2013 and Earlier Audi A3 Lease Questions

CarMan@Edmunds · August 2005

Hi everyone. Please use the following discussion to post any questions that you have about leasing an Audi A3. Thanks.

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nvnick · October 2005

Car_man,

Do you have the money factors and residuals for a base A3 or a sport A3? Looking at 36 months, either 36 or 45k miles. Thanks!

krohrer2 · October 2005

Hello Car Man:

Can you please confirm the current MF and residuals for an Audi A3 w/ Premimum Package for 36 months and 12K/miles per year?

Thanks.

KR

nvnick · October 2005

Captive Lease Programs  Effective 10/7/2005

2006 Audi A3 5dr Hatchback 2.0T Base

24 mo/15k mi - 68% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
36 mo/15k mi - 64% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
48 mo/15k mi - 53% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
60 mo/15k mi - 42% residual  Money Factor .00290 Base Rate

2006 Audi A3 5dr Hatchback 2.0T Premium

24 mo/15k mi - 66% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
36 mo/15k mi - 62% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
48 mo/15k mi - 52% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
60 mo/15k mi - 41% residual  Money Factor .00290 Base Rate

2006 Audi A3 5dr Hatchback 2.0T Sport

24 mo/15k mi - 67% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
36 mo/15k mi - 63% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
48 mo/15k mi - 52% residual  Money Factor .00270 Base Rate
60 mo/15k mi - 41% residual  Money Factor .00290 Base Rate

jccai1 · October 2005

Hi! Are these lease programs offered by Audi Financial? If I add on a couple of other options, like adding Convenience Pkg to 2.0T Sport, will that change any of the variables?

Also, has anyone tried leasing from a third party auto leasing company instead of from the dealership? What are the pros and cons of going that route?

Thanks in advance!

nvnick · October 2005

Yes, these are Audi Financial rates that I obtained from LeaseCompare. Adding options won't change residuals or money factor. I've not tried third parties yet, but they can sometimes beat what the manufacturer offers. Good Luck!

nvnick · November 2005

Looking at an A3 Sport, either 24/36/39 months. DO you have 12k/15k residuals & money factors?

CarMan@Edmunds · November 2005

Here's the informaiton that you're looking for, nvnick. If you were to lease a 2006 Audi A3 2.0T Sport through Audi Financial Services right now for 24 months with 15,000 miles per year, its buy rate lease money factor and residual value should be .00280 and 63%, respectively. the numbers for an otherwise identical 36 month lease should be .00280 and 52%. Lastly, the numbers for an otherwise identical 39 month lease should be .00300 and 49%. The 12,000 miles per year residual values for all of these terms would be 2% higher.

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chiquita · November 2005

Hi. on the MF and residuals quoted so far in this discussion, what kind of credit score do you need in order to get these??? can dealers refuse these rates...and what can we do about it? is it all score based... or does having 3 prior leases in perfect standing have ANY clout?? thanks! hurry i want to lease soon. have the MF/residuals changed since last post?

CarMan@Edmunds · December 2005

Hi chiquita. Your credit score will definitely have an impact upon your ability to get a bank's best possible lease money factor. Some banks have different lease money factors for vehicles that vary depending upon what sort of credit score the lessee has. I am pretty sure that Audi Financial Services uses a pass / fail system though, either you qualify for its special lease program or you don't. I am not sure exactly what score is necessary to qualify for its special lease program though. Always remember that dealers are usually not required to give consumers the lowest possible money factor on vehicles. They are often allowed to "mark-up" money factors to add additional back-end profit to deals. As long as you know what the buy rate lease money factor for the car that you are interested in should be, you should be able to get the dealer that you are working with to use it to calculate your vehicle's lease payment.

Audi did introduce a new lease program for the month of December. Its current 36 month buy rate lease money factor for the 2006 A3 is .00290.

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mind · December 2005

Hi guys

I have just moved to the US, and want to get an A3. If they do a credit check they get "record not found" (obviously).

The first deal I was offered over the phone was $569/month and about $1300 down (first month + registration + destination). This is 36 months, and 15000 miles/year.

From calcs, this works out at MSRP of $29785 (premium,
cold weather, open sky and Xeon), 52% residual, and MF of 0.0029.

However, when I went in to test drive the A4 and sign the paperwork for the credit check, the dealer tried to prep me with the story about "tiers" of credit.

Soo.... two questions:

a) Is 52% residual value correct, or should it be higher ? Previous posts have mentioned 52% AND 62%. Which is it ?

b) I would really like to know if Audi Financial
Services has "tiers" of interest rates, or if the
dealer is just about to try to screw me by loading the
interest rate. Is the "tiers" of credit story correct ?

