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2013 and earlier-Subaru Forester Lease Questions

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Comments

  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    Ateixeira,

    I agree with you on a long term thing. As long as you keep the vehicle for at least 7-8 years you will come on top. The only downside in this case is unexpected repairs.You are increasing your risk by keeping the vehicle for so many years. In a lease you will pay a little more in the long run but you are paying for your piece of mind.

    As far as my budgeting statement, I meant a limited monthly budget (you may only have so much available income to put towards a car payment).

    The down payment for a lease - I am strongly against it. I never put down payments on my lease and advise everyone else not to do it.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I believe car_man offers similar advice (as little down as you can).
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    hi all
    with the current deals that subaru is running until the end of march I am thinking of leasing a forester but am deciding between the 2.5x and premium. On subaru's wesite they are offering 229 a month for the 2.5x. I am in Jersey and Ramsey subaru's site states it is 0 down, first mth pay, 595 bank fee and 0 sec deposit for total down of 824. on the face it sounds like good deal.

    Anyone take advantage of this deal and have any opinions?

    Am waiting to get back a quote on premium.

    can someone please confirm the current money factor and residual % for the base and premium?

    thnks all
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    HI all
    one other thing to note I saw on Ramsey Subaru's website, it mentions a dealer disc of 2138. is this used to reduce the MSRP for the dealers and does it apply to all models of forester's?

    thanks again, first time poster so forgive if i missed anything.
  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    If you can get a Base Forester for $229 a month with only $824 down - I would jump on it!

    The special offered by Subaru is based on a $1,929 down + Tax, title and registration fees (which is probably another $1,200)
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    thanks radude

    of course the quote from ramsey was only for a specific car and in manual which I don't drive so no go.

    received a quote from another dealer nearby, hows it look to you all? just to forewarn, i will most likely be asking a lot of questions since looking at my first subaru and completely new to leasing. read up online about leasing but always good to get another opinion. did not get the money factor and the residual. Is this something that dealers should have and provide upon request?
    thanks

    2.5x
    42 months 10k miles. 10 cents per mile
    MSRP - 22490
    cap cost - 20473
    down - 1700
    bank fee - 595
    dmv fee - 250
    doc fee - 299
    monthly - 249

    2.5x premium
    msrp - 25190
    cap cost - 23235
    all others the same
    monthly - 285
  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    Pjammer,

    Based on the numbers you provided earlier it does not seem like a good deal. Assuming that you are putting $1700 down + $800 in fees, your payment should be roughly $40 less than what they quoted you.

    I do not know what the Money Factor and Residual is for the Month on March, but their current advertised special is identical to the February special so I would assume the numbers are mostly the same (or very similar).

    Car_Man can provide you with the exact numbers, but he may take some time to respond.

    You can also ask the dealer for the actual numbers, sometimes they will provide them to you (if the rep is nice and is not looking to rip you off).

    See my previous several posts as they cover the same exact questions you are asking and are based on February numbers.

    As far as putting money down on a lease - I would strongly advise against it. Let the dealer factor everything in the monthly payment.
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    thanks radude
    just trying to get an understanding of how you are getting to the fact that with the down of 1700 and fees it should be $40 less. Am I right saying you are referring to the premium?

    I am using a lease calculator i found on edmunds and if i reduce the cap cost of 23235 by the down payment I see that the bottom line payment is 246.84, using last month's MF of 0.00165 and resid val of 0.54. is this how you are calc'ing? Also in terms of the other fees, I thought they were standard fees, no?

    sorry for all the questions, just trying to get a better understanding of this since I don't want to get ripped off.

    thnks
  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    I also used a lease calculator.

    Specify the:
    MSRP - $25,190
    Sale price (price agreed upon) - $23,235
    Down payment - $1,700
    Residual 54%
    MF - 0.00165

    Monthly payment (including 7% NJ tax) comes out to $264. Earlier I made a mistake by adding the $800 fee to the down payment, so the monthly payment was lower.

    What I would recommend is to factor the down payment into the lease and only pay the $1,200 in fees. This way the payment comes to $310 a month. Or even better - do 0 down and pay $348 a month (in this case you would add the $1400 in fees to the Sale Price when running the calculations)

    As far as the other fees they are fairly standard. Only if you are a returning Subaru customer (which I assume you are not) the $595 and the first monthly payment is waived.
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    nice got it, got to the same calcs as you, thanks for your input radude, this is really informative. Looks like you got yours from lynnes? how did you like the service from there? what was the invoice if you don't mind me asking.

    how close should the monthly payments be to the calc'd price assuming that dealers need to make some money. is there a percentage you should target?

    based on the calcs then it looks like the base 2.5 isn't a great deal either since with the 1700 down the monthly before taxes should be 221.

    how is it that the calc'd price on the 2.5x auto base is better than the offer that subaru has out there for the forester lease of 229 a month for the 2.5 base manual?
  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    Pjammer,

    The service at Lynnes was ok. Initially they racked up the price really high, I believe they were asking for $420 a month for a base 2.5x Forester with auto. Then I asked for the numbers they used in this calculation, a finance manager came over and the price already had dropped to like $350. The numbers were still too high (I think the MF was like 0.00275) so I walked away. The salesperson (Julia) was persistent and kept calling me with offers and eventually gave me the best price.

    The numbers I got were pretty close to yours. I got a 2.5 Premium with all weather package (highly recommend getting this one over base).

    MSRP - $25,300
    Negotiated prices - $23,200 (about $600 below invoice)
    Fees added to the Cap Cost $1400 ($500 DMV + $900 Over-mileage from my previous lease). As a return Subaru customer my acquisition fee and first months payment was waived.
    Cap Cost came to $24,600
    MF 0.00165
    Residual 54%

    Monthly payment $345 (that's with 0 down)

    As far as negotiated price and how low you can go depends on how persistent you are and how desperate the dealer is. You definitely want to try and at least get them down to invoice. Even when they go bellow invoice they still make money. Not much though - the sales rep may get like $75 and the dealer may get about $400-$500. For them it's still better to move a car, even below invoice then keep it on the lot.

    The advertised lease specials are always based on a negotiated price that is really close to MSRP (if not the MSRP). That's why if you negotiate the selling price with the dealer you may end up with a lower monthly payment.

    Another way to negotiate a great selling price is to find a car you like in the dealer stock using the online inventory tool and then make an offer to that dealer (there is an option for that on Subaru's website). If it's reasonable (not like $2,000 below invoice) they will most likely accept it. Then it's all real easy: you have the vehicle you want, you have a great negotiated price (without much effort and aggravation) and you know the numbers. So just go to the dealer, do the paperwork and pickup the car.

    Hope this helps.
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    great info radude, thanks for taking time to share. very fhelpful

    latest offer i have is below. trying to get them to lower the sale price a bit more then think i'll take it. sales rep dealing with much better than others so would like to give them the business

    10k miles,
    42months
    mspr - 25335
    sale price - 24129 (dealer states this is invoice)
    looks like March MF and residual are 0.0018 and 0.56
    0 down,
    595 bank fee
    274 dmv
    199 doc
    monthly of 330.

    to go from 10k miles to 12k miles is another 10 per month which isn't too bad since it comes to 0.07 per mile. cheaper than the 0.15 they charge.
  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    What dealer is that?
  • pjammer1119pjammer1119 Member Posts: 7
    sorry been offline for a bit but its the wayne subaru. out of all dealers i've been working with they are by far one of the better ones in terms of response and info they provide
  • raduderadude Member Posts: 50
    I liked them too (I dealt with Chris). Was planning on actually leasing from them, then I got a call from Julia at Lynnes and she gave me a better price.

    I agree with you, the buying experience was much better at Wayne Subaru.
  • grodgspecialgrodgspecial Member Posts: 3
    Some newbie lease questions...

    Can anyone hook me up with the MF and Residual on a 2010 Subaru XT Premium for a 36 month, 12k mi/yr lease? I live in south NJ (Philly area).

    Also, the Residual is based off the MSRP, not the cap cost, correct?

    So say this car's MSRP is 27k, but the cap cost is $25,500 and the residual is 60%. The residual would be 16,200 instead of 15300, right?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    AFAIK residuals are based on the MSRP, so that's correct.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi grodgspecial. Subaru's current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Subaru Forester XT Premium with 12,000 miles per year are .00175 and 59%, respectively.

    You are correct, vehicles' residual values are calculated using their MSRPs, including the destination charge and the MSRPs of any options that are allowed to be residualized.

    Car_man
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  • chavera2010chavera2010 Member Posts: 3
    Hi,
    Could someone help me find out what the residual and money factor would be for a 2.5x Premium Forester be? I would like this for both 36mo and 42mo lease period and for 10k and 12k miles/year. Does it make a difference if I specify the transmission (manual) and options (AWP)?

    I.e.
    1) 36mo (10k): MF=__, Residual =__
    2) 36mo (12k): MF=__, Residual =__
    3) 42mo (10k): MF=__, Residual =__
    4) 42mo (12k): MF=__, Residual =__

    Also looking for the same information as above for a 2.5i Premium Outback.

    Thanks so much!
  • greg1313greg1313 Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know what the MF and the residual (%) should be on each of the following:
    Forester 2.5 X PREMIUM
    Forester 2.5 X LIMITED
    Forester 2.5 X LIMITED W/ NAVIGATION/BLUE TOOTH

    I am looking to lease for 36 months and 15K per year. If it were 42 months and 15K per year does the MF and/or residual change?

    Any help is much appreciated. I was quoted a couple of prices over the weekend, but they were so ridiculous they are not even worth posting.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi chavera2010. Here's the information that you're looking for. Subaru's current lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Forester 2.5X Premium with 12,000 miles per year are .00190 and 60%, respectively.

    The numbers for an otherwise identical 42 month lease of this vehicle are .00185 and 56%.

    If you were to lease with only 10,000 miles per year, the above residual values would be 1% higher.

    The transmission does indeed make a difference. These are the numbers for models equipped with an automatic transmission.

    Here's the Outback 2.5i Premium numbers:

    36 mo. / 12k: .00115 and 53%
    42 mo. / 12k: .00145 and 50%.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey greg1313. Here you go.

    Subaru's current lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Forester 2.5X Premium with 15,000 miles per year are .00190 and 59%, respectively.

    The numbers for an otherwise identical 42 month lease are .00185 and 54%.

    The numbers for the 2010 Forester 2.5 Limited are .00190 / 57% for 36 months and .00205 and 53% for 42 months.

    Car_man
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  • porsche911c4sporsche911c4s Member Posts: 99
    Hi Carman,

    I saw you posted in April that for the Forester XT premium, the residual and money factor for a 3-year, 12k/year lease were 59% and .00175.

    Has there been any change for May or is it the same?

    Thank you!
  • rmervaurmervau Member Posts: 10
    edited June 2010
    What is the way the dealer/lease companies calculate the cost of mileage in the lease deal.. For example; I am looking at leasing a 2010 Forester Limited, for 36 months with 15,000 miles per year... how does it affect the residual? And does the money factor (interest charged) change to with differing mileage packages?

    Initial lease price that the dealer offered was like leasing a BMW 5 series!!, These guys really think most people are going to take the number they propose up front...sheeesh!

    I am using a lease calculator that is right on for all factors of the lease equation but has no mileage factor, as i am sure the miles you want will also determine the price. Thanks in advance.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi porsche911c4s. The June numbers are slightly different. Subaru's June lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Forester XT Premium with 12,000 miles per year are .00190 and 60%, respectively.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi rmervau. Most banks' published residual value percentages are for leases with 15,000 miles per year. For Subaru, one adds 1% to the 15,000 mile per year residual to convert it to a 12,000 miles per year.

    Vehicles' mileage allowances do not have any impact upon their money factors.

    Car_man
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  • marsmdmarsmd Member Posts: 4
    Hi Car_Man. You recently gave updated values for RV and MF for the XT premium. Do you have information on the updated values for the 2010 Forester 2.5 X Limited?
    Thanks
  • marsmdmarsmd Member Posts: 4
    I didn't realize until recently that MF varied by state. I am looking in IL, in the Chicago area. Does anyone have information on the MF and RV for a 210 Forester XT premium w/ navigation? Thanks.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello marsmd. Subaru's current lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Forester X Limited with 15,000 miles per year are .00170 and 55%, respectively.

    Car_man
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  • shanhaushanhau Member Posts: 1
    I'm looking into leasing a Forester and would like to know the current MF and RV for a 36 month lease with 10,000 miles/yr. Thanks!
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello shanhau. Chase's current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Forester 2.5X with 10,000 miles per year are .00130 and 57%, respectively.

    The numbers for an otherwise identical lease of a Forester 2.5X Premium are .00155 and 59%.

    Car_man
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  • aqanaqan Member Posts: 5
    Hi Car Man, can you please provide the latest Residual/MF for XT Limited for a 36 months lease with 10K miles.
    Also, is there a security deposit scheme where by you get a break in money factor if you put a refundable money deposit. I saw infiniti and BMW offer that and it provides very good value.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Here you go, aqan. Chase's current lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2010 Forester XT Limited with 10,000 miles per year are .00150 and 58%, respectively.

    You're right, a number of luxury automakers offer consumers the ability to make multiple security deposits. I've never heard of anyone doing this on a Subaru lease though.

    Car_man
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  • peteyboy30peteyboy30 Member Posts: 34
    Car_Man: If you could speculate, when would you expect to have residuals, money factors, invoice prices, etc. for the 2011 models? I'd love to jump on a new Forester as soon as they are available!

    Specifically I'm looking at a 2.5X Premium, 12k miles, 36 months (that is of course unless there's a more attractive deal for different miles/months). Thank you, sir!
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey peteyboy30. I actually have them now.

    Chase's October buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2011 Forester 2.5X Premium with 12,000 miles per year are .00225 and 65%, respectively.

    Car_man
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  • peteyboy30peteyboy30 Member Posts: 34
    Thank you so much. OUCH! 5.4% interest! That really hurts. I was really pleased to see 65% residual, but that immediately went away when I saw the money factor. What a shame!
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    No problem peteyboy30. The Forester's residual values are so high and Subaru's sales have been so strong that it really doesn't have to provide much in the way of money factor support to sell them right now.

    Car_man
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  • peteyboy30peteyboy30 Member Posts: 34
    Yep, you got that right. Well, I feel that it bodes well for Subaru obviously, and I don't mind paying a little more for a car that seems to do everything right (for me).

    For everyone else looking for a 2011, I got tired of getting different information from dealers. One dealer told me late this month, another told me December (!). So, I called Subaru directly, and they told me that the 2011 Forester will start to "trickle in" in about another month. He suggested that I place my order now, since I wanted a handful of options that the combination of which would never be on a vehicle I'd see on the lot. So, he sent me a 2011 brochure (so I can pick the color, since a few of them changed). He recommended I test drive the 2010, since there are no major changes, and the "look and feel" are about the same, so I can be sure I'm happy with the car before ordering it.

    Plan is, assuming I get the brochure before then, is to hit a local dealer after work on Friday, and offer them $500 under invoice for the car I'm ordering, and see what they think. My thinking is that since the car won't even spend a day on the lot, they'll still be making quite a profit on it. Although I'm not sure how well it'll work out, based on Car_Man's statement of sales being strong. I was going to start out at invoice price, but then I figured they'd work up from there. Instead, I'll start below invoice, and worst case work up to invoice, which I'd be happy with anyway.

    Anyone else have similar plans to order a 2011 in the short term? Are you waiting to see them on the lot, and why? Just curious to hear more experiences. Thanks all.
  • steevosteevo Member Posts: 389
    My advice is you should sit back and wait for the cars to actually show up. No harm in trying, but I dont see why a dealer would be willing to special order a vehicle at a discount.
    Besides, typically, a customer with your requirements is the customer you get the most money out of, not the least.
    Consider:
    You are already in love with the car, cant wait for the new model to show up before placing a deposit, want a special order, and "don;t mind paying a little extra" .
    They will squeeze you.
    Hopefully I am wrong!
  • peteyboy30peteyboy30 Member Posts: 34
    Car_Man: One more question, and a follow-up, if you don't mind. The dealer stated the money factor was .00250 (6%) which differed from what you mentioned. He showed me the spreadsheet, which had all models and styles, and the corresponding number. The residual was correct, but the money factor differed. Thoughts?

    Secondly, when you guys go to the dealer to lease a Subaru, is this bank fee necessary, or can I get it waived? I think he said it was $595, which I almost fell over at.
  • jjlewjjlew Member Posts: 2
    I am looking to lease a Forester, have one month left on my current lease from Acura and am wondering if waiting for the 2011's is the way to go. My understanding is that the lease payment will be less on a 2010, but what about residuals? Also XT w/ navi vs. Limited vs Premium All-weather PKG. Any thoughts on these 3 models?
  • steine13steine13 Member Posts: 2,818
    As a "leasing veteran" -- iow, leasing seems to work for you -- I don't think you need to care too much about residuals. If you do turn it in, I'd say it doesn't matter, and the only significant number is the total outlay -- $$ down + sum of the payments.

    It definitely pays to compare '10s and '11s, though.

    Cheers -Mathias
  • jjlewjjlew Member Posts: 2
    What about buying it outright. Do Subaru's hold their value? Never had one. Love your insight. Thanks.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey peteyboy30. I'm pretty sure that the money factor that I provided you with is correct. The .00250 rate sounds like Chase's standard money factor.

    $595 is a pretty typical acquisition fee. All banks charge one. You won't be able to get this charge waived. You can either pay it at lease signing or have it rolled into your car's capitalized cost to make it part of your monthly payment.

    Car_man
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  • kilnkiln Member Posts: 41
    edited November 2010
    I was going to wait until the Forester's refresh (2012 model - new transmission?), but it seems as if I'm going to need a vehicle much sooner. My question is if I were to lease a 2011 Forester how much of a hit would I take if I wanted to trade it in for a 2012? Do you only have to pay the negative equity or are there other fees that dealerships add on?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,221
    They don't really charge a penalty when you turn a lease in early.. They just sell your leased car at auction, and charge you the difference between what it's worth and the current payoff on your lease...

    When you find out how much that is, you won't turn your lease in early..

    Don't lease the car, if you can't keep it for the entire lease term.

    Edmunds Price Checker
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    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

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  • greenwell39greenwell39 Member Posts: 11
    Is it completely unheard of to get quoted $800 under invoice for a 2011 2.5X premium? Because that is the price I jut received. Seems way too low, but I'm not complaining
  • peteyboy30peteyboy30 Member Posts: 34
    Well, personally, the best I could do was get invoice pricing, but still haven't been able to pull the trigger due to financial issues right now. If you can get it, I'd jump on it, just make sure there aren't any other hidden fees that they'd use to make up that $800. Care to share where you got this from?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think that's more than their holdback, so you basically robbed them. You didn't happen to be wearing a mask and carrying a gun? LOL
  • greenwell39greenwell39 Member Posts: 11
    This was the dealer breakdown:
    Here's the lease info on a 2011 Forester 2.5X Premium/AWP/Auto

    MSRP is $25,720 and the selling price would be $23,498. MF on the 2011 is 0.00215 and the residual is 64% 3 years /10,000 miles per year $300.77/mo w/tax= $317.57/mo $732.57 total due at signing

    I've run these leases with the normal upfronts: first payment, $288 doc fee and $125 registry fee. Acquisition fee $595 is included in the lease...some dealers quote it separately as an upfront fee but we find that most customers choose to include it in the lease.
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