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  • pipopipo Member Posts: 36
    Carman

    Do you know what BMW's policy is with respect to selling vehicles off lease to their lessees if the residual value is too high? My experience with other companies is that they'll negotiate the price down to prevailing auction prices if you are persistent.

    Does BMW do this as well?
  • jack1000jack1000 Member Posts: 3
    Hi Carman: Your providing a great service here. I know you did a G35x calculation a few posts back, but I was wondering if you could figure out a monthly number on a G35 sedan with premium package.

    MSRP: 34365
    Selling price: 32036
    12000 miles, 36 months, 0 down. Car to be registered in NJ.

    If you could figure out a sample payment I would really appreciate it because I am unsure how to do it myself.

    Thanks
    J
  • mjfloyd1mjfloyd1 Member Posts: 3,806
    Car_man,

    Thanks for the information. Have you worked with IFS any? I'm wondering how they are at lease end - if the vehicle is worth less than residual, will they work with you at all?

    Mark
  • staceysstaceys Member Posts: 2
    Hey Carman! Quick question...when buying a car, it is always recommended that you negotiate on the invoice cost and never the MSRP. Does the consumer have that same negotiating power when leasing a vehicle or are the montly payments strictly based on the MSRP? Thanks in advance.
  • ronmkhsronmkhs Member Posts: 1
    $4.000 upside down in my Kia.

    Is it better to bury that amount into a lease or try to find a used car?

    Another factor, my commute will go to 20K starting this summer

    thanks
  • cherylcheryl Member Posts: 3
    Hi Car-man,

    I have been quoted the following for a 2004 Honda Accord EX V6 w/o navigation:

    36 month lease
    15,000 miles year
    Sales price: $23,252.00
    Monthly payment $347.48 + $27.10 tax (Az)

    The above quote was e-mailed to me and states that the above price "includes all fees and is a true zero-cash down". This payment seems high to me - am I correct? Should I insist that the fees be charged separately? Thank you for any advice you can give me regarding leasing this car.
  • ajoeajoe Member Posts: 15
    Car_Man Thanks a bunch!

    I will repost after my deal is done. I hope that in the next 10-14 days I will do that. You have been an immense help.

    This is a great forum, great host and contributions by the community!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,497
    What about not doing either? I'd keep driving the Kia at least until I was right side up. Of course, that may entail driving it until it is paid off. Rolling over $4K in negative equity is starting down a slippery slope.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • hpowdershpowders Member Posts: 4,331
    Hello Car_Man. I would like the residual value and mf for a BMW 325 with premium package and automatic transmission for 36 months, 36,000 miles in the Tampa, Fl. area.
    Thank you.
    hpowders
  • 540jml540jml Member Posts: 3
    Hello Car man, Here are the terms that have been presented to me on a new 545. Retail price $58,245. price as offered- $55,950. 62% residual,.00255 money factor, 36 months and 15 k per year. What should payment be with 0 down ? with $2,500 down ?

    Thank you for the help.
  • jeep53jeep53 Member Posts: 49
    I just had a question which I'm not sure anyone can answer. My brother-in-law purchased a brand new Corvette about five months ago. I just found out today that he took it back to the dealer and told them it was just too expensive to keep. He did not lease this vehicle, he bought it.

         I was wondering how he could have gotten out of that contract without paying any money back to the dealer. If anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate your opinion. Thanks.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    Did he do a voluntary repossesion?
  • chriscchrisc Member Posts: 2
    Hi,
     I used your site for advice on trying to buy my TL and made an offer to Honda Finance. I was told emphatically there are no negotiations. Never heard of such a thing. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was hung up on/disconnected. THey want $18,100 including taxes (thought I paid those already). THe car has 34,000 mi and there were no charges on inspection of the vehicle. No navigation, single CD player

    A few Q's: Will they negotiate if I keep calling? Is $14k fair? I paid $387/mo for 39 months. Paid $750 down plus all taxes and MV fees (NJ)

    Do I increase my chances of having my offer accepted if I lease another TL? Ideally we would like to lease another and own this one though it did need a new transmission and alternator. Should I go to my dealer and see if he can facilitate the sale?

    Thanks for the help. My lease is up at the end of the month
  • suavechavosuavechavo Member Posts: 39
    Hey Car_man:

    Ok first the car in question: 2000 Honda Passport w/ 80K in good condition. They like the truck but having to finance it a few more years isn't exactly what they want to do.

