Lease Questions - Ask Here

outlandr23

Hey Car_Man -

Sorry for not responding sooner, I've been out of town. Anyway, the mistype was my fault - I'm looking at the G-35 Sedan, not the G-35 Coupe.

(need the larger 4D for the carseat!)

Thanks in advance!

dwynne

>> I am negotiating the purchase of a leased vehicle from a private party

You can do this. How hard/easy it is depends on the state you live in. In my state the leased vehicle title can only be transferred to the lessee OR a licensed dealer. Also here tax is due with title registration is done. So here (if you don't go through a dealer) you would face double taxation.

You have some options: buy it from the dealer where the car is turned in. You could get a better deal or maybe a worse deal this way - it all depends on the worth of the car. The lessee would still be responsible for over miles, tire and car condition and would have to pay for things not right. You could also have them CPO the car for you for extra expensive - but then you have a lot of warranty for your new-to-you car.

You can go through a car broker to handle this for you - and you don't have to wait until the car is turned in. The lessee could get a buyout quote from the lease bank now and you could work a deal. This would cost you a modest fee ($300-400) to have this handled.

Dennis

jeff15

Thanks car man. I'm not too thrilled about such a low residual so I think I better go to my fallback plan of getting another Lexus ES300. I am in Indiana - if I have a cap cost of around $33,000 for a car with a MSRP of around $35,500, what does a 12,000 mile 36 month lease work out to and what is the current residual and money factor? Thanks again.

njl

Car_man...you're fantastic.

New Jersey

Thanks

dwynne

>>I believe they lowered the selling price to >>$34,500
>>MSRP=$38,500
>>Selling Price=$34,500

If you check the incentives page here on Edmunds, you should see that BMW is offering $4,000 in dealer cash on 330i models ($2,000 or $2,500 on 325i models). If this is the case in your area, you are getting $0 actual discount on this car! I would say take the dealer cost (invoice) price and add $500 to $1,000 to it then take off the $4,000 to get a good price.

Dennis

dwynne

36 months, 12k miles per year (or 10k miles per year if they offer it) - on a V70r.

Thanks!
Dennis

aleaseb

Have you heard of prepaying for a leased vehicle to prevent paying a monthly car not? What do you think about it? Is this available at all dealers or certain dealers? I read about it in magazine and want to know more infortmaion.

petoz

For residual value calculation purposes, does the manufacturer (Audi in particular) take the x% of the MSRP or the invoice price for the car?

Petoz

aleaseb

What is a good convertible to lease?

dwynne

>> Mazda is not currently providing any sort of
>>lease support on the 2005 RX-8 and
>>unfortunately, I have not seen its standard
>>lease progam for this car recently. I can tell
>>you though that Mazda is providing its dealers
>>with up to $2,000 lease cash on this car to
>>help provide consumers with attractive
>>capitalized costs

Any more news on RX-8 lease deals? An idea of the buy rate money factor and residual % would be nice - even if there is no special. Figure on 36mo w/12k per year.

"Up to" $2,000 - who or what determings the "up to" ? This incentive is not listed on the Edmunds incentives page, by the way.

Dennis

dwynne

What price range?

The S2000 held really strong resale value for a long time and made for a sweet lease deal. Lots of them on the used market and the car is in its 6th year means resale values have dropper so does not lease quite as good.

Vovlo can't seem to give their convertibles away and most dealers have left over 04s still on the lot and Volvo has LOTS of money on them to help them move.

Left over Miata cars have a lot of money on them too. The local dealers all have a few MiataSpeed (turbo) models they will sell for invoice less $4,000 or so in rebates. Would not make a super lease car (left overs usually do not) but you could buy it for pretty cheap.

Dennis

ev12

Car_man,

Based on the prices paid discussions and preliminary quotes from local dealerships, I believe I can get my 2005 Pilot EXL w/ leather and DVD for $29,200 (incl. destination) or $31,400 out the door with taxes and fees. Could you provide me with payment info for this deal?
And what are the MF and RV for this?
Thank you,
ev12

CarMan@Edmunds

No problem, nickmo. Let's work up a lease payment on this car and see what we come up with. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2005 BMW Z4 2.5 with an MSRP of $37,210 and a selling price of $32,600 through BMW Financial Services right now for 3 years with 10,000 miles per, your zero down, pre-tax monthly payment should be around $405.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi Robert. I could easily crease an Excel file to use to calculate lease payments, but I usually don't send files to community members. It would be easier if you would use the lease calculator that is available right here at Edmunds.com: Edmunds.com Lease Calculator. If you would rather use Excel, you can always create a file using the formula that is outlined in the following article: Calculate Your Own Lease Payment.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Good job on not putting any money down on your lease, rjorge3. The $4,000 down payment that your friend made is way too much money to put down when leasing. In answer to your question about the "rent charge," vehicles' lease payments are made up of two main components, the depreciation portion and the interest portion. The "rent charge" represents the amount of interest that you are paying. You may have been able to negotiate a slightly lower selling price on this car if you had shopped around.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi Petoz. Are you interested in the 2005 Audi S4 or the new 2005.5 S4? I ask because these cars' lease programs are different.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi again njl. According to the latest information that I have seen, if you were to lease a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 Sedan without 4Matic through Mercedes-Benz Credit Corp. right now for 39 months with 15,000 miles per, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00310 and 55%, respectively for consumers who qualify for its Tier 1 credit tier. When negotiating your lease on this car, keep in mind that Mercedes-Benz is providing $2,000 dealer cash on it that will help you to negotiate an attractive capitalized cost.

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petoz

2005. The outgoing year that did not change from 2004.

Btw, do you know if there are any incentives on it that may not be listed on edmunds?

CarMan@Edmunds

No problem, jdkx2. I am aware of what Nissan's VPP program is. NMAC's current 3 year, 15,000 miles per base lease money factor and residual value for the 2005 Nissan Titan King LE 4WD are .00136 and 56%, respectively. This lease program is technically supported and cannot be combined with the $1,500 customer cash that is available on this truck this month. I highly doubt that you could lease this truck for less that you could through NMAC by taking advantage of the customer cash and leasing it through an independent bank, but I do not personally follow all of the lease programs that are being offered by non-captive finance companies.

I am not personally familiar with how sales tax is calculated on leased vehicles in Texas, but you may be able to find out more information on this subject by visiting on of the following sites: Texas Department of Transportation Expressway or Texas Taxes.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Lovebmw330i, I just calculated a sample lease payment on a 2005 BMW 330i with an automatic transmission and the Sport Package for you (MSRP: $40,320 / invoice: $36,960) According to my calculations, if you were to lease this car through BMW Financial Services at $1,000 over invoice minus the $4,000 dealer cash for 3 years with 12,000 miles per, your zero down, pre-tax monthly payment should be around $464. This is not a pre-paid lease. If you were to pay for this entire lease in advance, it would reduce its lease money factor by .00080 and drop its monthly cost to around $420 before tax. The total cost for this lease if you were to pre-pay it should be around $15,120 plus BMW FS' lease acquisition fee of $625 and a security deposit.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Greetings jbtwo. I would be more than happy to try to give you an idea of what this truck's current lease program is like. However, in order for me to do so I need you to tell me how long you want to lease it for and how many miles per year you need to be able to drive it. Let me know and I will let you know.

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keeferb

Hi Car_man,

I looked at the Ford web site and it looks like they are actually posting their lease rates in their 'Incentives and Rebates' section. However, the rate they are posting for the 36 month lease is 7%. Obviously this is quite different than the 1.75% you found. I'm just wondering if the rates changed since you looked at them.

