Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
Options

Lease Questions - Ask Here

17879818384468

Comments

  • jb_thecserjb_thecser Member Posts: 24
    Thanks. I've got one more for you. How about a Land Rover Discovery for 36 mos/12k per year? Thanks again.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey gracevw. I figured that you would be back looking for information on the 2002 Beetle ;). Don't worry about asking me too many questions, I am always goad to help. Let's calculate a sample lease payment on this car for you. Let's assume that you were going to lease a base 2002 Volkswagen Beetle GL with an automatic transmission (MSRP: $17,325 / Cap Cost: $16,902 - $300 Dealer Cash = $16,602) through Volkswagen Credit this month for 3 years with 10,000 miles per, according to my calculations you should have a zero down, pre-tax monthly lease payment of right around $210. This is using VW Credit's 3 year 10k base lease money factor & residual value of .00155 and 61%. The monthly payment that they quoted you seems a little on the high side to me as well. Make sure to find out what sort of price they are charging you for this car. Without knowing that, it is difficult to accurately assess your deal. Also, if possible try to find out what lease money factor they used in their calculations. If all else fails, you can always comparison shop at a few other dealerships. Beetles are not uncommon vehicles, so you should not have much difficulty finding another similar vehicle at a different dealership if you needed to.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi jnijankin. Everything is going very well, thanks for asking. To be totally honest with you, individual dealerships are free to mark up banks' lease money factors. If you know the base lease money factor that is available on a particular model, there is a good chance that you can get your dealership to use that figure in their calculations. Having said that they certainly are not obligated to use a bank's base money factor. Many dealerships regularly mark up money factors to bake additional profit into deals. If the dealership that you are currently working with refuses to use the base lease money factor for this car to calculate your lease payment, you are always free to shop around. Remember to look at your deal as a whole though. You may find that the dealership that you are currently working with is willing to provide you with a lower price on this car, even though they are marking up the money factor. When comparison shopping look at both the price of the vehicle and the factor that you are being charged and see which combination of numbers will ultimately provide you with the lowest lease payment.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey gracevw. I just posted the information that you are looking for in my previous message to you. Please check there for an answer to this question. Thanks.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You're welcome, Adam. I heard about their early lease termination program when General Motors first introduced it back in March of this year. If I remember correctly, back then the program would waive the remaining lease payments for GMAC customers whose contracts were scheduled to expire on or before September 30, 2002 if they purchase or lease a new 2002 or 2003 model year GM vehicle. I have not seen any additional information on this program since that date, although I suppose that it is possible that GM extended the program and the required termination date.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey Nicole. A while ago, Chase increased the lease acquisition fee that they charge consumers, in exchange for which they were supposed to be more lenient when evaluating vehicles at lease-end for excess wear and tear. Every bank has different criteria for what they consider to be excessive wear and tear, and even certain inspectors for individual banks are more lenient than others are when evaluating the condition of vehicles. I personally have had very good lease-end experiences with all of the vehicles that I have leased and returned in the past, but I have never leased through Chase. In the past I have heard that they are sometimes a little tougher than other banks, but I haven't heard anything about them lately. When returning a leased vehicle, I personally feel as though it is usually a good idea to see if the bank that you are leasing it through will allow you to have it pre-inspected by them a month or two prior to your scheduled termination date. Having your car or truck looked at early will provide you with the opportunity to repair any items that they deem to be excessive wear and tear on your own, rather than relying upon the bank's estimated repair costs. Also, prior to turning in a leased vehicle for good, it is usually a good idea to use a regular or digital camera to take pictures of the vehicle's condition to protect yourself from being charged for any post-return or nonexistent damage. Of course, it is difficult for me to say if Chase will charge you for wear and tear without looking at your car, but if I was forced to guess using the description in your post I would say probably not. Again, this is just an educated guess though. Once you do find out what Chase decides, please come back and let us know how everything turns out. It's always nice to find out the conclusion to a situation and perhaps we will be able to help you out if there is a problem.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello Brent. I know several people who have leased vehicles through Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. (including my wife), as well as all of the stories that I see posted by people on this message board. NMAC seems to be very reasonable when determining lease-end excess wear and tear charges. They certainly are not any more strict than any of the other captive finance companies out there.

    Nissan issues a new lease program on a monthly basis. In general, the Maxima usually has a fairly decent lease program available on it. This month, if you were to lease a 2002 Nissan Maxima through Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. for 3 years, their base lease money factor should be .00230 for all trim levels. Their corresponding 15,000 miles per year residual value should be 50% for the 2002 Maxima SE & 53% for the GLE. Also, when negotiating a lease on this car, keep in mind that Nissan currently has $1,000 lease cash on it that may be used to reduce its capitalized cost.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi Allen. If you were to lease a 2002 Mercedes-Benz C230 Coupe through Mercedes-Benz Credit Corporation this month for 3 years with 15,000 miles per, their base lease money factor and residual value should be .00245 and 60%, respectively. As you can see, the dealership that you are working with is not attempting to mark up this car's base lease money factor. This is a very good sign. Now you can just concentrate on negotiating price and you will know that your dealer isn't quoting you a lower than normal number in an attempt to make up some of their lost profit on the back end of your deal.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey fladriver. Audi's exact lease money factors vary depending upon what state you are in. If you let me know where you are, I would be more than happy to give you an idea of what the lease money factor should be like on this particular car and what sort of lease payment I believe is reasonable. Also, please let me know how many miles per year this deal includes. This lease's allowed mileage will have an impact of your monthly payment. As far as incentives go, Audi is not currently providing any sort of dealer cash on the A6 that I am aware of. As soon as you provide me with this additional information, I will answer your remaining questions. Talk to you soon.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You're welcome, jb_thecser. The last that I heard, Land Rover was providing a 3 year lease money factor of .00191 on the 2002 Discovery II SD and .00205 on the 2002 Discovery II SE. The corresponding 12,000 miles per year residual values for these trucks are as follows: 53% for the 2002 Disco SD and 50% for the SE.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • gracevwgracevw Member Posts: 18
    Car_man,

    If I remember correctly, the final price of the car was $16,200 - I want the manual transmission by the way - and the money factor was 0.0023 (I believe that is around 6%!). The money factor was what got me asking all these questions because at the first VW dealer I went to (we only have two) I saw a money factor of 2.05% on the GLS, but I did not see what it was for the GL - I'm assuming it's similar. When I asked this second dealer if he could play with the money factor, he said that it was locked in by the lease company - which is why I tried to contact VW directly, but got absolutely nowhere - I'm assuming this number was from VW.

    Can I ask where you came by a money factor of 0.00155? The residual I was given was the same as yours - 61%.

    Of course, now I have a dilemma. I haven't signed anything, but I tacitly agreed on the deal they gave me the other night and they have located a vehicle for me and we have done all the credit stuff. Should I feel OK with pushing the money factor and getting them to lower the payment further?

    Thanks again!

    gracevw
  • gracevwgracevw Member Posts: 18
    Car_man,

    I left out an important detail in the monthly price of $235.90 - this was the "out the door" price. Sec. dep., acq. fee and taxes included. I was going to pay $528 out of pocket and this includes first month and DMV. Now that you are aware of this, should I still try to get them to come down on the money factor? The reason I am pursuing this is we are paying quite a bit less for a Grand Am and the cap cost is similar.

    gracevw
  • terry07terry07 Member Posts: 15
    Hi Car_Man, I noticed Nicole's questions about Chase Auto Fin. and I have a couple of more questions. I am nearing the end of my lease with Chase. I am allowed $1500 toward wear and tear. I have a small dent in the rear quarter that Nissan has estimated around $450 to repair, local body shop-$315. Should I figure that the $1500 could cover this or is the $1500 what Chase figures the cost is to normally refurbish a car. In this case, I would pay the $ to get it fixed? Also, the Chase rep told me when I turn my lease in, I should make arrangements to have it picked up at my house because it would not be insured for damage if left at a dealer's lot. Thanks
  • hpowdershpowders Member Posts: 4,331
    Hello Car Man. You gave me the monthly payment for a 2002 BMW 325 with AT and premium package, 36,000 miles, cap. cost $31060, MSRP of $32195 as $452(residual of 60% and mf of .0025) for 36 months. If I went for 30,000 miles instead of the 36,000 miles, what would be my monthly payment? I live in the Tampa area.
    Thanks Car Man.
    Howard
  • brantmaximbrantmaxim Member Posts: 7
    I've begun my car search and my very first quote from a Honda dealer for a 2002 EX 4cyl 5-speed was $18,261. I checked out Edmunds.com and found the TMV to be $19,272. With the invoice at $19,791 this is almost $1500 below invoice!
    I just want to make sure if this sounds about right or does it sound like this guy is pulling my chain. I want to jump on this, but this is my first offer and I'm wondering will there be better offers than this. Any input would be appreciated!

