Lease Questions - Ask Here

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  • carkid21carkid21 Member Posts: 20
    hey thanks, i went to your link heres what I have,

    04 G35 RWD sedan w/leather
    premium package w/o full sized spare

    TMV 33,695

    but this is on the 04.

    we've got a price on a 03 same options (plus heated seats) for 30,750. hope this helps I'm planning on leasing for 36 months maybe 48 highly doubt it though, with 15K miles a year. hope you can help me
  • 03oddity03oddity Member Posts: 60
    Hi Car_man,

    Amazing amount of help you've given others. Here's my situation:

    I'm 6 months from lease end on a 2001 Saab 9-5 SE V6 auto with cap cost of $31,874 and residual of $18,121, monthly payment $412 plus 8.25% CA sales tax. Lease is 36 months with 15K miles/year.

    It's a decent car but starting to have some issues--Info Display replaced under warranty, front brake pads AND rotors replaced at 30K at my expense (!!), annoying squeaks and rattles. Oil changes every 5K. Some stone chips on the front bumper and hood but otherwise squeaky clean. Likely to be about 2,000 over mileage at $0.20/mile by mid-July, or $400 plus the $350 termination fee.

    I'm impressed by discussions of Acura's new TL; might even buy one instead of lease. So--your take on the economics of lease-end purchase of Saab vs. turning it in? I'd like to to have a definite plan before July rolls around.

    To complicate matters, I could save an extra $3,000 on another Saab via the GM Suppliers Discount Program (boy, is THAT an under-advertised deal!!) but I would not consider a turbo-lagged 4-banger now that they have discontinued the V6. Still, it irritates the heck out of me to pay retail for anything, as I'd likely be doing with the Acura.

    Any advice???

    Thanks,

    Craig
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi ltmarks. The lease programs for both of the manufacturers that you mentioned have either just expired or are scheduled to expire today. It is true that the special lease money factor that Honda had on the Accord in December is scheduled to end. Having said this, no manufacturer runs incentives or lease programs on vehicles indefinitely. Most programs are published with expiration dates of one or two months after they are announced. Even though they are scheduled to expire, this does not mean that the deal will disappear. Manufacturers usually continue their incentives, and often even enhance them. Dealers often use the fact that programs will "expire" to create an unnecessary sense of urgency in their customers to persuade them to purchase ASAP. Of course, there certainly is no guarantee that Honda will continue to offer lease support on the '04 Accord in January, but I would bet big money that they will.

    As far as the BMW that you are interested in goes, again I do not know what its January lease program will be like yet. However, I can tell you that its December base lease money factor should have only been .00215, not the .00270 that you were quoted. This likely means that the dealership that you are working with is attempting to mark-up BMW FS' base money factor to add additional back-end profit to your deal without you knowing. You should definitely insist that they calculate your car's lease payment using BMW FS' base program.

    Please feel free to check back with me towards the end of the week with a quick reminder and I will be more than happy to tell you what the new programs are like on these cars. I'll even calculate sample lease payments on them for you if you would like.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hello Brock. I'm familiar with the advertised lease payment for the BMW X5 that you posted in your message. BMW's advertised leases are usually good deals in the sense that they are calculated using BMW FS' base lease money factors. However, their sample lease payments usually leave a little meat on the bone so to speak as far as the selling price of the vehicle goes. Consumers are often able to negotiate lower lease payments than the ones that are advertised by haggling a little more on the capitalized cost of the model that they want. Also, all of BMW's advertised leases are based upon the assumption that the lessee is putting $2,500 down. It really is not a good idea for consumers to put any money down when leasing. You should be able to lease this model without any money down at all (of course this will naturally make the lease payment increase somewhat). I say that putting money down when leasing is a bad idea for two main reasons. The first is that if the vehicle that you are leasing is stolen and never recovered or totaled in an accident during your lease term, your insurance company pays off the bank that you are 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 if you were to lease this X5 and decided that you like it so much that you want to buy it, its lease-end purchase price would be exactly the same regardless of whether you $2,500 down or had made no down payment at all.