    My sister and bro in law bought it new in 2000.
    It was their first new car purchase and they thought that they were actually buying the truck, but it turns out it's a lease. Now 4 years later, their balloon pymt is up and they are unsure of what to do.

    The balance left on the truck is ~$10.5k. They are financing the truck thru their credit union. The salesman actually told them that they were buying the truck and not leasing it, but that is not the case. The credit union has offered to finance the truck for 4 more years at ~$250.00 a month. Their lease pymt is $438.00. I think that they should refinance it @ $250.00, but continue to pay their regular pymt and sell it in a year or so. Any help you can provide would be appreciated!

    Marty
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 265,497
    When you call Honda Finance for a payoff, they have a recorded disclaimer that they will NOT negotiate residual buyouts. From your experience (and others), I tend to believe them. The taxes you paid on your lease was just on the lease payments. If you buy the car, you have to pay again on the used car.

    Acuras and Hondas have low lease payments because of the high residual values placed on them. This makes for a great lease, but not a great purchase afterwards. IMO, don't blow a great lease by buying the car. You'll have to finance for 5 years to get the same payment that you just leased the car for.

    Unless you feel the car is worth $18,100 to you, then kiss it goodbye.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • 03oddity03oddity Member Posts: 60
    Re: Infiniti Financial Services...I will never deal with Infiniti again, ever. I returned a leased 2000 QX4 exactly 31 days before scheduled lease termination because I couldn't wait to be rid of that gas hog. (It was well maintained and in pristine condition, with loooooow miles.) IFS called it an "early termination" because it was one day before the 30-day mark. They wanted to charge me the deficiency between their inflated residual and the pathetic auction price. That Infiniti dogmobile nearly cost me several thousand extra dollars.

    Intervention by my state senator's office finally got them to back off. IFS did not make any friends on that deal. I drive an Acura.

    Oh and BTW, back at lease inception the crooked F&I manager at the Infiniti dealer changed some figures on the lease right before signing. Didn't alter the payment or driveoffs, but did screw around with money factor and residual. Beware. Infiniti is bad news.
  • nunuwwnunuww Member Posts: 7
    Hi Car_man,

    my leasing contract still got less than 2 years to go. I am about to move to another state soon. what potential problems might I encounter if I keep the contract as it is. Would it be viable if I terminate the contract and buy the car out now?

    Thank you!
  • daniodanio Member Posts: 2
    The lease on my 2000 Camry CE is going to end in a few months, and I was wondering if I should just return the car, then lease another car (which I'm considering) or should I buy back the car first, sell it privately, then use the extra money to lease a new car. I'm considering the new Volvo S40 as a new car. I was just wondering if I were to really buy back my Camry after the lease is due, should I immediately sell it privately to maximize my profits? What I'm afraid of is depreciation and ending up selling the car for less. Also, the leasing rate for the new Volvo S40 is 5.8, which is a little high for me, do you see the leasing rate decreasing after a few months since it's a brand new car now?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice, my main concern is whether I should buy back and sell the car immediately or if I should not bother buying it back.
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    .... ** It's all negotiable by hpowders **

             Sorry Hp, but Kyfdx is dead on the money, residuals are "not" negotiable ..

              Now certain lenders/banks/credit unions may use a different figure by a point or two, but that being said, they will also use a different rate factor, but whether it's a Bimmer in Fresno or a Bimmer in Pompano it's going to be the same at the "dealers" end ..

               I just wanted to clear this up before you send a dozen or so buyers out like Lemmings to the sea without the proper info .....

                            Terry :)
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    ..... ** I was wondering how he could have gotten out of that contract without paying any money back to the dealer **

                   Can we say: R-E-P O ... he didn't get out of any contract and the contract is with the lender, not the dealer .. what will happen is, the lender will take the Vette to the auction and get what they can for it ..

               If he would have been smart, he would have stayed in touch with the lender on a constant basis and would be ready with a check for the $6,0/$9,000(?) loss and that would have showed as a paid deficit and kept his credit "somewhat" in tact, but if he had that kind of $$ he wouldn't be missing his payments .l.o.l. .. with a Repo, he won't be able to "buy steam off a hotdog".

