Ford Fusion Lease Questions

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi everyone. Please use the following discussion to post any questions that you have about leasing a Ford Fusion. Thanks.

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jpmiller99

Definitely want to Lease a New Fusion! Can hardly wait for new promotion to come out. It shouldn't be long once sales plummet following the end of employee pricing. All of these cars are just too expensive at MSRP.

Hoping for special lease deals soon.

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi jpmiller99. The Ford Fusion is a pretty nice new car. Ford is already providing a little lease support on it in the form of interest rates as low as 3.75% and a total of $1,000 in cash incentives that can be used to reduce this model's capitalized cost. I suspect that the lease program on this car will become more aggressive in the future, but only time will tell for certain.

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mi_sat

Interested in knowing interest rates and residuals on the Milan, as follows:

Two-year:
(a) 15,000 miles
(b) 17,000 miles (or nearest mileage)

Three-year:
(a) 15,000 miles
(b) 17,000 miles (or nearest mileage)

Anyone with that info? I'm in metro Detroit area. Thanks

jpmiller99

Thanks Car_Man. Already the deal sounds OK. I'm waiting for it to get better. High oil prices, uncertainty over inflation, the need to run the plants, and the saturation of demand from the "family plan" discounts, will all conspire to drive up incentives, as you suspect.

mi_sat

I get to answer my own question. Thought everyone else would like to know what I found out.

Two years, 15k miles: 57% residual, 2.5%
Three years, 15k miles: 49%, 2.75%

Rates/residuals courtesy of my local mercury dealer.

Now if I could only calculate the same lease payment my dealer did. His calc is $18/month higher than mine, which means he is padding the costs with something. I buy A-plan, and he and I agreed on MSRP and A-plan price; he provided residual and interest rate. Yet, we're still different by $18/month. (Shock: His payment is higher than my calculation.)

I always insist on the same lease calculation payment before buying to ensure no padding of costs. A-plan doesn't allow doc prep fees, etc., so it must be something like rustproofing.

jpmiller99

Ask him to go over the payment detail with, including CAP Cap, Residual, Money Factor. There is usally a lease aquisition fee, and maybe he included taxes, but you didn't?

jpmiller99

I may be out of the running on a Fusion. A 3 yr residual of 49% stinks. Unless the rebates bump up and the money factor goes down, I may be visiting my local Honda dealer for an accord with a 57% 3 year 15K mile residual.

mi_sat

Good thoughts. I did include taxes, as did he. I have never paid a lease acquisition fee before, as evidenced by the fact that I have always been able to calculate the lease payment down to the penny. I am not certain that such a fee is allowed under A-plan. I guess I won't lease until I'm comfortable with the payments.

mi_sat

Last I checked on an Accord, the money factor translated into a 6.1% interest rate.

I ran the payments on a fully loaded Milan at the Accord's 57% residual and 6.1% interest rate to see what impact it had. The payment was only $4/month less when using the Accord's assumptions on the Milan. Bottom line was that the Accord's residual lowered the payment while its interest rate increased it. Net net was close to a wash.

My Milan assumptions (fully loaded -- cannot get any more factory installed options): MSRP $26,290; A-Plan $23,360; Rate: 2.75%; Residual: 49%; Rebate: $1,000 (this is the present offering). Resulting payment was $322/month for 36 months (incl 6% sales tax).

This comparison isn't to determine which vehicle is better. Rather, just to illustrate the impact of all the assuptions going into the lease payment. Hope this helps with your decision.

One more point: Fusion residual may differ; I was interested in a Milan.

jpmiller99

Thanks for your reply. I can always wait for special interest on the Accord or the Passat. Unfortunately, I doubt that the Fusion residual is going up anytime time.

CarMan@Edmunds

You're welcome jpmiller99. Smaller cars seem to be selling fairly well right now because of the high gas prices. In fact a number of manufacturers actually cut back on their incentives on small cars a little bit this month. Ford cut back on its 2006 Focus support a little bit in October. Eventually though Ford will probably have to sweeten its offers on the Fusion as you suspect.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Mi_sat, Honda has a new special lease program on the 2006 Accord (it introduced it in late September). So if that is a car that you are considering you may want to reevaluate what its lease payment will be like. It now may be less expensive to lease than the Milan.