    Car_man
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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Thanks for the additional informaiton, carkid21. However in order for me to calculate a sample lease payment on this car for you, I also need you to provide me with its full MSRP. Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my earlier message to you, but Infiniti's December lease program is only scheduled to run through January 5th. Please feel free to check back with me towards the end of the week and I should be able to give you an idea of what Inifniti's January program is like.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi Craig. Saabs certainly are tough to beat in terms of the deals that they have out there. Not only does Saab throw tons of incentives at their vehicles, but if you qualify for its supplier purchase program on top of that you can practically steal one. I'm not a big Saab guy myself, but I have been forced to consider the 9-5 for my next ride simply because of the deals that are out there. All things being equal, I personally would rather have an Acura TL than a 9-3. If I was in your situation, I definitely would not purchase the 9-3 at lease-end with the intention of keeping it. I would look into purchasing it and selling it on my own or trading it in if the numbers worked out right. In order for it to be worth your while to do so, you would have to be absolutely positive that your purchase price for it is less than it is worth on the open market, making sure to take the mileage penalty into account. You will be able to get a good idea of your car's value by visiting a few discussions here in the Town Hall and by looking up this car's Edmunds.com True Market Value around the time that your lease is up. Also, make sure to place a call to the bank that you are leasing it through to see if they would be willing to lower your purchase price any.

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  • rbrrbr Member Posts: 113
    For what its worth, I also had a 2001 9-5 SE that I returned about six weeks ago. Your story sounds like mine -- I didn't like the idea of leasing a new 9-5 when the only engines they offer are 4 cylinder turbos. Frankly, Saab doesn't seem to have done much at all with the car design since 1999 when they first came on the market (at least that is apparent to me after driving 2004 loaner cars).
    I ended up getting a 2004 Honda Accord EX-v6 with NAV. The car was a tremendous value at 26,600, and then I added a HondaCare extended warranty which has a fairly liberal loaner car/rental reimbursement policy. Its a bit bigger than the Acura (making it similar in size to the 9-5, interior wise). I was also considering a 2004 TL, but I personally couldn't justify the price difference.
    Hope this helps -- enjoy the shopping.

    Rich
  • smd5smd5 Member Posts: 18
    Hi Car Man - I am sure that you don't have it yet, but when you get a chance could you look into the January program on the 2.5 and 3.0 X Type. 39/42 mos, 10k per year.

    Thanks for your help.
  • carkid21carkid21 Member Posts: 20
    sorry actually the TMV price I gave was the actuall MSRP on a new 04 Gsedan. currently though my father has been speaking with some differnt dealors and they still have some 03 left, and are also willing to deal on some 04 as to many people right now are trying to get into the AWD versions.

    thanks

    Craig
  • andrewctangandrewctang Member Posts: 14
    Car_man,
    Wow! Thanks for all your answers to my questions. Your answers will help me a lot.

    Let me get this straight. I should be able to lease a car and drive off paying just first month's lease payment, security deposit (about same amount as one month's payment) and acquisition fee (about $500-600). No downpayment. I know the lease payment depends on the deal I negotiate, but say it's about $400. So I could drive off paying just $1300-1400 (= $400x2 + $500-600).

    For a loan, on the other hand, I pay first month's loan payment and a downpayment (you recommended 10-20% of purchase price). No acquisition fee. Suppose loan payment works out to $400 and purchase price is $25K. I pay $2900-5400 (= $400 + $25,000 x 10-20%) before I can drive off.

    I just read in this discussion that there might be something called a "processing fee". Is that something charged on both leases and loans?
  • pfjepfje Member Posts: 25
    Hi Car_man,

    Happy New Year. I want to thank you for dedication and help.