Thanks again.

lovebmw330i

Thanks car man you are the bomb! So $17,500 is not a great deal, and I should offer $16,500 max. They should not be charging for finance fees like you said since I am paying it in full.
Thanks again for all your help and patience with us first time lessors.
Mike

jbtwo

3years 12,000 miles per year. Thanks.

jetfan

New to the board. Looking for help. I have $500.00 a month to spend & want to put nothing down ( not even 1st payment or inception fees). If that is not possible, will put up to $500.00 down. Would like a sedan with AWD. I am interested in BMW, Audi, Infiniti, Volvo & Mercedes. What cars & deals are available to me in this price range? I have excellent credit & will be looking for 12K a year. Thanks for your help.

go8

I ended up with a Saab, but I also looked closely at a BMW 330xi. The MSRP was 43.8k. The lease they offered was $554/mth with 0 down 12k a year miles. NJ sales tax was included but you still need to pay bank fee of $695. Hope this helps give you a benchmark to start.

Go8

funky1020

Hey Car-man, the $3392.00 includes the 1st month's payment, taxes, bank fee and acquisition fee.

vansrikanth

Hi!

I got a quote for a Toyota Sienna LE with Option Package 6 + running boards and spoiler. The invoice price is 26489. The money factor was .61. The price dealer used for the quote was 250 less than the invoice price.

With a 1500 down payment, I was quoted 314.00 a month (after taxes). Sales Tax rate in my home city is 8.75%. My FICO score is 725 and I have monthly gross in 5 figures. Can someone please tell me whether this is a good deal? If not, what should be the amount I should be paying.

Thanks and regards

Sri.

dwynne

Like renting an apartment, you will have to pay the first month's payment even on a "no money down" lease. Most of the lease banks will let you roll the inception fee and maybe the security deposit in the lease, but you pay more per month.

With the promo deals on 3 series BMWs that might be an option for you as would the Infiniti G35x. A few Volvos might work for you as well.

Dennis

assangbid

I just got back from a dealership in Southern California and here's their best quotation on a 05 Touring Manual:
MSRP: $34640
Invoice: $31640
Their offered price: $31949
Edmunds Invoice Price: $30700
residual: $15870
Money Factor: 0.00200
36 months/36000 miles
$895 due at signing
Monthly Payment: $399 + tax
They originally offered me $464 + tax monthly.
What do you guys think of this deal? I think it's too much. It's for a Touring Manual with no other options, except it comes with floor mats, splash guards, etc and that's why they explained there is a difference in the invoice pricing from Edmunds. I'm also considering leasing a G35/FX35. Any comments on this deal would be appreciated. Thanks!!

dwynne

Talk about all over the map, looking at the Z and an FX35? Pretty different rides, aren't they :-)

At carsdirect.com, you can build a 350z, touring, manual, splash guards, alum. kick plate, trunk and floor mats, and cargo package and it comes to $34,640 MSRP and invoice of $31,649. So there is about $3k of markup in the car no matter how they slice it. If the window sticker lists these as factory options, you have to account for them in the dealer's cost - you can't just Edmunds invoice for just the car.

You must have the residual wrong, if you use $31,949 for the cap cost and the residual you posted ($15,870) with the money factor you posted it would be $542.28 + taxes each month. If I solve for the $399 payment, the residual I get is $21,425 for a 36 month lease.

They are offering you the car for $309 more than dealer cost (less hold back) and the MF is OK - around 4.8%. Get your numbers right - the residual or something must be off - and that will sound like a good deal to me.

Dennis

wifeneedsvan

Car_man-

I am seeking your knowledge, wise one. I am looking at the 2005 EX w/ Leather and Rear Entertainment System. The MSRP is $28,987 and the dealer price quote is $31,500. Could you help me out the residual, money factor and monthly payment with nothing down (you can assume I qualify for America Honda Finance's highest credit rating). Thanks in advance!

krishno22

Was going to look into upgrading to a 4 door Civic LX until someone posted that they could get an Altima for $0 down and $159 a month for 24 months.

I went into the dealership today and was told that the only program they had right now was $2600 down and $99 a month for 24 months. I told him I didn't want to put any money down and mentioned the $159 a month. He said that the closest he could get me was $279 a month with $0 down. He claims that the $2600 down program means that he is selling the car for $500 over invoice.

MSRP $20,550
Edmunds Invoice $18,425
Sale price $18,925? (Never quoted me that exact figure)

Trying to do the math. I think Car Man said that the residual was 59% and the money factor was .00060

Using the Edmunds calculator and the above info, I got a monthly payment of $403.55 with tax.

So is it worth the money down? Is my math all jumbled? Thanks for any advice.

steine13

$2,600 down on a 24-month lease should knock how much off the payment?
Gotta be $110, give or take two bucks.

So the $99 goes to $210, not $279.

-mathias

smith83

Car Man. I have pretty much decided on a 2006 GS 300 AWD with an MSRP of $47,800.00. The dealer is willing to come off $900.00 but is only offering a MF of .00275, even though I have qualified for Tier 1 Credit. Do you know if Lexus can do better on this MF? Also, the dealer is adding $1,011.00 to the price of the car for a Cap Cost Adjustment. What is this for? Where should my payments be on a 3 year 15k mile lease?

Thanks.

ncdriver1

Car_man, thank you for the information. Do you happen to know Mazda's lease acquisition fee in North Carolina? Also, does Mazda charge a disposition fee at the lease end? Thanks again.

dwynne

The buy rate money factor is 0.00205 - so the dealer is jacking up the rate to make extra money off of you.

They are coming off $900, but adding $1,011 back on to the price - so the net is you are paying OVER MSRP for the car. You may not have much choice with so few Lexus dealers around, but I think I would take my business elsewhere.

The residual on your car should be $27,724 (58%) so with the buy rate MF the payments would be $712.49 if you get the car at full MSRP (no discount, no overpay). You would pay the first month, security deposit (if required) and inception fee at signing.

I would not buy or lease a new GS, M35/M45, or RL right now. The dealers are not dealing on them and there are no great lease deals. The dealer is making $6,000 or more off of you if you take the GS at MSRP! I don't mind them making a fair profit off a deal, but the $5000-6000 and more profit margins on these cars at MSRP is just way too much money to leave on the table.

Keep in mind, your dealer was not happy just to make $6k+ off of you, they even jacked up your MF.

Dennis

peteg

I currently have a 2002 Lexus SC430, 42k miles and fully paid off. I love the car, its in excellent condition, but the warranty expiration is rapidly approaching, 50k miles. I'm wondering whether I should sell or trade it and lease a new one? How can I run the numbers and what should I be evaluating?

lbumbalo

first let me just specify that the G35x in question here also included the premium package with navigational system. now, with that in mind, my question is - is it normal to have approx $3500 in taxes and fees? I was told this total amount was a combination of first month, security deposit, bank fee (or acquisition fee), sales tax, plates, registration, etc. So i paid this up front and have an ongoing monthly lease payment of $450/mo. i felt kind of good about the price at first, but now am questioning it. or the dealer suggested i can just pay about $1100 up front and then have my monthly payments increased to $523/month. what are your thoughts?

dwynne

The promo I see for the Altima is for a 2.5s with mats, protection pack, and splash guards. MSRP is $20,620. $1,699 due at signing ($1,500 cap cost reduction, $199 first month, $0 security). Net cap cost is $19,042 and includes the $550 acquisition fee. Residual is $14,434 (70%). The money factor is a LOW 0.0002 (less than 1/2%).

If you increase the cap cost by $900 (to get to $2,600 out of pocket that your dealer quoted)the payment would go to $161.02. If you increase it by $1,100 (for $2,600 cap cost plus first month) the payment drops to $152.64. To get to $99 a month by my math, you would have to put down $4,080.

The dealer in MA that is doing $149 with $0 down - must be way deep into the hold back to offer that.

BTW, Honda has a special deal on the Accord LX (which is a nicer car than the Altima). $199 per month with $2,493 due at signing. The MF works out to about 0.9% on this one. You can pay less up front (with a higher monthly payment) if you like.

Dennis

assangbid

Actually, those are the figures that the dealer provided. I copied the numbers down and I asked the dealer twice about their residual value as I also think it's kind of low. They emphasized that they lay everything on the table and all numbers are correct.

CarMan@Edmunds

You're welcome, smith83. What do you dislike so much about the Acura TL? I could see paying a lot of money to get out of your current lease if you were dying to get your dream car, like an Audi A6, which is fairly different. However, the Lexus ES 330 is a very similar vehicle to the TL.

Let's work up some sample lease payments on the models that you are considering for you. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2005 Audi A6 3.2 with an MSRP of $48,670 and a Cap Cost of $47,162 through Audi Financial Services right now for 3 years with 15,000 miles per, its zero down, pre-tax monthly payment should be around $675.

If you were to lease a 2005 Lexus ES 330 without navigation with an MSRP of $37,415 and a Cap Cost of $35,469 through Lexus financial Services right now for 3 years with 15,000 miles per, its zero down, pre-tax monthly payment should be around $486.

If you were to lease a 2005 Lexus GS 300 without navigation with an MSRP of $45,679 and a Cap Cost of $44,779 through LFS right now for 3 years, with 15,000 miles per, its zero down, pre-tax monthly payment should be around $679.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Welcome back, outlandr23. I know the feeling of having to drive a sedan but secretly wanting a coupe all too well my friend. Thanks for the clarification. OK, let's take a look at this car's current lease program. Infiniti Financial Services' current base lease money factor and residual value for a 3 year, 15,000 miles per lease of a 2005 G35 RWD Sedan are .00179 and 60%, respectively. Using these numbers, an MSRP of $32,470, and a selling price of $30,600, I come up with a zero down, pre-tax monthly payment of around $399. At lease signing with this deal, you would have to pay this car's first month's payment of $399, a security deposit of $400, and IFS' acquisition fee of $550 (this charge is higher in some states).

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CarMan@Edmunds

No problem, jeff15. The Lexus ES 330 has much higher residual values than the Volvo S80. If you were to lease a 2005 Lexus ES 330 without navigation through Lexus Financial Services right now for 3 years with 12,000 miles per, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00145 and 58%, respectively. Using these numbers, an MSRP of $35,500, and a selling price of $33,000, I estimate that this car should have a zero down, pre-tax monthly payment of around $423.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Thanks njl. New Jersey is in General Motors' northeast region. It is not providing any additional bonus cash on this car in that area, other than the $1,000 that is available on units that have been in dealer inventory for 125 days or longer.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Dennis, if you were to lease a Volvo V70 R through Volvo Finance right now for 3 years with 12,000 miles per, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00175 and 55%, respectively. The money factor for an otherwise identical lease with 10,000 miles per year would be exactly the same, but the residual value would be 1% higher.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi aleaseb. Whether or not one can pre-pay for a lease depends upon the bank that the lease is through and has nothing to do with the dealership that the car is obtained from. Most banks allow consumers to pay for entire leases in advance. Doing so does not completely eliminate having to pay interest, but it does usually reduce the lease money factor that is used to calculate the interest portion of your lease.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Aleaseb, a number of convertibles have attractive lease programs available on them right now. A few that come to mind are the Audi TT, the BMW Z4 (this car's support is in the form of dealer cash rather than lease money factor), Chrysler Crossfire, Jaguar XK8, and Saab 9-3 Convertible.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi Petoz. Vehicles' residual values based upon a percentage of their base MSRPs, including destination charges, plus the MSRPs of any options that may be residualized.

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CarMan@Edmunds

I haven't seen any information on Mazda RX-8 leases lately. If I had to guess at what its lease money factors were like on this car right now, I would say that they probably are around .00300 to .00320 for consumers who qualify for its top credit tier. I can tell you that Mazda is providing $1,000 customer and $1,000 dealer cash on leases of the '05 RX-8 through its captive finance company. I am not personally involved with the maintenance of Edmunds.com incentives page. If there is information that is missing from it, you can report it to the appropriate party by using the following link: Edmunds.com Help Page.

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