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mi_sat

Do you have the residual and money factor for a 36 month, 15,000 mile Accord lease under the new program? Thanks.

CarMan@Edmunds

Hey mi_sat. I would be happy to answer any other questions that you have about leasing a Ford Fusion or Mercury Milan in this discussion, but for specific questions about the Honda Accord you really need to stop by the following discussion: "Honda Accord: Lease Questions".

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nvnick

Read an article this week that Ford has made it a bit less expensive to lease a Fusion. Do you have the details? 24/36 month residuals & MF's for 15k miles/yr on the V6?

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi nvnick. This car's lease program varies by trim level and you never mentioned exactly which on you want, so for now I will give you an idea of what Ford's current lease program on the 2006 Fusion S. If you were to lease this car through Ford Credit right now for 24 months with 15,000 miles per year, its base lease rate and residual value should be 3.75% and 55%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical 36 month lease should be 4.25% and 45%. As you can see, Ford publishes lease rates instead of money factors for the vehicles that it leases. You can convert its published lease rates into approximate money factor equivalents by dividing them by 2400. When negotiating your lease on this car, keep in mind that Ford is currently provising $500 lease cash on it.

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gidoc

Car Man,

Could you supply the MF and RV currently being offerred on the V6SEL? 12K, 36 mo's. Thanks.

CarMan@Edmunds

Here you go, gidoc. If you were to lease a 2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6 through Ford Credit right now for 36 months with 12,000 miles per year, its base lease rate and residual value should be 4.25% and 52%, respectively. As you can see, Ford publishes lease rates instead of money factors for the vehicles that it leases. You can convert its published lease rates into approximate money factor equivalents by dividing them by 2400. When negotiating your lease on this car, keep in mind that Ford is currently providing $500 lease cash plus a $500 bonus for deals through Ford Credit ($1,000 total) on it. This money will help you to negotiate an attractive capitalized cost for your lease.

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goldyca

I see Ford has revised the Fusion lease parameters in their current lease program. I would like to know what the 36 mo rate for the Fusion is, as well as the 12k and 15k residual(4cyl vs 6. What is the per mi penalty for more than 15k? Is there a reliable site that posts this info?

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi there goldyca. I'd be happy to give you an idea of what this car's lease program is currently like. Its exact lease rate and residual vary depending upon the trim level that you want. For now I will compare the lease program for the SE 4-cylinder and V6 models for you. Let me know if you want a different model. If you were to lease a 2006 Ford Fusion SE 4-cyl. through Ford Credit right now for 36 months with 15,000 miles per year, its base lease rate and residual value should be 3.25% and 50%, respectively. Interestingly, the lease program for the '06 Fusion SE V6 is exactly the same. If you were to lease either of these cars with only 12,000 miles per year, their residual values would be 2% higher. Ford credit charges consumers who exceed their vehicle's mileage allowance $0.15 per mile for vehicles with a MSRP less than or equal to $30,000 and $0.20 per mile for vehicles with a MSRP greater than $30,000. When negotiating your lease on this car, remember that Ford is providing $500 lease cash plus a $500 Ford Credit bonus ($1,000 total) on it. This money will help you to negotiate an attractive capitalized cost. Also, Ford is waiving the first month's payment on Ford Credit leases through the end of the month.

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crackerjack1

I am planning to lease a Fusion and do not have a preference on which one (S, SE, SEL, I4 or V6). I can drive a manual if I thought that was the "best deal". I qualify for the A plan price. Have you compared the trim levels and options to see which ones would be a better deal? I'm trying to avoid going 'cheap' i.e. getting a manual transmission and then having a lower residual when I could have 'upgraded', gotten a higher residual and therefore ended up paying the same. I guess what I want to know is which one is the "best value" even if I pay a little more each month.

jpmiller99

Car_man,
Since there is no Milan Lease forum, I figured that I'd post here.