    I'd like your opinion on the following lease offering for a 2004 FX35. The MSRP is $40,995 and the selling price is $38,495. The lease is for 39 months and 12,000 miles per year.
    The money factor is .00213 and residual is 54%. The total out is $2,495. I know that Infiniti's current lease program is scheduled to end shortly; however, what are your thoughts about this particular offer.

    Once again, thank you.
  • bstoltonbstolton Member Posts: 1
    I`m looking at an fx35 w/sport,touring, and tech packages. The msrp is 45,495.00. Local dealer Quoting 43,395 w/1737.00 drive off. Residual is 53% or 24,000. Payments are 765.00 3yr and 641.00 4yr inc. tax. This seems high? Carsdirect selling price is 42,039 or 800.00 over invoice, so I think I can negotiate lower cap cost. What should I be expecting for payments? This is on a 2004, would I get a better deal on a 2003.
        Thanks Bill
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi smd5. Rumor has it that Jaguar extended its December incentives through January 12th. Please post a quick reminder for me in this discussion a day or two after that and I will be more than happy to fill you in on what I have been able to find out. Talk to you then.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You're very welcome, andrewctang. From reading your post it looks to me as though you have a very good understanding of how things work now. You should not have to pay any sort of "processing fee" when leasing a new vehicle, other than the lease acquisition fee that we discussed earlier.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    I am glad that I have been able to help you out, pfje. The selling price that you were quoted for this vehicle looks reasonable to me, but you still may want to head over to the Infiniti FX45 / FX35: Prices Paid & Buying Experience discussion to see if you can get any more feedback from other community members who are familiar with the market for it. However, the lease money factor that you were quoted looks slightly high to me. Last month, Infiniti Financial Services' base lease money factor for this vehicle was .00184 for any length lease. The dealership that you are working with may be trying to add some back-end profit to your deal by marking up IFS' base factor. Make sure to ask them why they didn't use the base factor to calculate your payment and insist upon them doing so in the future. I expect Infiniti to publish its new incentives program today. Please feel free to post a short reminder for me in this discussion in a day or two and I will be more than happy to give you an idea of what this model's new January lease program is like.

    Car_man
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  • aqbqcqaqbqcq Member Posts: 14
    Carman,

    Is it wise to wait to lease a Lexus rx330 or an Acura MDX (or any SUV for that matter) until after February since these are probable in higher demand in the northeast during the colder months? Also is you could give me the curent lease figures for both of these for 36 or 39 months @ 12,000 miles a year. Thanks again.
  • bmwmaybebmwmaybe Member Posts: 14
    I have put in a deposit on a 2004 TL that will be delivered end of the month. The dealer called today with 36 and 42 month lease numbers, both for 12,000 miles. I suspect both are a bit high - $533 for 36 months and $507 for 42 months, plus tax. I won't know if this is fair until I impose upon Carman for the money factors and residuals next week ;)

    My current questions is - the dealer is including a $528.94 "dealer service fee" in the inceptions. I challenged them on this and was told all dealers charge this, that its required and that most dealers include it in the price. I have leased several cars, and have never heard of this and am pretty sure its bunk. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
  • pfjepfje Member Posts: 25
    Car_man,

    Thanks for the quick response. When you get the Infiniti January lease program figures I would appreciate the money factor/residual for the FX35 and FX45.

    Once again, thank you.
  • crashtestdingocrashtestdingo Member Posts: 81
    On Jan 5, 2004 at 10:15am, Rich (rbr) wrote:

    >I ended up getting a 2004 Honda Accord [...] Its a bit bigger than the Acura [TL?...]

    According to what I've read, the TL is bigger than the Accord, which is bigger than the Acura TSX.
  • crashtestdingocrashtestdingo Member Posts: 81
    Hello again, Car_man and everyone.