Thanks !

CarMan@Edmunds · December 2005

Welcome mind. While Audi's exact residual values for the A2 vary depending upon exactly which model you want, the 36 month, 15,000 miles per year residual value of 52% that you were quoted looks about right. Many banks do publish tiered money factors for the vehicles that they lease, but I do not recall ever seeing credit tiers associated with leases through Audi Financial Services. I was always under the impression that AFS used more of a pass / fail system for leases like BMW Financial Services does than a tiered system like Honda Finance.

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rjlaero · December 2005

You are correct that Audi has a pass/fail lease structure, and they do not have a tier system.

mind · January 2006

Hi guys

Thanks for the info !

The dealer initially tried for a 0.00315 MF. That was stopped

I have the car, and am VERY happy with it so far.

Interestingly enough, it has about 400 miles on the clock
and is one of the original custom builds that came into
the US with window-blinds built into the doors etc. It seems it was swopped from dealer-to-dealer several times.

-Mind

CarMan@Edmunds · January 2006

Thanks for the confirmation, rjlaero.

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danphx · January 2006

Could you explain a little more what "window-blinds built into the doors etc." are? Sorry, but I haven't seen that option available on the A3 anywhere.

jmartin1 · January 2006

I've never leased, but my current job makes it strongly desirable. I prefer the A3, so I went on Audi USA, and "built my Audi." On the A3, I went with 2.0T, DSG, a few options that led the MSRP to a bit over $32K. I then built an A4 Avant with the same engine, AT, Sport, S-Line, etc. to an MSRP of $42K. Guess what...for a 36 mo. lease, the A4 was LESS MONEY. For a car retailing at $10 more to purchase. I don't understand this. Does Audi believe that the A3 will depreciate that much more? If so, I gives me less incentive not only to lease it, but to buy it...b/c my resale after purchase will be lousy as well.

kyfdx · January 2006

This is all just my own opinion and conjecture.. but, here goes..

The A4 is Audi's bread and butter car for the U.S. They have to sell a lot of them.. Sort of like the Accord for Honda.. It is imperative that they be competitive on price with BMW, etc.. So, they incentivize the lease program with unrealistically high residuals to keep the payment down.. I believe that real-world depreciation is much higher for the A4 than these residuals suggest.. Of course, if you are leasing, these deals are great... In fact, you would be crazy to buy the A4 when the lease deals are this good..

The A3 on the other hand? It is a niche car for Audi.. They don't have great lease deals because they don't have to sell that many of them.. I believe the residuals on them are more realistic.. Plus, it is a lower priced car that will have a higher percentage of buyers vs. leasers than the A4.

If you are leasing, it would be hard to pass up the A4 for the A3.. If you are buying, I believe real world re-sale depreciation will be similar..

regards,
kyfdx
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amitvisual · February 2006

Just heard that Audi has a lease deal on the A3 - 36 months, A3 2.0T DSG no options for $359/month, 10k/yr - any idea what the MF and residuals are

andres3 · February 2006

I read that the deal for $359 a month actually included DSG and Skyroof!

jccai1 · February 2006

Do you mind sharing where you read about this lease deal? The Audi dealer I contacted discouraged me from leasing, saying the residuals are bad right now. She quoted me 64% residual on the 2.0T DSG, if I lease it for 24 months at 12,000 miles/yr. Does that sound reasonable? Isn't it kind of low?

Does anyone know the AFS residual and money factor this month for the 2.0T with DSG for 12k/yr and 24 months?

Many thanks.

amitvisual · February 2006

It was in the Sacramento Bee on 2/21 or 2/13. And I'm also trying to find out the MF and residuals.

CarMan@Edmunds · March 2006

Hi amitvisual. If you were to lease a base 2006 Audi A3 2.0T through Audi Financial Services right now for 36 months with 10,000 miles per year, its buy rate lease money factor and residual value should be .00300 and 56%, respectively.

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CarMan@Edmunds · March 2006

Hi jccai1. If you were to lease a base 2006 Audi A3 2.0T through Audi Financial Services right now for 24 months with 12,000 miles per year, its buy rate lease money factor and residual value should be .00300 and 67%, respectively.

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amitvisual · March 2006

Thanks, Car_man! I had to order the car to get exactly what I wanted, so I'll have to decide whether to lease or buy when it gets here in 2-3 months. The current MF is pretty bad, compared to the .00101 we just got on our new Passat.