I'm looking at leasing a Milan Premium for either 2 or 3 years. (Probably 2 yr/12K per year.)

I figure that if the MSRP=22K, I can buy it for 19K (Cap Cost) including A-Plan Price (20K)- 1K in rebates (19K Cap Cost excl. ttl.)

I think 2yr /12k yr residual is 60% of MSRP,and a 3yr= 50%. With an interest rate of 3.5 percent for either lease, I came up with a 2yr no money down payment of $288/month+tax/title/tag, or a 3 yr 36 mo payment of 280/month.

Considering the car will be in better shape at the end of 2yrs than 3, and that I can get A-Plan Pricing, I am leaning toward a 2 yr. (I don't want to put tires/brakes on it to turn it in.)

How do my numbers look to you?

Thank,
Jim Miller
Assumn

Karen_S

A magazine reporter is hoping to talk with some Fusion owners. Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, March 29, 2006 containing your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience with the vehicle.

Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

burge

Hello,

Can anybody supply the current Fusion Lease payments, lease rate and residual percent for 2 and 3 years?

qtpykell

Hi Car man,

can you tell me the residual and base lease rate on the ford fusion SEL V6 with all options for a 24 month lease, 12K miles per year? Also, are there any rebates still present?
Thanks!

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi burge. You never mentioned the selling price or MSRP of the car that you are interested in leasing. These are important numbers for you as a consumer to know for two reasons. First, the selling prices of leased vehicles can be negotiated, just as if you were paying cash for them. Without knowing this car's selling price in relation to its MSRP you don't know how much of a discount you are getting on it. The second reason is that one needs the selling price and MSRP, including the destination charge, of a vehicle to calculate its lease payment. I would be more than happy to work up a sample lease payment on the car that you are interested in for you if you let me know what these numbers are.

In the meantime, I can tell you what this car's lease program is like. Its' exact numbers will vary depending upon which trim level you want. For now I will assume that you want a Fusion "S" model. Let me know if you want something different. If you were to lease a 2006 Ford Fusion S through Ford Credit right now for 24 months with 15,000 miles per year, its base lease rate and residual value should be 6.75% and 54%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical 36 month lease should be 6.0% and 44%.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Here you go, qtpykell. If you were to lease a 2006 Ford Fusion SEL V6 through Ford Credit right now for 24 months with 12,000 miles per year, its base lease rate and residual value should be 6.75% and 60%, respectively. When negotiating your lease on this car, keep in mind that Ford is currently providing $1,000 lease cash plus up to an additional $1,000 down payment match on it. These incentives will help you to negotiate an attractive capitalized cost.

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rammyr

Is this a good deal?...
36-month lease on a Ford Fusion SE, 4-cyl., 0% downpayment, CAD$490/month with reidual value at CAD$13,900. Initial payment of $700 to get the car out the door.
This is the deal I'm given and I'd like to know if this is a good one compared to others. What would be a 'great' deal in this case? How low do you know it can go? Would appreciate your inputs on this. Thanks!

ral2167

doesn't that seem way too high? couldn't you get an accord SE for $200 a month less?

seems way way way too high. am i nuts?

rammyr

yes, it does seem high, doesn't it? they're saying that its because of the zero downpayment. the base lease price is CAD$360/month plus taxes.
with the residual value, it comes out to $28,540 canadian dollars or about $23,800 US dollars... if i buy the car at the end of the lease.
the car has auto tranny and alum wheels. is it still a bad deal?
looks like its not! your feedback please?

honda was leasing me a civic dx for CAD$408/month with a CAD$6,000 downpayment.

brak

Carman,

My 2004 F-150 XLT RCL expires 08/06.....I want a Fusion SE MSRP is $22,595. Ford dealer said I could trade prior to lease end. Do you think incentives will get better by August or should I look at doing it now?
Also, what are the current lease rate and RV for 36 month lease? Incentives?
Thanks......