    I've heard that when a car is damaged badly enough in a crash, sometimes its market value is not as high once the damage is fixed as it was prior to the crash, even if the repairs are expertly performed. I've also heard that some insurance companies offer additional coverage to compensate an insured for this difference. But I've heard about it only regarding people who own their cars. Is this insurance coverage available for people who lease their cars (in order to offset excess wear and tear charges due to crash damage at lease's end), and if so, is it coverage they should consider getting?
  • rbrrbr Member Posts: 113
    I was referring to "bigger" in terms of interior space, particularly rear legroom. 2004 TL has about 1.5 - 2 inches less than 2004 Accord Sedan.
    Just wanted to clarify, and sorry for pulling this far off topic.
  • fruggerfrugger Member Posts: 2
    Car_Man,

    Looking for money factor and residual on a 2004 Acura TSX Auto w/Navi.

    36 months w/ 12K miles per year. Going to buy this weekend so any help would be appreciated!

    Thanks!
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi Bill. You may indeed have a little more room to negotiate on this vehicle's price. Check out the discussion that I provided a link to in post #8919 for more feedback on Infiniti FX pricing. According to my calculations, if you were to lease a 2004 Infiniti FX35 AWD with an MSRP of $45,495 and a selling price of $43,395 through Infiniti Financial Services this month for 3 years with 15,000 miles per, your zero down, pre-tax monthly payment should be right around $672. The payment for an otherwise identical 4 year lease should be $595. It is a little difficult for me to compare these payments with the ones that you mentioned in your post because yours included tax, but taking the fact that the payments that you were quoted may be a little on the high side and the fact that you may be able to negotiate a lower selling price on this vehicle you probably still have some room to negotiate. Given its lower residual values, Infiniti's current lease program on the '03 FX35 is actually slightly worse than its program on the '04, but you may be able to do better on an '03 if you can negotiate a significantly lower selling price because dealers want to unload them.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    You are right, aqbqcq. Dealers will likely try to get every dollar that they can for sport utility vehicles in the Northeastern US during the winter months. Theoretically vehicles' prices fall as the model year progresses and SUV prices will fall in cold areas the further one gets from winter, but it is difficult to say exactly how much of a difference waiting will make. I guess if you aren't in any hurry waiting won't hurt. As far as the lease programs for the vehicles that you mentioned go, I have not seen their new January info yet. I suspect that I will have an opportunity to take a look at them by late this week. Please post a quick reminder for me in this discussion in a few days and I will let you know what I have been able to find out.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    A dealer service fee, huh, bmwmaybe. It sounds like a fancy name for a doc fee and probably is nothing more than additional profit for your dealer. The only fee on a leased vehicle that you would be required to pay is a lease acquisition fee. If the total price that you are being charged, including this service fee, is still less than what you could purchase an equivalent car for at a different Acura dealership then the fee doesn't really matter. If not, you should try to get them to drop the fee or to lower the price of the vehicle somewhat.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    No problem, pfje. I actually have had an opportunity to take a look at IFS' new program. According to the informaiton that I have seen, if you were to lease a 2004 Infiniti FX35 AWD through IFS this month for 39 months with 12,000 miles per, its base lease money factor and residual value should be .00184 and 52%, respectively. The numbers for an otherwise identical lease of a 2004 Infiniti FX45 should be .00184 and 53%.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Crashtestdingo, it is true that vehicles that have been in accidents are worth less than equivalent models that have never been in one, even if they were repaired perfectly, using OEM parts. It makes sense if you think about it. What would you rather buy a car that has never been in an accident or one that has? One of the great things about leasing is that lessees do not have to worry about their vehicles experiencing any diminished value from being in an accident. As long as your car or truck has been repaired properly, the bank that you are leasing it through can not charge you for any excess wear and tear. It's great, you get to walk away from a vehicle that has diminished value for free and your bank has to take the hit. Don't worry about any sort of additional coverage for diminished value on a leased vehicle. Just make sure that the repairs are done properly when you file your insurance claim.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Hi frugger. I haven't seen Acura's new lease program yet. It is difficult to say whether I will be able to take a look at it before this weekend. Just in case, post a quick reminder for me in this discussion on Thursday night or early Friday morning and I will let you know if I have been able to find anything out for you. Talk to you then.