                             Terry.
  • nicolelafnicolelaf Member Posts: 6
    i am going to be leasing an audi a4 1.8T quattro with automatic transmission, the ultra sport package and the premium package. i spent 4 hours in the dealership yesterday negotiating with the salesman. the car had MSRP of $35,245 with all fees. He got down to $33,962. They said this is the best they can do b/c they had to locate one from another dealer and the car with the ultra sport is rare and i did see the screen and what was available. I will be leasing for 42 months, 15,000 miles per year and they gave me a residual of $17,270.05 and a money factor of .0009 (2.16%). I will be paying $692 at inception and $465 per month. I live in NJ. Please tell me if this is a good deal or if i can do better. i left a $1000 deposit for them to locate the vehicle and transport it and i have until monday before they start that process to pull out. Please help? nicole
  • smd5smd5 Member Posts: 18
    Carman - Could you please post the money factors and residuals in NY for the Acura TL, non nav, 15k miles for the following terms

    36 mos
    39 mos
    42 mos
    48 mos

    Thanks
  • bluebrianbluebrian Member Posts: 8
    Car man (or anyone else w/insight on this)-

    Has anyone successfully negotiated away security deposits and/or acquisition fees as a new lessee with a Honda or Acura? I keep wondering why dealers are quoting me on average about $25 more/month than I'm expecting and now I know why. All those $500+ fees add up.

    Thanks,
    brian
  • kpbuckkpbuck Member Posts: 3
    Please help with two possible leases. First, A4 1.8T auto, premium, sport, cold weather,xenon. Secondly, A6 2.7T S-line premium and cold weather packages. I live in Ohio. Both for 48 months and zero down.Thanks.
  • heathersheathers Member Posts: 5
    We are thinking of leasing a new Odyssey. They have given us an offer (with trade in, our current remaining loan, and deferred first payment) of $415 a month for 24 mos. I haven't seen any of the paperwork yet so I don't know how they came up with these figures. We are looking at a hail damaged vehicle. After our talks we drive by the one being offered and notice that it has a sign on it stating $3000 off MSRP and we fix it for you or $4000 off and you take it as is. The lease is offered as a Honda special for the EX-RES, $259/mo., etc.

    My question is, Shouldn't our lease be based on a price of $3000 off, followed by the lease special offer (also $3000+ off)? Are we getting played with this hail damaged deal?

    I won't know any of the Lease specifics until tomorrow when they 'hopefully' fax me the agreement with all details filled in.
  • stargazer0791stargazer0791 Member Posts: 33
    Car_man

    What are the residual and money factor terms you used in the 3 yr 36k miles lease calc for the FX35? Also, what is the acq fee?

    Thanks,
    Jerry
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Sorry for the delay in my response, mikee_me. A post or two occasionally falls through the cracks. Just slap me around a little bit and I'll head back and make sure to answer any questions that you have. It is difficult for me to say whether you god a good deal on your new Pilot without knowing its full MSRP, selling price, and how many miles per year you are leasing it with. If you can provide me with this additional information I can calculate a sample lease payment for you and let you know about what one should pay for this vehicle at this time.

    There are a few things that I do not like about your deal. The first is that it is a 5 year lease. I usually steer consumers towards 36 to 39 month leases. I do so for several reasons. The first is that this is usually where the most attractive interest rates are. This really isn't an issue with the Honda CR-V though because Honda is not providing any sort of lease support on it at all at this time. Another reason why I advise against such long leases is that the a lot can happen over the course of five years. If you change jobs and end up having a much longer commute than you did when you signed your lease, you could end up going way over your mileage allowance and have to pay a significant penalty for excess mileage at the end of your lease. Also, many cars and trucks only come with full warranty coverage for 3 years. If anything happens to your leased truck during the final two years of your lease, you will have to pay out of your own pocket to fix it, or possibly face a lease-end penalty for excess wear and tear.

    You rolled a lot of negative equity into this deal. You are paying interest on this $4,000 over the next five years. Plus this negative equity will make you much more upside down (owe more money than your vehicle is worth) on your current lease. It could end up being very expensive for you to try to convert your lease into a loan. In order to do so, you need to purchase your CR-V from the bank that you are leasing it through. Not only did you roll your negative equity into this deal, but your bank may want you to pay some sort of penalty for early termination.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey acura2000. I just saw the Mercedes-Benz lease program a week or so ago, but I have not seen its residual values for the 2005 C230 yet. If I recall correctly, I do believe that Mercedes-Benz Credit Corp. has a special lease money factor of .00195 on this car right now for consumers who qualify for its highest credit tier. You will have to pay this car's first month's payment, security deposit, and acquisition fee at lease signing, but none of these things should be subtracted from your car's capitalized cost. You should be allowed to add the acquisition fee to your cap cost if you want though.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Don't worry about it, madness. It happens all the time. OK, if you were to lease a 2004 Audi A6 2.7T S-Line through Audi Financial Services in New Jersey this month for 39 months with 12,000 miles per year, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00020 and 49%, respectively. When negotiating your lease of this car, keep in mind that Audi is providing $2,000 dealer cash on AFS leases of this model. This cash will help you to negotiate a more attractive capitalized cost. At lease signing, you will have to pay this car's first month's payment, a security deposit that is equal to that payment rounded up to the nearest $25 increment, and Audi Financial's lease acquisition fee of $575. You can have the acquisition fee rolled into your vehicle's cap cost if you don't what to pay it at signing.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi danbevj. Leasing probably does not make sense for you. The only time that I would advise someone who plans on keeping a vehicle for several years to lease would be when there is a special lease program, but absolutely no other cash incentives or special financing rates on the car or truck that they want. Since Toyota is not supporting Sienna leases right now, you are probably better off just paying cash for this van or financing it. If you do decide that you want to finance your Sienna, make sure to get pre-approved to finance it through a local bank or on-line prior to entering into negotiations with dealers. By doing so you give yourself a good idea of what sort of interest rate you qualify for and will possibly motivate your dealer to beat your rate.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You're welcome, danmiz. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2004 Infiniti FX35 AWD (MSRP: $39,500 / selling price: $37,000) through Infiniti Financial Services right now for 39 months with 12,000 miles per year, your zero down, pre-tax monthly lease payment should be right around $497. I can't calculate a sample lease payment on the RX-8 for you because I am not sure what Mazda's lease program is like on it. I can tell you though that I have heard that Mazda has $1,500 dealer cash on '04 RX-8 leases right now. This cash will help you to negotiate a more attractive capitalized cost.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi ericf. Some banks do offer one year leases. I am not sure if Toyota Financial Services offers one year leases, but your dealer would know. If not, you can always use the cash incentives that are available on it right now to negotiate an attractive selling price and then lease it through a bank that does offer twelve month leases. I am sure that your dealer will be able to find one. When negotiating your lease with the dealer, make sure to find out what sort of lease money factor they are charging you. You can use this number to find out what sort of interest rate you are paying. Just multiply it by 2400 for an approximate interest rate equivalent. The only problem with leasing for such a short term is that most vehicles experience their steepest depreciation during the first twelve months of ownership. Your lease payments for a one year lease will end up being fairly high because you are spreading this initial depreciation over such a small number of payments.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello ucistudent. The selling prices of leased vehicles can be negotiated just as if you were paying cash for them. While the selling prices that manufacturers' advertised leases are based upon vary from ad to ad, generally speaking advertised leases usually leave a little meat on the bone so to speak. Assuming that you are in an area where there is a decent amount of competition for your business, you should be able to negotiate a lower selling price than the one that is used in the current Z4 ad. When negotiating your lease on this car, make sure to keep in mind that BMW is currently providing $3,500 dealer cash on the 2004 Z4 2.5 and $4,500 on the '04 Z4 3.0. As far as this car's lease program goes, if you were to lease a 2004 BMW Z4 2.5i through BMW Financial Services this month for 3 years with 10,000 miles per, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00200 and 57%, respectively.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Greetings, Nicole. I would be more than happy to help you out, but in order for me to calculate a sample lease payment on this car for you, I need you to tell me what its full MSRP is. For now, I can tell you that if you were to lease a 2004 Audi A4 1.8T Sedan with quattro through Audi Financial Services in New Jersey this month for 36 months with 15,000 miles per year, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00040 and 53%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical 39 month lease should be .00040 and 51%.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Pipo, some banks will negotiate their vehicles' lease-end purchase prices from time to time. I am not personally familiar with whether BMW Financial Services has been doing so lately though. If you are interested in purchasing a leased BMW it definitely does not hurt to ask if they will work with you. The worst they can do is say no. I definitely would not count on receiving a discount though. Sorry that I could not be of more help.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    I am glad that you enjoy this discussion so much, jack1000. Thanks for providing such detailed information in your post. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2004 Infiniti G35 Sedan 2WD (MSRP: $34,365 / selling price: $32,036) through Infiniti Financial Services this month for 3 years with 12,000 miles per, your zero down, pre-tax monthly lease payment should be right around $414. Infiniti's 39 month lease program for this car is actually more attractive than its 36 month program. If I was in the market for one that is the way I would go. Stretching out this lease to 39 months would drop its payment to around $365 or so, which is a lot better deal.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You're very welcome, Mark. I have not personally leased anything through Infiniti Financial Services lately so I am not really sure how willing they are to negotiate vehicles' residual values.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Staceys, I personally find it easier to look up a vehicle's dealer invoice price on the Web and then decide what a reasonable selling price is before visiting any dealers. So this is negotiating up from invoice in a sense. However, you never should tell a dealer I will purchase this car or truck for $X over invoice. Doing so leaves you open to having them tack all sorts of fees onto your deal and then claiming that they charge them on every sale or that they are a legitimate part of the vehicle's invoice price. Figure out approximately what you want to pay for the model that you want by doing some research here on Edmunds.com and then tell the dealers that you speak with that you will pay that much for the vehicle that you want - including all fees except for tax. This is a much simpler way that being forced to dicker over every little fee that dealers try to nickel and dime you with. When negotiating a lease you definitely can and should negotiate your vehicle's selling price. The selling prices of leased vehicles can be negotiated, just as if you were paying cash for them. The only difference that you would have to take into account is that some cash incentives are not compatible with manufacturers' supported lease programs.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    I'm sorry to hear that you are so upside down on your current vehicle. I am not really that surprised though, American and Korean vehicles usually do not have very good resale values and lots of people are upside down on them. Your least expensive option would be to continue driving your Kia for another year or two until you are no longer upside down on it. If you can not stand driving your Kia an longer or need a larger vehicle right now, then you probably should try to sell your vehicle on your own. Consumers are usually able to get the most money for their used vehicles by selling them privately rather than trading them in. Of course, by selling it on your own, you will have to pay for your negative equity out of your own pocket. If you were to trade your vehicle in, you might have the option to roll part or all of your negative equity into your next loan or lease. This is not the best idea though because doing so will make you even more upside down on your next vehicle than you would have been and forces you to pay additional interest.

    Car_man
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  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
     ............ I hope you weren't wearing your rose colored glasses when you read Car_mans post - because he made some Excellent points.

    1.) ** The first is that it is a 5 year lease ** ~~ You need 2 tow trucks and the 82nd Airborne to get you out of one of those Quicksand pits.

    2.) ** Another reason why I advise against such long leases is that the a lot can happen over the course of five years.** ~~ unless your are the Great Carnage with a crystal ball things can change in a heartbeat and you have -0- control over that contract.

    3.) ** You rolled a lot of negative equity into this deal. You are paying interest on this $4,000 over the next five years. Plus this negative equity will make you much more upside down (owe more money than your vehicle is worth) ** ~~ in other words, it's called the "Kiss of death" ..

                 I'm in the biz .. I'm the guy they call about 15/25 months down the road when the $#&* hits the fan, so I have heard that sad story about 2,174 times (but who's counting?) .. my only answer is: do we have about $10grand, if not, enjoy the vehicle for the next 20 or 30 months .... 60 month leases are like raising the dead, it's tuff to do.!

                                Terry ;^)
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi cheryl. I would be more than happy to calculate a sample payment on this car for you so that you get a good idea of how much it should cost you to lease right now. However, in order for me to do so, I need you to tell me what its full MSRP is. Once you let me know, I can give you my opinion on your deal. Talk to you soon.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    I am glad that I was able to help you out, ajoe. Good luck and thanks for offering to let us know how everything turns out.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey hpowders. According to the latest informaiton that I have seen, if you were to lease a 2004 BMW 325i through BMW Financial Services this month for 3 years with 12,000 miles per, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00220 and 61%, respectively. When negotiating your lease on this car keep in mind that BMW is providing $1,200 dealer cash on it that will help you to negotiate a more attractive capitalized cost.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello 540jml. I believe that BMW Financial Services' current base lease money factor for the 2004 BMW 545i is .00225. It looks to me as though the dealer that you are working with is attempting to mark-up BMW FS' base factor to add additional back-end profit to your deal. I am not surprised by this, this is completely legal and in fact most BMW dealers try to mark up money factors on their customers. Just make sure to insist that your dealer uses BMW's base money factor to calculate your lease payments. Using the numbers that you provided in your post, an MSRP of $58,245 and a selling price of $55,950, I come up with a 3 year, 15,000 miles per, zero down, pre-tax monthly payment of right around $818.

