Maybe if you get a SUV you might have a higher resale value in the future.
I’d probably look at something like a Toyota RAV4.
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Can go safely beyond 100,000 km with Japanese cars in my view
140,000 km 2012 Nissan diesel still going strong, doesn’t feel anywhere near crappy or old and no major repairs (just battery, brake discs etc…)
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I’m pretty much set on this same idea. Buy used car with not a lot of km and then get rid of it before it’s too late 
Damn, I’m going always the other way:
- Buy a used car (at the moment Volvo XC60) for cheap and drive drive … at the moment over 245’000km.
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Not sure which brands and models you were looking for?
Perhaps holds only for a special niche.
For any “normal” type of car you would see at least 15-20% down in the first 2 years; even up to 40-50% after 3.
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I would be interested to know how that works?
Seems to be a very good deal!
How do you buy import cars from the EU? Do you buy it online and go to the EU to take it and drive back?
I do not own a car right now since I live in the centre of Zurich, but when I will buy one, I want to do it the best way possible.
I haven’t done it so far, but I think that lower price is possible thanks to:
- Generally lower prices than CH.
- Difference between VAT/TVA.
For example, in Poland there is 23% VAT, so if you buy a car there, you pay this tax only in CH → 7.7%. On top of that I think there is some additional tax for importing, but it’s quite low (4%?).
What is interesting to know about car prices in Poland is that what counts there, is the production date of the car, not the date of 1st registration. Because of that, around the last quarter of each year, there are big discounts for “old year” cars.
One thing to keep in mind - car companies try to avoid people shopping for their cars abroad. E.g. in case of VW, I was told that they won’t be able to give some additional discount initially offered, if the car won’t be registered in Poland. It may depend on the brand etc. Plus - I don’t know the current situation, as last time I bought the car there was around 2015.
Some additional ideas if you want to buy a new car cheaper in CH. A lot of companies have company discounts for specific brands - try to get this info from your current employer. Apart from that, there are some discounts for diplomats (e.g. if you work for international organisation). Finally, at least some time ago Volvo had some discounts for expats. Not sure if it’s still there, but a lot depends on the brand.
Just know that you will have to pay CO2 tax and other fees while the import, as well as a technical check for used cars.
Still could be cheaper, but again some hassle involved to get the import documents right.
(a bit more complicated than low price goods)
Because of the third kid I switched from my second hand kia ceed SW to a Toyota Prius+ 2014, bought with 110k km.
Is not gigantic like a sharan or a touran, very quiet, and has three separate seat in second row that can be reclined independently. With summer tires I get 5 lit/100km
Very happy so far!
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