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  • bmwmaybebmwmaybe Member Posts: 14
    Thanks, Carman. Thats what I think. The price I got is 34,125, or 1,000 under MSRP. I think this is fair based on the demand and limited supply of TL's with Navi. However, as the dealer is making about 2,000 profit, plus another 1,000 or so on the holdback, I do not think they are entitled to more. I will post a reminder RE the residual and money factor for 12,000 mile 36 and 42 month leases next week. Thanks again!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 262,491
    Car_man hit the nail right on the head.. My wife's Accord was rear-ended two years ago to the tune of $9000.. Her lease is up, and I'm turning the car in today. Its been inspected and I have absolutely no turn-in charges. This is one really big advantage to leasing.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • mobofemobofe Member Posts: 51
    that $533 for 36 months sure seems on the high side and a lot of cash to throw down on a monthly lease, even for such a kick-[non-permissible content removed] car which i think it is. Unless the residual % on the car takes a tumble this new year, you really should be looking at paying below $500 for the lease. I'm sure you've already done the math with previous month's figures and know this but I still have to say this: put on those brass knuckles and crack some nuts.
  • bmwmaybebmwmaybe Member Posts: 14
    Lol - thanks Mobofe. I did some projected calculations, and I think they are about 50-60 bucks high. Once I get the January numbers, I will make proper use of them ;)
  • pacecarguypacecarguy Member Posts: 3
    I am new to this leasing business, and would like to know how to go about doing it? do you negotiate the best price on the vehicle, as if you were going to buy or what? My wife and I are thinking of leasing a Chevy Trailblazer and we never leased before. How do we go into it???
  • tomm14tomm14 Member Posts: 15
    I have a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. The lease is up next month. My wife has driven it more then I thought she would. We set up the lease for 12000 miles a year so they are expecting to get it back with 36000 miles but it will have 62000. I read my paper work and GMAC will charge .20 a mile so that would be $7200.00. What are my options other than buy the vehicle or give them the money? If I go into the same dealership where I bought it and buy another vehicle you think they would work something out.... maybe even write off the extra miles.. thought maybe you would have some ideas or suggestions for me on this. Thanks in advance
  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    Welcome to the wonderful world of leasing, pacecarguy. Leasing can be a great way to enjoy a new vehicle, if there is an attractive lease program available on the model that you are interested in. One of the most important things to remember when negotiating a lease on a car or truck is that its selling can and should be negotiated, just as if you were paying cash for it. Another important thing to remember when leasing is that individual dealerships usually have the right to "mark-up" banks' base lease rates / lease money factors (essentially interest rates) to add additional profit to deals. This is why it is important for you as a consumer to find out what the base lease program is on the model that you want and even to calculate a sample lease payment on it prior to getting into serious negotiations with any dealerships. Edmunds.com has several very informative articles on leasing that will give you a great idea of how it works. Here are links to a few of them: 10 Steps to Leasing a New Car, Leasing Glossary, Leasing vs. Buying: The Differences, Leasing vs. Buying: The Similarities, and Calculate Your Own Lease Payment. Take a look at a few of these articles and please let me know if you have any other questions about leasing.