Appreciate your help!

pinerivergal · March 2006

Probably taking possession next week on A3 w/ DSG, Sport pkg, Open Sky with Garnet red pearl paint. Getting the car for $29K. Being quoted 36 month term 12000 miles/year, money factor of 0.00305, and residual value of 52%. Putting down $2500 and monthly payments will be $421.15 plus tax. Comments?

I've been lurking for a very short while, and appreciate this forum alot - Thanks!1

amitvisual · March 2006

I was recently quoted MF of .00285 and 54% residual for an identical A3 with 10k miles per year - sounds like your MF is being marked up a bit.

kyfdx · March 2006

That might depend on when you were quoted that deal... I believe the numbers changed on March 1st.. At least it looks that way from Car_man's previous posts..

regards,
kyfdx

wflasales · March 2006

I love it I just purchased the Audi A3 2.0T Sport Pkg and not many people know what it is except for you GTI guys.
Point and shoot.... I should have a camera facing me while I'm driving to catch that grin on my face.
Auto with DSG this car has more than one personality,Its a mild quiet drive around town easy going tight and squeak free ride,Or its a raving mad man out to get ya.
This car has quite the combinations working for it, Direct injection,Turbo,DSG shifting,Auto shifting,ESP control.sleek design,A total blast to drive.
The biggest problem I have is finding a long enough race path to take it though its coarse.
I also have an Acura TL 2005 which is my wife's car and I thought that car was the bomb but I have news for you.
The Audi A3 handles better,More fun on the interstate,Very balanced and forgiving,..........OK I know the Acura is a different car ,A fine car I will add.But its not a hard core driving machine like the A3.
The first thing you will want to do is purchase the best radar detector you can find.
Second get the hot dogging out of your system because it will eat the gas.18 MPG
If you drive normal and take it easy and behave you will be surprised how well it does on gas.30 MPG, BUT ITS HARD TO RESIST.

CarMan@Edmunds · March 2006

You're very welcome, amitvisual. I'm sure that you will be anxiously marking the days until your new car arrives off on your calendar. I know that I would. Talk to you in a few months.

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CarMan@Edmunds · March 2006

Hi pinerivergal. I;m glad that you enjoy this forum so much. Audi Financial Services' current buy rate lease money factor for a 36 month lease of a 2006 A3 is .00300. I would be happy give you my opinion of this deal, but in order for me to do so I really need to know this car's MSRP. It will enable me to see how much of a discount you are being given and to estimate what your car's lease payment should be using Audi's actual lease program.

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CarMan@Edmunds · March 2006

Congratulations on your new car, wflasales!

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cvpacguy · April 2006

I've driven the A3 with DSG and absolutely love it, but I got a quote from an auto broker today that just shocked me because it was so bad...I'm curious if you think this is what I should expect from a dealership. Also-- does anyone know if this pricing on the website is accurate in terms of options and such?

On a 2006 A3 2.0T DSG Lava Grey with Premium package with an MSRP of 29,415 (including dest. charge) he quoted me a MF of .00236 and a 48% residual! The lease payment he quoted ended up being something ridiculous like $570 a month, which is really discouraging considering I've got my heart set on this car.

Does anyone know if this is even remotely close to what I'd get at a dealership? Some friends of mine used this guy to get a deal on a Mercedes and recommended using him, but after this conversation I'm thinking I'll just contact the internet sales manager at the dealership. Thoughts?

andres3 · April 2006

That is a bad lease deal, and all lease deals on A3's aren't very good.

Tell them to sell you the car (leased) at price of $28,000. They should be able to do that. That should lower the monthly fee. Also, putting more down initially helps.

CarMan@Edmunds · April 2006

Hello cvpacguy. Audi Financial Services' lease program on the 2006 Audi A3 is not very attractive right now. You never mentioned how long you want to lease for or how many miles per year you need to be able to drive, but if you were to lease a base 2006 A3 2.0T through AFS right now for 36 months with 15,000 miles per year, its buy rate lease money factor and residual value should be .00300 and 50%, respectively.

In your post you mentioned this car's MSRP, but never said anything about its selling price. Always remember that the selling prices of leased vehicles are negotiable, just as if you were paying cash for or financing them. Make sure to negotiate a decent discount on the A3 that you are considering before having a lease payment calculated on it. For feedback on how much you should pay for this car right now, make sure to stop by the following discussion: "Audi A3: Prices Paid & Buying Experiences".

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nias · April 2006

in Southern California....I'm into finance or lease....I'm still trying to figure out what's better in this car's case.

rjlaero · April 2006

The lease rates are pretty bad right now on the A3. You really need to buy the A3.

You can lease a 36k A4 2.0 Quattro cheaper than you can a 30K A3.

kurtamaxxxguy · May 2006

Any theory or comments as to why the A3 lease rates are bad?

Is the A3 Sales volume too low for attractive lease packages from financial providers?

rjlaero · May 2006

Maybe things will be different for 2007. 2006 was the 1st year for the A3 in the US. I doubt Audi was going to stick their neck out too far and put a very high residual on the A3 and cut the money rate factors down on a first year production vehicle.

Also, the high-ups at Audi claim their profit margins are quite small on the A3, and it's mostly a break-even car here in the US. It's designed to get people into the Audi brand at a reasonable price and turn them on the bigger and higher end Audis down the road.

It's tough to spiff a car with incentives when there's so little profit in the car to begin with.

But the demo cars and used A3's that have been coming through the manheim auctions and such have been going for pretty good money though, so it's a good sign that a fairly high resale value will give the A3 lower lease payments down the road.

kurtamaxxxguy · May 2006

If the A3 is truly a "break-even" car, then the production cost must be hideous. Then again, VW and Audi have repeatedly commented how expensive their German factories are to run.

As for "bigger and higher end" Audis, that's not an option for me as I like hatchbacks, and Audi doesn't have one in a higher price bracket. But $40K for a small hatch is a lotta bucks.

phaedrus76 · July 2006

Does anyone know the money factor and residual on '06 A3 S Line models for July? Any incentives? Finally, when are the '07s supposed to come out. Thanks in advance.

CarMan@Edmunds · July 2006

Hi phaedrus76. I know that all 2006 Audi A3 models that are leased through Audi Financial Services this money have a buy rate lease money factor of .00319. I am not sure what the residual values for the S-Line is like though. I believe that the addition of this package to models has some sort of impact upon their residual values, like a one point reduction or something like that. Don't quote me on that though. Audi just recently published a lease program for 2007 A3 models, so they should begin arriving at dealers very soon.

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moneymaz · July 2006

Is there any word on new and (reasonable) lease terms for the 2007 A3's? Any idea when this will be announced?

nyaudime · July 2006

What information do you have on the lease program for 2007 A3 models?

Also, what is the money factor and residual for an A3 2006 with 12K miles for 36 months?

wdrauch · July 2006

I would be interested in any lease info on the 07 model too. I really like the A3 and would like to lease, but find it hard to justify when an A4 Avant can be leased for less money!

In order to get the A3 optioned the way I want I would need to order it, but depending on how good the leases are I may want to order more or less extras.

CarMan@Edmunds · August 2006

Hello moneymaz. Audi has finally introduced a lease program for the 2007 A3. Its lease program for this car varies by trim level, term, and mileage allowance, so I'll have to make some assumptions. For now I will assume that you are interested in a 36 month lease of a 2006 Audi A3 2.0T base model with 15,000 miles per year. The buy rate lease money factor and residual value for the aforementioned lease are .00325 and 52%, respectively. Let me know if you want the numbers for a different set of variables.

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CarMan@Edmunds · August 2006

Hello nyaudime. This car's lease program varies by trim level. For now I will assume that you are interested in the base model. Let me know if you want a different version. Audi Financial Services' current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2006 A3 2.0T base with 12,000 miles per year are .00325 and 53%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical lease of the 2007 version of this car are .00325 and 54%.

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wdrauch · August 2006

Could you provide MF and residual for 07 42-month lease?

thanks!

chainsaw2 · August 2006

Does anyone know the money factor and Residual for 2006 A3 2.0T manual for: 24/15K and 36/15K leases? That would be tremendously helpfull info if anyone has it. So far the MF's I've been qouted are really bad. Maybe this is a better car to buy? Thanks!

wdrauch · August 2006

Yes, the A3 is a bad car to lease.

I have ordered on '07 model and have been going through the calculations comparing leasing to buying. When I calculate the loan payment schedule (using Quicken) for 60 and 72-mos loans I have found that after 36 months I owe less principal on the vehicle than Audi's 36-month residual value.

Basically, it seems that if you took the 60-month 4.9% financing that Audi offers on the 06 you should be able to trade it in after 3 years for more than you would owe.

CarMan@Edmunds · September 2006

Here you go, wdrauch. I haven't seen this car's 42 month lease program, so here is its 39 month program. Audi Financial Services' current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 39 month lease of a 2007 A3 2.0T base model with 15,000 miles per year are .00336 and 47%, respectively.

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2013 and Earlier Audi A3 Lease Questions

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