the car, the higher the price-difference between Germany and Switzerland (generally), though I think it plateaus at some point...

If you live in CH, the car must be registered and insured in CH (STVA Basel website will probably tell you all that) and you must exchange your license.

I'd go 2nd hand Passat, but it's a personal preference.
There are, of course, much more 2nd-hand cars on offer in Germany as a whole - but you don't want to drive to Düsseldorf, Bochum or Braunschweig just to find that the car you wanted to take a look at is either sold already or just plain crap.
With your salary, your time should be worth something, too ;-)

It just gets more amusing. Keep posting and keep digging that hole.

I believe options 1, 3 and 5 are possible. But for some reason, I have heard of noone who has imported cars from France.

It should be not too difficult to import from Germany, and if you search this forum you will find very solid instructions.

Buying 3-4 years old car, is in my opinion not bad thing to do (as the cars depreciate a lot in the first few years). Opinions here vary a lot...

If I were you, moving to Basel, you will have many things to do and manage, so you dont have enough time to search and import cars from Germany. So I would go for buying a car in Switzerland. The easiest, and the difference wont be too much.

Or dig a post-hole and be done with it!

Tom

Taking your question at face value, for used cars, it is pretty close. But first of all, if you live in Switzerland, you MUST import your car and get Swiss plates within 12 months. I am presently driving a German-plated car in Switzerland, but the lease expires in less than 12 months, so I am getting away with it. I still get abused on the streets, though.

If you buy from a German dealership near the border, you will probably save a little money and more to choose from, and they should be able to handle the import formalities for you. Buying a Swiss used car makes it much easier to buy privately, since you aren't importing them. On the whole, it's not a very clear-cut decision, but I would lean to buying a Swiss car, having my service in my country, and just fewer headaches all around.