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  • CarMan@EdmundsCarMan@Edmunds Member Posts: 38,514
    I have good news and I have bad news for you. The good news is that your calculations were off slightly and you do no owe the $7,200 in excess mileage charges that you thought you did. The bad news is that you still actually would owe $5,200 if you were to turn your Suburban in at the end of your term. The only way to avoid paying this huge charge is to purchase your Suburban at the end of your lease. You should do thorough research on what this truck is worth on the open market at this time. You can find this out by visiting the discussion titled Real-World Trade-In Values and asking one of our most knowledgeable community members, Terry, his opinion on your truck's current value. In your post there, make sure to provide a detailed description of your vehicle, including such things as its color, options, mileage, and where you live. You also should look up your truck's Edmunds.com True Market Value by visiting the following section of this site: Edmunds.com Used Car Appraiser. Once you have a good, realistic idea of what your truck is current worth. Place a call to GMAC, or whichever bank you are leasing your Suburban through, to see how much it will cost you to buy it at the end of your lease. Keep in mind that banks are sometimes willing to negotiate lease-end purchase prices with their lessees. If your initial contact at your bank is not willing to work with you, you may get better results by working your way up the corporate ladder. Of course, there is no guarantee that they will be willing to work with you, but it is definitely worth a shot.

    Individual dealerships do not have the power to make this charge simply disappear. You can try to work out a deal with the dealership that you leased this truck from or some other dealership to cover part of your excess mileage charge, but doing so will severely harm your ability to negotiate an attractive selling price on your next new vehicle.

    I am sorry that I don't have better news for you.

    Car_man
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  • rbrrbr Member Posts: 113
    Car_man --

    We have narrowed our choices down to a Toyota Sienna XLE Limited AWD w/NAV to replace my wife's Land Cruiser. I'd appreciate the January residuals and money factors for a 3, 4, and (if you have it) 5 year lease, 15K miles/year. We are in the Minneapolis area.

    May need to ask you again next month as delivery may not occur till late in February, although they are looking around the region for one now.

    As always, thanks.

    Rich
  • nas43nas43 Member Posts: 13
    Car Man,

    I believe the BMW January lease rates are out now and according to several sites are much better than last month. Can you provide the money factor and residual for a 36 month, 12k per year lease on the 330i?
    Thanks!
  • higgins7higgins7 Member Posts: 24
    In line to pick up a brnad new (zero miles) 2003 Accord Coupe EX V6 auotmatic, NO navigation. Purchase price will be 21988 plus tax, title, doc fee. We know our driving habits to be less than 15k miles per year. What kind of numbers am I, should I be looking for. Going to dealer tomorrow. THANKS!!!
  • bmwmaybebmwmaybe Member Posts: 14
    Ok, got residuals and money factor from dealer today. Told residual for TL with Navi on 3 yr 12,000 miles was .58 and 42 month was .54. (last month residual on non-navi was .61 at 3 yrs, but apparently they depreciate the navi quicker). Money factor was .00225,was .00215 last month. Based on assurances these are the correct numbers, I have verbally agreed to the 42 month lease, which is $531.99, tax included at .06%. Cap cost is $34,125.00. Carman, I know its still early in the month, but do you know if these numbers are correct?
  • jratcliffejratcliffe Member Posts: 233
    You're leasing an 03? Really? Wow, I don't know how they'd handle leasing a year-old car. Residual value will be terrible - you might even be better off leasing an 04, depending on how much of a discount you're getting by getting the 03. In general, the farther into the model year you go, the less attractive the lease deal gets. Think of it this way - if you get a three-year lease on an 03 right now, it'll end in Jan 2007, by which time your car will be 4 years old, and worth less, even with identical mileage, than a 2004 you leased right now, since that'd be only three years old.
  • mwertheimmwertheim Member Posts: 7
    Hey CarMan - I read your post above(#8930), but can you also add what the 48 month MF and residual would be on this car? FX35, AWD, Tech/Sport/Nav. Thanks!
  • crashtestdingocrashtestdingo Member Posts: 81
    On Jan 6, 2004 at 9:09pm, Rich (rbr) wrote:

    > [SNIP] sorry for pulling this far off topic.

    I'm just as guilty of that as you are, if not moreso. I suppose I should've raised the issue with you privately.

