The first half of 2009 has concluded and we’ve probably seen a lot of solid leases during this time. It is quite surprising considering the fact that two major automakers have declared bankruptcy; lending is stricter; and many long-time dealerships have shutdown or cut back on their payroll. Leasing is still alive, unfortunately, they aren’t as cheap as they used to be.
Posted in *Announcements
As you know, I’ve pimping the Mercedes models quite a bit these last few months. From the C350, one of the best deals in recent memory, to the CLKs, a model on clearance due to the arrival of the new E-Class’ coupes. Back in April 2009, there were some very informative comments from Dr J regarding leasing a CLK550. (April CLK rates) In his post, he indicated $7500 in lease support cash. Imagine that! When it was all said and done, Dr J got himself into a CLK550 (that’s the V8 model with a MSRP of over $60k) for roughly $556 a month (after taxes) with $0 down. There are folks out there leasing G37s, 335i for that kind of money. Sure, in order to get this low of a payment you have to get into a longer term lease. But that’s not a big deal since luxury brands such as MB offer four-year warranties.
Posted in *Announcements, Mercedes Benz
My Take: Couple of things to keep in mind about the Subby Forester. The Residuals increase by 1% instead of 2% from 15k to 12k miles. Then another 1% from 12k to 10k. The numbers don’t look too bad, so certainly worth a look. I’m not seeing any rebates on this, but they are running some “specials” on the 2009s. There is also special financing available ranging from 2.9% for short term loans and 4.9% for longer terms (72 months).
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Subaru
UPDATE Here are the rest of the 2010 Prius lease rates. The residuals are just insanely high. Imagine a car that holds 50% of it’s value over a 5 year period! I guess we’ll see if that’s the true resale value of the Prius in the next few years.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Toyota
My Take: Those are some pretty bad residual values on the MDX this month. I’m not liking the money factor either, is still too high for my taste. Invoice price (or below it) should be attainable for the most part, but I’m not seeing any cash incentives that would sweeten the deal a bit more. This is certainly a nice SUV, but not really recommended if you plan to lease.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Acura
My Take: Holy Bad Money Factors Batman! Did you see that? .00347 MF!!! with the lowest being only .00270 on the Luxury E350, E550 and E550 Sport. Residuals are pretty good though, for Benz. My recommendation is to wait it out. The car just came out, so its going to take a few disappointing months for MBZFS to bring things down a bit.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Mercedes Benz
My Take: Who wasn’t to overpay for a Honda Insight? Not you. Residual might be high, but the money factor isn’t very attractive. Of course, with a reasonably low price tag and high residual, the payments may very well remain “reasonable” despite the higher money factor. I still think it looks too much like a Prius, which prompts me to ask this question…Why get an a wannabe Prius, when you can just get the Prius?
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Honda
UPDATED Clubman S added! Still looking for the convertibles.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, MINI
My Take: This isn’t too bad of a lease right now. Just look at the residual values. The MF a bit high, but I think the residual value helps keep the monthly costs lower. You might be able to do some MSDs to further lower the MF (consult your dealer). In terms of styling, I prefer the Honda CRV a bit more, but the RAV4 isn’t half bad since the lease rates seem to be better on the RAV (than CRV) in most months.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Toyota
My Take: As I mentioned before in the VW CC post, it seems VW is going the “Lease-to-Buy” route, with these lower residual values/lower money factors. Normally, I wouldn’t mind owning a VW, but their reputation for quality is a bit “spotty”, so I would probably think twice about leasing the car and buying it out at lease end. Factor in the fact that VWs have only 36-month bumper -to-bumper warranty and you really have to think long and hard about this before you pull the trigger. I guess I probably would do this as a 3rd car, but not so much as a daily driver.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, VW
My Take: Looks like Subaru is offering a decent lease on the Impreza i models this month. Not exactly a “deal” but certainly good enough to consider, should you be looking for a wagon with AWD capabilities. If the residual were 3% higher on a 15k mile lease, I think the car would definitely be a “hotter” lease this month.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, Subaru
My Take: Looks like the VW CCs are falling under the “lease-to-buy” category now. I would skip the Sport model since the residual and money factor are still a bit too weak for my taste. Instead, opt for the Luxury, VR6 or VR6 4motion models if you don’t mind buying them at lease end. If you plan to lease and return, I recommend skipping the CCs altogether and going with something like an Accord.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, VW
My Take: VW has been pitching the Jetta S for $2499 drive-off and $179 (plus fees and taxes) per month. By looking at the money factors and residuals, I can see why the drive-off is so much. There’s probably a lot cap cost reduction on your part in order to make this happen. You probably know how I feel about cap cost reduction, so I don’t really need to tell you how bad of an idea that is.
Posted in *Monthy Lease Rates, VW
Dealerplace News!