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi brak. Consumers usually lose money by trying to get out of their leased vehicles before the scheduled ends of their deals. If I was in your situation, I personally would wait until July or August to lease a new vehicle. While I don't know the specifics of your current lease, I suspect that Ford's lease program on the Fusion would have to get substantially worse (which I find highly unlikely) for you to com out ahead by leasing now.

Ford's lease program for this car varies depending upon what part of the country you are in. If you tell me the name of your home state, I'd be happy to give you an idea of what this car's current lease program is like.

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brak

Thanks for the quick response....
I am in Houston Texas. I wonder if I could order a 2007 to arrive in August. If leasing, can you order a car?
Can you haggle when ordering or only on cars on the lot?
I am also looking at a Saturn ION...(see post under Saturn Lease) Both dealers said then could buy out my lease (two payments left) and either apply any equity or roll balance to new vehicle lease. My truck lease is 24 month Red Carpet option so I can walk away....I am at 21K miles with allowable 24k.

CarMan@Edmunds

You're welcome, brak. Consumers can lease ordered vehicles, however I do not believe that Ford Credit has published a lease program yet. As a result, it is impossible to say exactly how much this car will cost to lease. The dealer that you place your order with won't even know until the 2007 Focus begins to arrive at dealers. You should still be able to negotiate the selling price of an ordered vehicle, but you probably will not be able to get as good a deal on an ordered car than you will be able to get that a dealer already has in stock. This is because dealers would rather seal the deal and take consumers off the market right away rather than place an order for them and possibly have it fall through. Also, dealers are paying floorplan interest on their current inventory and want to sell any vehicles that they have in stock as quickly as possible.

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ocrx66

Hi Carman:

I have narrowed my vehicle down to a Ford Fusion 6 cylinder SEL and I have a couple questions. I will be leasing thru FMC with an x plan and this is what the dealer has told me re: residuals and the money factors in the 44116 zip code:

24 months: 60% residual @12k per year
58% residual @15k per year
3% m.f. on both;

36 months: 51% residual @12k per year
49% residual @15k per year
3.25% m.f. on both.

1) Are the quoted numbers re: the above as given by the dealer accurate? 2) Is there any maunufacturer to dealer incentives, in adddition to the $1000.00 customer cash available.

Even though I can get with an x-plan the dealer sounds like he wants to pick up the last couple of pymnts. on my current lease so it makes me believe there may be a direct incentive from FMC directly to the dealer that is not readily published. Its also the end of the month and I suspect they are trying to make quota. Any infor. you could provide would be deeply appreciated as i want to get this done within the next couple of days.
THANKS IN ADVANCE

ocrx66

Carman

I forgot, do you also have the stats. for the current advertised lease special for a Fusion 4 cylinder automatic with the same parameters!
Thanks again!

flightnurse

I was under the impression that with Ford RCL was, if you were with-in the last 3 months of your lease and leased another ford through thier RCL program that ford well wave those last 3 month payments...

Tony/PHX :P

rj123456

First-time ever lessee, did I do ok?

I leased a blue Zephyr late on Memorial Day with the following options:
* HID lights
* THX
* Chrome wheels
* Cooled seats

MSRP including destination charge ~ $32,540
Cap cost ~ $26,288
Residual ~ $16,270
Payments including 8.25% CA tax for 39 months: ~$293.

10,500 miles per year, with 25 cents/miles beyond that. I've averaged less than 8K/year on my previous car so I should be ok with the mileage cap.

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi ocrx66. The lease rates that you were quoted for this car are right in line with Ford Credit's current base lease program for it. I don't believe that Ford is providing any cash incentives on the '06 Fusion, other than the $1,000 bonus cash.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi ocrx66. Ford's lease program for this car varies depending upon what part of the country you are in. If you tell me the state that you plan on leasing your car in, I would be happy to give you an idea of what its current lease rate and residual value should be.