    Anyway (now that it's out in the open), after giving this some more thought, I now recall that I read that the TL was bigger than the Accord when the TSX came out, which was during the middle of the 2003 model year, so the comparison was to the *2003* TL. Of course, the TL was redesigned for 2004. Anyway, I looked up some of the specs for the TLs and the Accord (which I should've done before making my previous post):

    length, width, wheelbase, rear legroom in inches
    2003 TL 192.9, 70.3, 108.1, 35
    2003 & 2004 Accord 189.5, 71.5, 107.9, 36.8
    2004 TL 186.2, 72.2, 107.9, 34.9

    So even though I was thinking of the 2003 TL, it looks like it was larger than the Accord in length only, really.

    By the way, kudos on replacing a big gas-guzzling SUV with a minivan.
  • crashtestdingocrashtestdingo Member Posts: 81
    Thanks for your reply, Car_man. (You, too, kyfdx.) Living in New York, I have to ask you this: What about the loans with the optional final balloon payment that many automakers' financing arms are substituting for leases? Is a consumer liable for diminished value in such an instance?
  • halebophalebop Member Posts: 4
    i'm thinking far ahead. i have another 2 years on my lease but i stress about it daily so maybe if i learn now i'll feel better.

    i'll admit i did not do my proper homework before leasing. so unlike me! i totalled my last car and couldn't afford to keep paying for my rental (no rental coverage)

    i never considered leasing b/c i drive a lot of miles. long story short - the dealership WORKED me (my fault)

    i got the new car for only $200 down (i had no savings for a better downpayment)
    very high monthly payments though

    here's the issue. no WAY can i turn this car in at the end of the lease. i'll be way over the allowed mileage. i always knew that

    my residual is $6K. so at the end i will owe $6K on a lousy corolla with over $100K miles on it.

    i've heard that you can sometimes buy for less since they won't really want that car back.

    do i do this with toyota financial near lease end OR do i go to dealerships and shop for my next car?

    i'm thinking my best bet is to negotiate w/toyota financial about a month (or two?) before lease end and see how much i have to pay to keep the car. then try to keep it running so i can save for next downpayment and never lease again (i always put a lot of miles on my cars)

    sorry to ramble on. please help
  • alx1alx1 Member Posts: 5
    Hi Car_man, I was wondering if you know the current residual (15K/year for 3 years) and money factor.
    Thanks!

    Alex
  • topgun7topgun7 Member Posts: 412
    May be my experience can be helpful. I leased an 04 Accord EX V6 couple about 3 weeks ago in California. The cap cost is $23333 with money factor of 0.0015 and residual of 58% (about $15xxx). And our drive off is security deposit+first payment+license. Our monthly payment is about 289+tax (for 3 year, 15kmi /yr). In your case the cap cost is much lower. However the residual should be lower too since it is an 03. If they give you 50% residual then the depreciation portion of the lease is going to be similar to our ($8000 or so) Not clear about the money factor since the 0.0015 is a subsided money factor from Honda. May be they have the same or better for 03. My guess is that you should be looking at about 289+tax as well. As the dealer give you all the number before you go in. Otherwise you will have no chance of figuring out whether you have a good deal or not.
  • topgun7topgun7 Member Posts: 412
    Hello Car_man, I have a relative in Arizona who want to lease either a 04 setra SE-R or Mazda 3S hatchback (with or with nav). Do you know what is the money factor and residual for these cars for 3 years/ 12k mi per year
    thanks.
  • yk40yk40 Member Posts: 19
    Hi Car_man, can you please tell me the MF and Res. for 2004 Volvo S60 AWD with metallic+ premium package+ touring package with 36month/12K and 36month/15K . Edmund says MSRP is 35710 and TMV is 34169 for this car .

    There is a cash to dealer incentive ($3000).But There are some restriction (can not be used with special APR). How should I include these incentives in the lease calculations? Thanks.
  • pgillpgill Member Posts: 84
    Car_Man, can you please provide the MF and residual for 36 month / 15k miles for:

    2004 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro (sedan and avant if they are different)
    2004 Volvo XC70
    2004 Infiniti G35x

    TIA
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