Frequently asked questions

Tell us what you have – make, model, body type, mileage, date of first registration, fuel, and your asking price if you have one – and send a few photos through the form or by WhatsApp. Pictures of all four sides, the living area, the dashboard showing the mileage, and anything that is damaged or no longer works are the most useful. We put together a non-binding offer on that basis, so the more complete your details, the closer the figure will be to what we can actually pay after seeing the vehicle.

In most cases you will have an offer within a day of sending us the details. It takes longer when something is missing – the mileage or the year, say – when the photos do not show much, or when the vehicle has an unusual body or conversion that we need to look into first. An outstanding lease can also mean a question back to you. We are reachable seven days a week, so you can send an enquiry at the weekend as well.

As a rule, we buy motorhomes of almost every make from model year 2005 onwards – overcab, low-profile and A-class as well as panel-van conversions. If yours is older, ask anyway: we also buy older vehicles and ones with defects for export. Condition, mileage, layout and equipment count for more than the year alone.

Yes. Besides motorhomes we buy campervans and converted panel vans, and caravans too. For a caravan, let us know the year, the layout and whether the body has any damp; for a campervan, whether the conversion was done by the manufacturer or later, and whether it is recorded in the Fahrzeugausweis (vehicle registration document).

Yes. We buy vehicles with technical defects and accident damage, so an expired MFK (the Swiss roadworthiness inspection), a missing gas check or damp in the body do not rule a vehicle out. What matters is that you tell us up front: the gas check confirms the gas installation is tight and safe, the MFK confirms the vehicle is roadworthy, and damp usually shows as stains, soft spots in walls or floor, or a musty smell – all of it goes into the offer. Anything left unsaid shows up at the inspection anyway and only costs time.

Yes, this comes up often. You give us the name of the leasing or finance company and sign an authority (Vollmacht); with that we request the settlement quote, the amount still owed to close the contract. That figure is taken into account in the purchase, and you see exactly what is left for you before you sign anything. If the settlement figure is higher than the purchase price, we tell you straight away and talk it through.

The first offer is non-binding for both sides, because it rests on your description and photos. At the inspection we compare the vehicle with what you told us; if it matches, there is no reason to move away from the figure. If something significant turns up that was not mentioned, we say so before you decide anything. The price becomes binding when both of us sign.

We collect the vehicle from your home anywhere in Switzerland at no cost to you, at a time agreed with you. On the day we look the vehicle over, put the sale in writing and take the Fahrzeugausweis, the keys and whatever paperwork you have – service book, manuals, receipts for gas checks or repairs. Please clear out your personal belongings beforehand; gas bottles, accessories and cables are things we sort out together at handover.

The method and timing of payment are put in writing before handover, so you know exactly when the agreed amount reaches you. If a lease is still running, the settlement figure is accounted for at this point. Do not hand over the vehicle, keys or Fahrzeugausweis until this is settled – that advice applies to us just as much as to any other buyer.

We take care of the deregistration (Annullierung) at the Strassenverkehrsamt, the cantonal road traffic office, on your behalf. This is more than paperwork: in Switzerland the registered keeper remains responsible for a vehicle until it is deregistered or registered to someone else. Only once the deregistration is done is the motorhome genuinely no longer your concern, wherever it goes afterwards. Keep your copy of the sales contract so you can prove the sale at any time.

Nothing changes on your side. Your contract is with Autoankauf Schweiz AG in Elgg, the sale takes place in Switzerland, and the export is our business – you deal with neither customs nor a buyer abroad. The one thing that matters is that the vehicle is no longer registered in your name before it leaves the country, which is exactly why we handle the deregistration ourselves. Export is often what makes it possible for us to buy older or damaged vehicles at all.

Monday to Sunday, 08:00 to 22:00, by phone or WhatsApp on 076 226 46 46. You can also write to info@wohnmobilankaufschweiz.ch or use the form on this page. Our office is at Aadorferstrasse 30, 8353 Elgg, in the canton of Zurich, but for the inspection and collection we come to you.