2012 Mercedes Benz Lease Rates – May 2012

MB has lowered the residual values and money factors of most of their cars. There is also a decent-looking lease on the GL450 at 24-month (the residual is very high at 68%, but the MF is higher than I’d like at .00140). It looks promising so I would recommend crunching some numbers to see how the SUV stacks up with leases of comparable models.

Below, you will see a sample calculation of the C250. The lease has gotten a bit worse using TrueCar data. A shame if you ask me. Expect the C-Coupe to carry a premium for the first year.


Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2012 Mercedes C250 2dr Coupe
MSRP – $38,095
Sale Price – $36,731
Monthly – $471+ tax
RWG Rating – 83.2

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2012 Mercedes C300 4matic Sport 4dr Sedan
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00092 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes C250 Sport 4dr Sedan
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00153 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes C250 2dr Coupe
36 Month – Residual 64% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes C350 2dr Coupe
36 Month – Residual 64% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes CL550 4matic 2dr Coupe
36 Month – Residual 48% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes CLS550 4matic 4dr Sedan
36 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00145 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes E350 Sport 4matic 4dr Sedan
36 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00126 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes E350 2dr Coupe
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes E350 2dr Convertible
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes GL450 4matic
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00140 Base Rate
24 Month – Residual 68% of MSRP – .00140 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes GLK350 4matic
36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00114 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes ML350 4matic
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes ML350 BLUETEC
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes R350 4matic
36 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00210 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes S550 4matic
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00114 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes SL550 Convertible
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate

2012 Mercedes SLK350 Convertible
36 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00145 Base Rate

51 thoughts on “2012 Mercedes Benz Lease Rates – May 2012

  1. Just closed a 24 month lease on the E350 Coupe and it seems that the sweet spot for MF/Residual’s are at 24 and 30 months. With 2013’s around the corner, deals are out there.

  2. Hey G

    250C Sport Sedan with Navigation, XM Radio, Backup Camera, Rear Spoiler, Keyless Go

    – MSRP $ 39195.00
    – Sales Price $ 34214
    – Residual 59%
    – Money Factor ??? (don’t recall)
    – 36 months
    – 12K miles
    – $ 2500 drive off (including 1st month and all fees)
    – $ 405.00 a month (including CA tax)

    Thoughts?

    • That looks pretty good. I think the G37 is a better overall lease though. Better performance. Easy on the pocketbook.

  3. Can anyone provide me with the rationale of not being able to utilize the MSDs on a subvented lease? MB allows 10x MSDs with a MF discount of .00008 per MSD. I was looking to reduce the GL rate from .0014 to .0006. However, after having a handshake deal, they told me I couldn’t use the MSDs.
    What’s the reasoning behind this?
    Is there any way around this?

    • Yes, typically MSDs are not allowed on MFs that have already been reduced already. However, I don’t think .0014 is that significant of a reduction. Have you gotten the same response from other dealers?

      • I tried two dealers locally and received the same response. I’m told that the “standard” MF is .0028 (i.e on the GL350 Bluetec) vs. the .0014 on the GL450. So, even if I use the full 10X MSDs on the GL350, I’d still be substantially higher than the discounted GL450 MF.

        Thanks for the response. Wasn’t sure if there was a loophole or “exception” that I might be able to take advantage of.

        On the bright side, I was able to negoitate almost 17% off of the MSRP on a $72,555 GL450 (sale price is $60,500). I was told that there is $4000 in dealer cash on these right now.

        • 17% off MSRP is great. With that kind of discount, I wouldn’t really worry too much about the MSDs since .0014 isn’t too bad, plus there is a good chunk of cash being thrown at this truck. Let me know what you final numbers look like.

          • I’m signing the paperwork tomorrow, so I’ll post the final numbers tomorrow or Wednesday.

            I agree about it being a great deal, I just feel the MSDs are free money. So I was a little disappointed to find out I couldn’t utilize them.

          • Here are the final numbers:
            2012 GL 450
            MSRP – $72,555
            Sales Price – $60,500
            MF – .0014
            Residual – 68% ($49,337.40)
            Term – 24 Months
            Miles – 15k/yr
            Base Payment – $618.88 ($657.56 w/tax)
            RwG Deal Rating – 120.065

          • WOW That’s one awesome deal. I think that massive discount really helps. I wonder if Desidon got his Infiniti QX yet, if not, it might be a good idea to explore the GL.

          • is there anyway to get the 24 mo or 27mo lease residual on the S550? I came accross a quote for 27mo $959/mo 7500mi/yr MSRP $95,375. I would also prefer at 10 or 12k mi/yr though as well. Thanks ahead of time.

          • I can’t get a NJ dealer anywhere near that discount. Where are you located?

          • When you got a 17% discount, did that include any rebates from your car insurance company or mercedes? 17% just sounds like a really hight discount. Also, if my car insurance is offering a $5000 rebate for the GL model and separately Mercedes has a $4000 discount to get rid of the 2012s, couldn’t I double down and shouldn’t I get a $9000 discount?

    • What dealership did you find that deal at Whitey? I am getting some push back from my local dealer saying that the MF is just the standard MB one for the GL 450.

          • ZERO. I am of the ilk that believes you should never put money down toward Cap Reduction. I might submit to putting money down and lowering your monthly payment to reduce your upfront MSD total, but only if it’s a very small amount to get you below the next $50 level.
            Good luck!!

  4. Are MSDs worth the price? I priced a deal at the MBZ dealer and the guy said $ 460 for the monthly, but based on his calculation, after $ 5000.00 in MSDs i would save $ 20.00 in payments, so it was $ 440.00.

    Are MSDs worth the price? 250C Sport sedan

    • It typically makes more sense to go the MSDs route because you get your $5000 back at the end of the lease in addition to the interest savings. Unless you have a better way to invest that $5k, I think MSDs isn’t a bad way to go.

      • I was just told MSDs can not be combined with special money factor rates. MSDs are only for when using the standard money factor rate.

  5. Can anyone tell me what dealers are participating in the special rates on the GL450? Really would like to pick one up before this expires.

  6. G:

    I’m looking at the 2012 ML350 most likely build to order because I need Package 1 (Nav) and the Lighting Package (Xenon). How much discount should I expect from the dealers around So Cal? Is 8% off MSRP reasonable or I should ask for more?

    Is there any MB dealer you would recommend in So Cal?

    Thanks!

    • I would always ask for more! Haha. 10% is probably a good starting point and maybe stop around 8%.
      I used to talk to some guys at MB of Long Beach, but those guys are long gone. I would try House of Imports. I haven’t heard great things about Fletcher Jones, but that was some time ago, so things could have changed.

      • Fletcher Jones sucks. I would try and stay away. Their only sales pitch is that they are the # 1 dealer, but don’t work on anything with their customers.

        At least to my experience.

        • Haahaa. I guess somethings never change. Try house of imports in buena park. I think there is another in anaheim

          • I shot them an email twice asking for the numbers. They only responded back with the standardized “we are #1” emails. What a joke!

          • I used Edmunds and emailed 10 of them around So Cal with a mouse click. Only one of them gave me 10% discount from the get go because I asked for it. The others only gave me evasive answers just to get me into the dealership.

            BTW, I’m relocating to So Cal and have no idea how many miles I’ll need. Would you recommend starting with 10k and buy more down the road or I’ll burn up 10k in no time in a typical everyday commute in So Cal?

            Thanks!

          • I would recommend going with 15k. If you don’t drive more than 50 miles a day, then 12k. So Cal is huge. If you are new her, you are going to want to drive around and get to know the area. You will burn a lot of miles. I am currently driving 1000 more miles than I should be at this point of my lease and my commute is about 20 miles round trip per day.

  7. Great website, helped me with a deal I got done today. According to the RwG Calculator, I did pretty well.

    MSRP: $57,575
    Sale Price: $48,650
    Term: 24 Months
    Residual: 74%
    Money Factor: .0025
    Miles Per Year: 15,000
    Drive off: $2,455

    Payment: $479.99 + 44.64 tax = $524.63/month
    RwG Raing: 113.9

      • Forgot to mention that. 🙂

        2012 E350 Bluetec with P1 Pkg, Spoiler Pkg, Chrome Door Inserts and Lunar Blue paint.

  8. Forgot to add that we are still working on doing the MSDs, they said they couldn’t tonight because the person at Mercedes Financial that handles it had left for the day. If all goes well, it would drop the payment to $454.81/month (inc. sales tax) and a RwG rating of 126.9.

    • To update, we went back to the dealership and finalized the Multiple Security Deposits, did the maximum allowed of 10 @ $500 each and the payment dropped down to $416 + $38 sales tax for a total payment of $454/month.

  9. just to confirm the MF rate for 2012 ml3504matic has been reduced from .00191(quoted on edmunds by CarMan) to .00155? Is the source of this directly from MBFS? thanx G for all the helpfull info. I have a 2012 ml340 P2/lighting pkg/lane trking pkg/ Pano roof on order in Socal for mid june delivery….When i ordered i negotiated Invoice price plus incentives/ lease rates at delivery……

    • I don’t know what CarMan quotes and where he gets his numbers, but the ones I post are always from the manufacturer, unless stated otherwise.

  10. I am looking for a lease on a small luxury sedan. I am torn between the Lexus IS250 and Mercedes Benz C250. I don’t know the first thing about lease or how to figure it out and negotiate. Please help.

    Thanks
    WANNABENZ

    • WANNABENZ!! With a name like that, I can’t imagine why you’d consider a Lexus! Haahaa. You will get a better deal on the IS250 than the C250 I think. They seem to be discounted more now and the rates are a bit more “budget” friendly. The first thing I recommend is that you head over to my LeaseGuide and read it. You may also want to check out the lease formula so you can understand how your payment is calculated. Once you are ready, come back with some numbers and I will help analyze the deal.

      • Ok so I did read your lease guide and reviewed the formula. I went to a local Lexus dealer and I got some figures for the IS250

        2012 Lexus IS250

        MSRP: $41,207

        Sales Price: $39,207

        Term: 36 months

        Residual: 58%

        Money Factor: 0.00175

        Miles per year: 15,000

        Drive off: $1,630

        Payment: $604.92

        No car to trade. What do you think about these figures.

        • I think it’s a bit high. Your sale price isn’t significant enough. I would be looking for close to a 10% discount off MSRP with incentives.

          • How do I negotiate the sales price to get closer to the 10%?

          • Just ask for it. Shoot out a few emails requesting a sale price of $37,000 on a $41,000 MSRP and see who is willing to come closest. Make sure you work out the deal via email. Take a printout to the dealer as a back up once a deal has been agreed.

          • Do you recommend that 10% on all MSRP from the luxury lines?

          • depends on the model. Some luxury models such as the G37 can be discounted even more.

          • Okay. I understand now. How do you work the trade into the agreement? I
            have a 2007 Mercury Milan Premier. I know that i will get close to value for
            it, but I worder should that factor into the sales price of the vehicle when
            figuring on the lease calculator? Thanks for all your help

          • I would negotiate the trade-in separately. I typically do not mix the two deals together.

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