    It is definitely not in your best interest to make any sort of down payment when leasing this car. I say this for two main reasons. The first is if your car is stolen and never recovered or totaled in an accident during your lease, your insurance company pays off the bank that you were leasing it through and your down payment essentially disappears. The second main reason is that down payments on leased vehicles do nothing to reduce their lease-end purchase prices. So this car would cost you exactly the same amount of money to buy at the end of your lease, regardless of whether you had put $2,500 down or had made absolutely no down payment at all. When you are negotiating your deal on this car, keep two things in mind. The first is that the new 5-Series is not exactly setting the world on fire. Its sales have been OK, but a lot of consumers are turned off by its looks. You should be able to get a fairly attractive price on one. The second thing to keep in mind is that BMW is providing $1,500 dealer cash on 2004 545i models right now. This cash will help you to negotiate an attractive capitalized cost.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi chrisc. I am not surprised that American Honda Finance Corp. was not willing to work with you on your car's lease-end purchase price. You can always try to call them again and to talk to someone a little higher up the ladder. To be honest with you, the fact that they hung up on you is completely inexcusable, unless you were rude to them or something. Having said this, I suspect that they will not lower this car's price. In order to figure out if your purchase option price is reasonable, you should look up its Edmunds.com True Market value by clicking on the following link, Edmunds.com New Vehicle Pricing. You also may want to stop by the following discussion that appears here on the Smart Shoppers Message Board, sysop "Real-World Trade-In Values" Jun 13, 2004 6:45pm. One of out most knowledgeable community members, Terry, is often kind enough to give consumers his opinion on vehicles values if they provide him with a detailed description of their car or truck and tell them where they live.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi Marty. That's annoying that their salesperson led them to believe that they were buying their truck. Oh well, live and learn I suppose. If they like the truck, it is in good condition, and has never been in any accidents then they may want to consider buying it. In order to decide whether this is a good idea they need to compare how much money it will cost them to buy their Pathfinder with what it is actually worth in the real world at this time. Take a look at the links that I provided in my earlier post to get an idea of this truck's current value. If their purchase price is less than or close to its current value, then they should probably go for it.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi nunuww. Assuming that you are leasing your vehicle through a captive finance company, one that is associated with its manufacturer like American Honda Finance Corp. for a Honda or General Motors Acceptance Corp. for a GM product, your bank will not have any problem with you moving to a different state. You will continue to make your payments like you always have and will be able to turn in your leased vehicle to any dealership that sells the same brand when your lease is up. The only issue that you may run into is with taxes. Different states calculate tax on leased vehicles differently. Some states try to hit new residents up for taxes on leased vehicles if they move from certain other states. You probably should not try to purchase your leased vehicle right now. By doing so you could end up paying more for it than it is worth.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    It's still before Monday, Nicole, so here is your help. Let's work up a sample lease payment on this car for you, using Audi's base lease program, and see what sort of payment we come up with. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2004 Audi A4 1.8T Sedan with quattro (MSRP: $35,245 / selling price $33,962) through Audi Financial Services this month for 39 months (I haven't seen this car's 42 month program) with 15,000 miles per year, your zero down, pre-tax monthly lease payment should be right around $402. The payment that you were quoted looks a little high to me, but I am not familiar with the availability of this exact car in your area, perhaps this is the best that you can do. There should be a number of Audi dealers in your area it definitely would not hurt to comparison shop a little bit before you commit to anything.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello smd5. Here is the information that you are looking for. If you were to lease a 2004 Acura TL without navigation through American Honda Finance Corp. in New York this month for 36 months with 15,000 miles per year, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00275 and 55%, respectively. The numbers for otherwise identical 39 and 48 month leases should be .00275 / 50% and 00235 / 48%.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey Brian. American Honda FInance Corp. requires a security deposit and an acquisition fee on all of its leases. Individual dealers do not have the authority to waive these fees. They can waive your vehicle's security deposit if you agree to a slight increase in the money factor that is used to calculate your lease payment. They also can add your acquisition fee into your vehicle's capitalized cost so that you do not have to pay it at lease signing, but they can not make either of these fees just disappear.

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