Battle of the Sedans: Camry, Accord or Altima

Published by G

Instead of recommending which car is built better, I’ve decided to take a different approach and tell you which car leases better. For this particular “special competition”, I’ll be comparing the Accord, Camry & Altima. You probably don’t need my thoughts about which car is the better car, after all, there are tons of websites doing that already. I just want to tell you which one will save you some greens. Let’s roll!

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  • Camry XLE V6
  • MSRP $30,014 ($30,514-$500)
  • Invoice N/A
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included
  • Residuals posted are for 12K miles/year.

2009 Toyota Camry XLE V6
36 Month – Residual 62% of MSRP – .00099 Base Rate

36mo Payment: $337 at TMV, $357 at MSRP

Without an invoice price, it is rather difficult to get a nice range on the Camry. Edmund’s TMV does suggest the sale price to be about $29,317 after the $500 rate. This means you only about $697 off MSRP in most areas.

  • Altima Sedan 3.5 SE + Premium + Moonroof
  • MSRP $29,685
  • Invoice $27,367
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included
  • Residuals posted are for 12K miles/year.

2008 Nissan Altima Sedan 3.5 SE
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00087 Base Rate

36mo Payment: $337 at invoice, $397 at TMV, $403 at MSRP

TMV suggests the sale price to be at around $29,476. Not much of a discount off MSRP here according to Edmunds. I’m not 100% sold on that fact however. Keep in mind that the Altima is a 2008 model, so I think discounts could be had.

  • Accord EX-L V6
  • MSRP $28,730
  • Invoice $26,086
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included
  • Residuals posted are for 12K miles/year.

2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00129 Base Rate

36mo Payment: $317 at invoice, $341 at TMV, $393 at MSRP

For the Accord, we are looking at a sale price of $26,927 according to Edmund’s TMV. Cheapest of the bunch thus far. But how does it lease with a higher MF and middle of the pack residual? About the same.

My Take: Clearly, the Camry stands tall compared to the other two. At TMV price, it blows away the Altima and is relatively competitive with the Accord, at $4 less per month. The Camry comes in with the highest residual and the 2nd lowest MF (by a hair), making it the more attractive lease despite the fact that it’s the most expensive car of the bunch. The only instance in which I would pick the Accord or the Altima over the Camry is if both could be had at invoice or below invoice price and the Camry couldn’t. In the spirit of the Olympics, here’s how the winners break down.

Gold Medal: Toyota Camry XLE V6
Silver Medal: Honda Accord EX-L V6
Bronze Medal: Nissan Altima 3.5 SE

Lease rates for remaining Accord and Altima Coupe models:

2008 Nissan Altima S w/CVT Manual Coupe
24 Month – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00209 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00209 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord LX-S I4 Automatic Coupe
24 Month – Residual 65% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord LX-S I4 Manual Coupe
24 Month – Residual 65% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord EX I4 Manual Coupe
24 Month – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord EX I4 Automatic Coupe
24 Month – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord EX-L I4 w/Navigation Manual Coupe
24 Month – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord EX-L I4 Automatic Coupe
24 Month – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe Automatic
24 Month – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Navigation Coupe Automatic
24 Month – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00186 Base Rate

Rates provided by Tarry Shebesta from Leasecompare.com

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