    Brant
  • mdrn45mdrn45 Member Posts: 4
    Hello carman,
    If possible would like to get the money factors and residual values for the above. I live in the central iowa area. thanks
  • bretfrazbretfraz Member Posts: 2,021
    Well, if the car is truly brand new, not a demo or something, then it sounds like an awesome deal. If its the car you want.

    Let's not get greedy or stupid here. A wayyyy below invoice price on a Honda is a very rare thing. Maybe too rare. If you want the car, go get it. Just pay attention.
  • purchasingsoonpurchasingsoon Member Posts: 74
    Car man..
    i signed a lease for the 325xi over the weekend. the initial proposal from the dealer involved a .0031 money factor, plus they tacked on most of the upfront costs to the total cost of the car (i.e. deposit, acquisition fee etc), which was to be financed over the term. frankly, i think they tried to rip me off! i got them to agree to .0025 plus i paid the fees upfront and did not finance them. this was not an easy process, but your info helped. one question i still have: they charged me a $775 acquisition fee; does this seem high to you? it sure does to me. the drive away cost (including the first months payment) was about $2000 or so. thanks!
  • krochellikrochelli Member Posts: 11
    Carman,

    What would be money factor/residual for an M3 in CA, 36 mo 12k miles/year? How much difference with a 48 mo. lease?

    I have heard that BMW really has bad leasing options on popular (read M) cars. As Porsche is giving great leasing deals on Boxsters, I may have to switch that way.

    Thanks,

    KeithR
  • footiefootie Member Posts: 636
    It's my understanding that BMWFS usually limits the markup on the acquisition fee to $200 over the $595. Your dealership was right up there.

    Getting the money factor down to .0025 probably saved you .0006 * ( residual + capcost - capcost reductions ) or something in the range of $300 depending on deal details.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Gracevw, I can assure you that the base lease money factor of .00155 for a 36 month lease of a 2002 VW Beetle GL through VW Credit is indeed correct. Individual dealerships do not have any authority to reduce a bank's base money factor for a particular vehicle, but they do have the power to increase a money factor to bake additional profit into deals. It appears as though this is what is happening here. I certainly would not feel bad about insisting that they use this car's base lease money factor in their calculations if I was in your position. You can always tell them that if they don't that you may have to shop around until you find a dealership that will.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi terry07. Many banks allow their lessees to have their vehicles inspected a few weeks or even a month prior to their scheduled termination date. By doing so, you would be able to find out for certain whether Chase would charge you to repair this dent or not. And if so, you can have the repairs done on your own at a cost that would probably be less than what they would have charged you. Also, many banks will send their customers a template that spells out exactly what they will and will not be charged for in terms of excess wear and tear on their vehicles. For instance, American Honda Finance Corp. sends their lessees a piece that has little measuring tools that they can use to determine of a scratch or a dent is large enough that they will be charged for it. You may want to see if Chase has something similar that they can send you. It is very difficult for me to say whether or not you will be charged for this dent without actually seeing your car or truck, so I hesitate to comment on whether you should fix it on your own, but the two ideas that I outlined above may lead you to an answer to this question.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi Howard. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2002 BMW 325i (MSRP: $32,195 / Cap.: $31,060) through BMW Financial Services for 3 years with 12,000 miles per your zero down, pre-tax monthly lease payment should be around $453. If you were to reduce your mileage allowance to 10,000 miles per year, the monthly payment for an otherwise identical lease would fall to around $444.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey Brant. If you are actually able to get a 2002 Honda Accord EX for $1,500 below dealer invoice then you certainly are getting an exceptional deal. Even with the $1,000 dealer cash that Honda is providing on 2002 Accords right now, this price is still $500 below invoice. If one was to subtract the dealer holdback from that they would get to right around the price that you were quoted, so I suppose that this price is possible. However, it sure sounds to me as though you have been quoted an unrealistically low price in this car. The dealership that you are working with may be hoping to make some money on you on the back end of this deal by selling you an extended warranty or perhaps by marking up the interest rate that you will pay. Either way, if you can get this car for this price without any monkey business then I say go for it.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello mdrn45. I would be more than happy to help you out, but first I am going to need you to tell me how long you plan on leasing this truck for and how many miles per year you will need to be able to drive without incurring a lease-end penalty. Once I have these two additional pieces of information I will be able to provide you with the data that you are looking for. Talk to you soon.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Purchasingsoon, I am glad to see that you were able to get your dealership to use BMW Financial Services' base lease money factor for this car. Your were right when you suspected that the $775 lease acquisition fee was a little on the high side. BMW Financial Services charges an acquisition fee of $525 on all of their leases. However, much like with base money factors, individual dealerships do have the ability to mark-up banks' base acquisition fees in an effort to bake additional profit into deals. It certainly appears as though they marked up the base acquisition fee $250 on your deal.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi KeithR. BMW is not providing any sort of support on the M3 at this time. So, if you were to lease one through BMW Financial Services, you would have to use their standard lease money factors. The last that I heard, the BMW FS standard lease money factor for 36 month leases was .00280. If you were to lease this car for 48 months, I believe that the standard money factor would increase to .00305. So you are correct, the lease program on this car certainly is nothing special. As you mentioned, Porsche has some outstanding lease money factors available on the Boxster right now. This is the first time that I remember Porsche providing any sort of lease support on this car, so it is a great time to get one.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • jacksmartjacksmart Member Posts: 1
    I am interested in the national lease that Saab is currently running on the 9-5. The way the dealer described the lease is that the price of the vehicle is 2% over invoice. That does not take the 2% holdback into consideration.
    Can you negotiate the purchase price on this type of national lease? It looks as though I would be paying 714 more than the TMV in this scenario.
    What is the likelihood of negotiating the purchase price down to a TMV when taking advantage of a national lease and the subsidized interest rate?
  • dan__2dan__2 Member Posts: 13
    Car_man,
    thanks for the input. what would you do if you were me? just suck it up, the fact that i got overcharged an acquisition fee? i'd like to complain. they looked me straight in the eye and assured me the entire 775 went to BMW financial and none of it was theirs to keep. i will never finance anything through BMW again, and i don't even want to do business with them again.
  • ladolceboyladolceboy Member Posts: 2
    The local VW dealership here currently offers leases on 2002 GL models (New Beetle, Jetta, Golf, and Passat) for 39 months at (I think) $139-$179 per month, with something like $2,600+ down. Is this an acceptable deal? It seems like I have read in discussions here that ideal leases do not require money down on the front end. Am I making that up? I'm sceptical of this dealership already, so I'd like to know what's up. Thanks!
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Jacksmart, the vehicle prices that are used to calculate nationally advertised sample lease payments are certainly not set in stone. Of course, the amount of wiggle room that is in these prices will depend upon how good the price that the advertised lease is based upon is to begin with. For instance, many of Volvo's advertised lease payments are based upon vehicles sold at full gross. Obviously, there would be quite a bit of room to negotiate in these prices. However, many other sample lease payments are based upon prices that are much closer to dealer invoice. Of course, every situation is a little different, but I personally believe that you probably would be able to get a Saab dealer to come down a little bit on the price that their advertised lease payments are based upon if you comparison shop a little bit, especially if that price is above the Edmunds.com True Market Value for this vehicle.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hey ladolceboy. In my personal opinion, $2,600+ is way too much money to put down on a leased vehicle. I usually advise consumers to put as little money down as possible when leasing. There are several reasons for this. One is that any money that you put down does not do anything to reduce your vehicle's lease-end purchase price. So even though a lease down payment will reduce the amount of interest that you will pay during your term, you still aren't gaining any equity in your vehicle by putting money down. Another reason is that if your leased vehicle is stolen and not recovered or totaled in an accident during your term, your insurance company pays off the bank that you are leasing through and down payment is essentially gone. As far as these deals go, it is difficult for me to say how good they are without a little more specific information. If you can provide me with the exact monthly lease payment, term, and number of miles per year I will be able to give you a better idea of how good a deal it is.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You're welcome, dan__2. Technically the dealership that charged you the marked up acquisition fee did not do anything wrong and there really is not anything that you can do to get that money back. Still, I definitely would be irritated if I was in your situation. You can always go back to the dealership and talk with them to see if they would be willing to refund your $250, but they certainly are not obligated to do so and I have a feeling that they won't. The only real recourse that you have would be to give the dealership terrible marks on the survey that you receive, but by doing that remember that you are punishing your salesperson as well as the dealership as a whole.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • jnijankinjnijankin Member Posts: 22
    Hi Carman !

    I finally leased the Audi TT that I spoke to you about and wanted to ask your opinion on the numbers I negotiated. This was for the 225 hp coupe with Audio Package, 39 month lease with 12000 miles a year.
    Lease rate: $489.00 per month + tax. (FL)
    Inception fees of $1500.00, no extra money down. I am waiting on the arrival of the vehicle so I have not sen the actual numbers they are using but agreed to my counterproposal. I based my cap cost on a number of $35,500.00
    Is there also a way to negotiate out of the lease the disposition fee?
    Thanks for your feedback as always!
  • nasdaqernasdaqer Member Posts: 3
    We are nearing the end ( 5 mos) of the lease on our 2000 Accord SE, and our buyout figure is $13k. We would like to sell our car to a third party since the mileage is inline (41k) and I think we could sell it fairly easy living in the twin cities. Also, we will be about 1,000 to 1,500 over on mileage by the time our lease is due.


    Do you know if we have to first take out a loan from our bank to buy the car, and then sell it to the third party (getting taxed twice, as well); or if we can simply have them write out a check for 14 or 15k to Honda Finance (since I feel we could make a little, and still get someone a great deal) and have them refund the difference to us?


    I called a couple Honda dealers here and asked if they would facilitate a 3rd party buyout, and they said they would not -- similar to this article on Edmunds:


    http://www.edmunds.com/news/column/lowdownlowpayments/48244/article.html


    The Honda dealership we will be working with offered to give us almost what our buyout figure is, but we would like a little extra for a cap reduction on a new Pilot EX.

     

    Anyone have any idea what the easiest way to go about all this would be?


    fyi: we live in Mpls, and drive all the way to Milwaukee, WI to work with a dealer there -- I have never worked with a dealer that could come close to touching his deals -- we are leasing our 2000 Accord SE now @ 36 mos/ 15k per year, 0 down, 0 deposit, etc., for $248 month -- let me know if anyone interested in talking with them about Pilots. We have no affiliation with them, other than being pleased!

  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Congratulations on your new car, jnijankin. I am sure that you will be anxiously counting the days until it arrives. I love the TT Coupe and think that you made an excellent choice. It appears as though you negotiated a good deal on the car, too. Unfortunately, lease disposition fees are charged by banks and much like with acquisition fees, individual dealerships do not have the authority to waive them. You may be able to get out of paying a lease disposition fee on your car if you end up leasing another Audi though.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Nasdaqer, different banks have different lease-end purchase procedures. I am sorry to say that you really need to check with the bank that you are currently leasing your Accord through in order to find out their exact policy on this matter.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • mdrn45mdrn45 Member Posts: 4
    Carman,
    I will be looking at 12,000/year for 3 years and i live in the central ia region. thanks again. mark
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Thanks for the additional information, mdrn45. I am not sure exactly which one of DaimlerChrysler's region the state of Iowa is in. If Iowa falls within the Twin Cities or Kansas City regions, and you were to lease a 2002 Dodge Durango SLT through Chrysler Financial this month, their base lease money factor should be .00315. However, if Iowa is in the Cincinnati region, then you would have to use a base lease money factor of .00270. For both areas, the Chrysler Financial 3 year, 12,000 miles per residual value for a 2002 Dodge Durango SLT 4WD should be 45%. Chrysler Financial's June lease program was originally scheduled to expire on July 1st, but they recently extended it through July 8th.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards


    P.S. Don't forget that Chrysler is providing $3,000 lease cash in your area through July 1st that may be used to reduce this truck's capitalized cost.
  • soylentsoylent Member Posts: 25
    Howdy Car_man,

    If you could provide residual and m.f. I would appreciate it thanks.

    2002 Jeep Liberty Limited

    26,325 MSRP (24,550 Invoice)
    24,917 TMV
    2,000 Lease loyalty
    500 Military
    500 Cash Back
    ____________________
    21,917 Cap cost ( Is this obtainable?)

    3/36 lease

    4/48 lease

    $0 OOP

    Phoenix AZ
  • jb_thecserjb_thecser Member Posts: 24
    Do you have residuals and MF's for VW Jetta Wagons? How about for the GLS Wagon with Auto for 3/36 and the GLS V6 wagon, also for 3/36?
  • jb_thecserjb_thecser Member Posts: 24
    I was at the dealer last night. They told me 45% and .00375 for the GL/GLS Wagon with the 1.8T engine. That seems a bit ridiculous to me. 9% on a lease at the same dealer that's offering .9% (granted, it's only for 2 years) for financing the car?

    If you'll let me know what the VWFS rates are on the 36 month/12k per year lease, I think I'll go to another dealer.
  • mdx88mdx88 Member Posts: 6
    I am in the 2nd month of my lease of an Acura MDX. This is my first lease, and I thought 12,000 would be enough per year. It turns out my circumstances have changed and I will be doing about 15,000 per year. Can I go back to AHFC and try to negotiate an increase in my mileage allowance in turn for a higher payment? My guess is I'm out of luck, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Howdy soylent. I would be more than happy to help you out. If you were to lease a 2002 Jeep Liberty Limited 2WD (I am assuming 2WD instead of 4WD given the area that you are in) through Chrysler Financial for 3 years with 12,000 miles per prior to July 8th in the Phoenix, AZ area, their base lease money factor and residual value should be .00265 and 47%, respectively. The 48 month, 12,000 miles per numbers for an otherwise identical lease should be .00280 and 41%. As far as the price that you are looking for goes, although I am not all that familiar with the market that you are in I certainly don't see why you would not be able to purchase this truck for that price if you comparison shop a little bit.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Jb_thecser, I have seen the lease program for Jetta Wagons. Prior to providing you with this information, I must remind you that Volkswagen's current incentives are scheduled to expire on July 1st and I have not seen their next program yet. If you were to lease a 2002 VW Jetta GLS Wagon 1.8T through VW Credit for 3 years with 12,000 miles per, their base lease money factor and residual value should be .00120 and 57%, respectively. The numbers for the 2002 Jetta GLS Wagon VR6 should be .00130 and 57%. Keep in mind that there is dealer cash available on this model that may be combined with the special financing and lease programs.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Jb_thecser, Volkswagen is currently offering 0.9% special financing for 24 months, 2.9% for 36 months, 3.9% for 48 months, and 4.9% for 60 months on the 2002 Passat. VW Credit's 3 year base lease money factor for the 2002 Passat 4-cylinder Wagon is currently .00185 for consumers with good credit. If the dealership that you are shopping at is trying to use a money factor of .00375 then they are trying to make a ton of money off of you or your credit is not in very good shape. This is a huge mark-up over VW Credit's base program for this model. For whatever reason, they also mislead you about this car's residual value. VW Credit's 3 year 15,000 miles per residual value for a 2002 Passat 4-cylinder Wagon leased prior to July 1st is 56%. Even the 2003 models have a better lease program than the one that you were quoted. If I was in your situation, I definitely would take my business elsewhere. It looks to me as though these guys are trying to make a killing of of you.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • jb_thecserjb_thecser Member Posts: 24
    So I'm guessing he was trying to fleece me in a big way...

    What is the dealer cash available? I saw the incentive for current VW owners, but not any incentive cash.

    My FICO is 700+, but he wouldn't know that because I never gave him my SSN to run it. He's not going to be seeing me anytime soon. As a matter of fact, I'm going to call him right now and tell him to never contact me again.
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Mdx88, unfortunately once your lease payment is based upon a certain number of miles per year and the contract is signed one usually can not change their mileage allowance. However, lessees are often able to purchase additional mileage at lease inception at a reduced rate, rather than having to pay the full mileage penalty at lease-end. If you call the bank that you are leasing your MDX through, probably American Honda Finance Corp., they may still be willing to allow you to purchase excess mileage at a reduced rate. There is no guarantee that they will allow you to do so, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask. Good luck.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Jb_thecser, Volkswagen currently has a dealer volume bonus program that provides most dealers with $300 dealer cash that may be used in conjunction with supported Volkswagen Credit contracts.

    Car_man
    Host
    Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
  • jb_thecserjb_thecser Member Posts: 24
    I think the car was a 2003, but if that's the case, I would expect the residual to be higher than the 2002, with the MF maybe a bit higher, as well.

    You said .0012 was for the 2002's and then said it was .00185. Is the .00185 for 2003s, or was the .0012 a type-o?

    TIA.
This discussion has been closed.