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hgershman

Carman

I may be leasing a Fusion SE or SLE in the near future as well...if you could please furnish me with magic leasing numbers for 12,000 miles over 36 months for New York, I 'd appreciate it. Thanks.

seekingbargain

I was wondering if I got a real A-plan price, because when I was calling for quotes there was quite a bit of variation:

2006 Ford Fusion SE 4 cyl with auto and sport package for $222/mo 36 mo; 10,500 mi/yr low mileage lease with nothing out of pocket. Some were quoting $50 more per month.

softballdad3

We bought 2006 Ford Fusion five months ago and love it. We bought it for wife to commute to work 126 miles a day and to replace the 2003 Focus.

What I wonder is why someone would want to lease this car unless it will be your family car and not a commuter car.

Leasing and 12000 miles goes by fast.We have only leased one time in our life and it was Dodge SUV with 15,000 miles and it almost buried us time we got out from under the contract. I for one would never lease again and I understand if its a company you get write-off but most people can not even do that!

Five months and our Fusion goes in on June 28,06 for service so that would mean about 25,000 for the year.I know many commuters don't drive this far five days a week but the extra cost! Then at end of lease if they find anything it cost you more and many dealers go out of their way to find something! :shades:

flightnurse

softballdad3 leaseing isn't for everybody. There are tax advantages to lease if you own a business. The other positive is, if you are someone who doesn't drive much, less then 12-15K miles a year, you can get into a new car every 24-36 months with little or no cash out of pocket and have payment that are much smaller then if you bought. Just because it didn't work for you don't mean it doesn't work for others.

Tony :shades:

softballdad3

Tony, I think my point was with the Fusion for most people like ourselves its a commute car and to run around town shopping and type things. It doesn't take long to have the miles put you over the limit.

On the lease I was talking about SUV was our family car for vacations and hauling softball girls to tournaments. We couldn't stay under 15000 miles unless we parked it three months a year.

Then too we would see at the end of the lease we owned nothing and if we bought the SUV yes payments would have been a little higher but another year we would own a four year old SUV!

CarMan@Edmunds

Her you go, hgershman. If you were to lease a 2006 Ford Fusion SE 4-cylinder through Ford Credit in New York right now for 36 months with 12,000 miles per year, its base lease rate and residual value should be 3.25% and 52%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical lease of a 2006 Fusion SEL 4-cylinder should be 3.25% and 51%. Let me know if you are interested in the V6 models instead of the 4-cylinder models.

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CarMan@Edmunds

Hi seekingbargain. Getting Ford's A-Plan price means that you got an attractive set price for the car that you are interested in. $222 per month with nothing due at lease signing sounds like a very good payment for this car, especially if other dealers were quoting you $50 per month more for an identical vehicle. The A-Plan price should not vary from dealer to dealer, but one never knows what is going to happen so it is important to have the dealer or dealers that you are working with provide you with your vehicle's actual selling price. This price is easy to compare when getting quotes from multiple dealers.

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vwvw1

Hello, I'm looking at leasing a Fusion SE 4 cyl with automatic & Sport pkg. MSRP is $19,800. Can you give me the lease numbers for 3yr/12k for Mass and NH? What kind of discounts are on the cars? Thank you!

scape2

Please explain to me how a lease benefits a private customer. Leases are in my book a loose, loose situation. After paying all that money you get nothing, nada, zilch. You don't own a thing. Why lease? After they want to sell you the car for high blue book, and pay yet another 3-5 years on the vehicle!!!
Why lease, someone pleas explain.... :sick:

flightnurse

Will if you look at a lease as a loose-loose situation then it would hard to convince you other wise. But basically for the pvt person, it allows them to get a new car every couple of years for very little money.

Let say you wanted to lesse a BMW 330i (Now this is for comparision and not for real) to lease one, you can walk into the dealer, pay small amount up front (say $1900) and payments of $450/m for 24 months. If you bought the car you put down (say $4K) and your payments for 60 months would be $500/m. so it allows someone to have a nicer car more often for less money.

Tony :shades: