2011 Audi Lease Rates – October 2010

Published 2010/10/122010/10/12 by G

Update: Very minor MF changes on the Audi rates. If you were using the previous numbers posted, you probably won’t noticed much of a difference since we are talking changes of 0.00001 on the MF.

My Take: Audi lease rates have carried over from last month. The A3 is the best lease in my opinion because the residual is strong and the money factor is very low. The other models could use a lower money factor in order to make them a little bit more enticing.

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Audi Incentives from Edmunds.com

Replacing the G – Round One

Published 2010/10/032010/09/30 by G

I know I am jumping the gun by doing a write-up about my “next ride” considering I have another 10 months left on my lease. However, my wife has began dropping hints about what my next ride should be. “Something practical, something bigger…something that will keep your paws off my Jetta” she says. Sadly, it looks like my G37 has become rather impractical and the wife has finally put me on notice.

I can’t say I blame her because in recent months, her car has become the designated “airport shuttle”. If that wasn’t bad enough, we have also been using her car to haul some furniture from Office Depot and weekly trips to Costco. Unfortunately, it seems that life has finally caught up with me and I can no longer ignore the other “needs” in life.

So now I am faced with a dilemma….what exactly can I get that will fulfill the following requirements…

seating for at least five people
practical cargo space
above average performance
similar or better MPG than the 18/24 I am getting now
costs no more than what I currently pay ($1300/$424 per month), preferably, less!

After careful consideration over the past month, I’ve come up with a general “Wish List” of potential cars/SUVs that may satisfy my needs.

The Large SUV Group

Honda Pilot
Mazda CX-9
Chevy Traverse
Toyota Highlander
Ford Explorer

The Compact SUV Group

Toyota RAV4
Ford Edge
Infiniti EX35
VW Tiguan
Acura RDX

The Wagon Group

Audi A3
VW Jetta Sportwagen
VW Golf TDI
VW GTI
Subaru Outback

The Sedan Group

Acura TSX
Acura TL
Hyundai Sonata
Infiniti G37
Nissan Maxima

For the next few months, I will take the time to do some test drives in order to narrow down the list some more. Keeping in mind the requirements listed above, I would love to hear your opinions and any recommendations you may have.

Monthly Round-Up: September 2010

Published 2010/09/25 by G

Welcome to this month’s Round-Up!

Towards the end of every month, I examine all of the lease data I have collected on this website and present you with the best lease deals of the month. This segment is meant for those who enjoy cutting last minute deals in order to get more competitive pricing. Therefore, this column is posted towards the last week of each month.

Here are some ground rules that I follow (these have been updated to reflect the new rating system):

Participating vehicles will be based on the lease rates gathered on this website during the corresponding month.
Ideally, 36-month/15k lease terms will be examined. If not available, other terms will be used.
A $1500 drive-off fee is assumed for all cars. Since fees and taxes vary from region to region, your drive-off may vary.
Sale Price estimates will be based on Truecar.com‘s sales data in the Southern California region, so your numbers may vary.
All estimates assume you qualify for the base rate. A minimum FICO® Score of 700 may be required.
Sales taxes are not included since different states handle taxes differently. Please refer to “Understanding Sales Tax” to learn how taxes affect your monthly payments.
The rating system used is based on RIDE with G’s Lease Calculator. The closer you are to the 100 rating, the better the deal. Anything exceeding a 100 rating is phenomenal.

So wins this month’s Round-Up? Read on!

Tenth Place

2010 Volkswagen Jetta Sedan TDI
36-month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00068 base money factor

MSRP – $28,089.00
SALE – $25,952.00
MONTHLY – $304.68

(91.2) The TDI’s lease rates are extremely attractive this month due to a lower-than-usual money factor. Throughout the year, VW Credit hasn’t really lowered the MF on their TDIs, so their leases were never low enough to warrant any attention. That is not the case this month. The trouble is availability, since we are nearing the end of the year, finding the right TDI at your local dealer may prove to be challenging.

Ninth Place

2011 BMW 328xi Sedan
36-month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00125 base money factor

MSRP – $46,425.00
SALE – $43,180.00
MONTHLY – $502.17

(91.4) The 328xi makes it’s second consecutive trip to the TopTen Round-Up thanks to BMWFS keeping the residuals high and the MF low. The extra savings here is the lack of a security deposit, which will keep your drive-off costs lower than usual, making the lease attractive for those who love BMWs.

Eight Place

2011 Audi A3 2.0T Premium
36-month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00035 base money factor

MSRP – $29,965.00
SALE – $27,524.00
MONTHLY – $322.16

(91.8) I think the A3 would have easily stayed on this list last month had I had the numbers for it then. I think AFS is trying to move the A3s because a newly-redesigned version is just around the corner. That’s good because I have the A3 on my watch list for next year, when I replace my G37. If the A3’s lease rates remain attractive through the 1st half of next year, I think I could easily get back into another Audi next year.

Seventh Place

2011 BMW 135i Convertible
36-month | 15k miles | residual 63% | .00150 base money factor

MSRP – $48,400.00
SALE – $44,875.00
MONTHLY – $512.58

(92.8) This was a surprise because BMWFS lowered the money factor on the 135s quite a bit. This is a great deal for lose looking for a fast and fun convertible. Sure, the payments look kind of high in this example, but keep in mind that this car is practically loaded. If you are looking for a more stripped down version, you should see payments drop below $500 a month. If I were in the market for another coupe, I would definitely consider this pocket-sized rocket, that’s how much I like this deal.

Sixth Place

2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00050 base money factor

MSRP – $28,345.00
SALE – $25,574.00
MONTHLY – $290.19

(95.0) Hyundai’s Sonata Limited has stayed on this list for three-straight months! That’s quite a feat! What’s even more impressive is how you can probably get a fully-loaded Sonata with NAV for less than $400 a month with either your 1st month or nothing due at drive-off. That, to me, is a great deal. I also hear great things about the Sonata Turbo and Hybrid, so I can’t wait to see those lease rates once the cars begin arriving at dealer showrooms.

Fifth Place

2010 Infiniti G37 Sedan Sport Manual
36-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00089 base money factor

MSRP – $39,725.00
SALE – $35,049.00
MONTHLY – $385.27

(98.8) If you are looking to get into the entry level luxury sedan segment, this car is probably the best one out there. However, you will need to know how to drive a manual because the Journey Sport (automatic) model sports a lower residual, which results in higher monthly payments.

Fourth Place

2010 Acura TSX
36-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00064 base money factor

MSRP – $30,170.00
SALE – $26,919.00
MONTHLY – $290.11

(99.5) If you don’t want to spend G37 money and are willing to sacrifice horsepower in exchange for lower payments and higher fuel efficiency, the TSX is for you. 2010s are probably pretty scarce nowadays, so there may not be a lot of choices. However, if you do find one, snag it because it’s one of the finest cars on the road and it’s backed by one of the best lease programs in the industry.

Third Place

2010 Infiniti G37 Sport Coupe
36-month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00113 base money factor

MSRP – $44,275.00
SALE – $39,281.00
MONTHLY – $415.83

(101.2) Whatever I said about the G37 Sport Sedan pretty much applies here too, except for coupes. The G37 Sport Coupe topped the last two month’s Round-Up list, but this month’s rate change has made the payments have jumped a bit. Despite this, it is still the best bang for the buck for cars in this segment. No luxury sport coupe can touch the G37 right now when you add all it’s features, performance and price. Eat that Car & Driver!

Second Place

2010 Nissan Maxima SV
39-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00028 base money factor

MSRP – $37,500.00
SALE – $30,996.00
MONTHLY – $327.93

(106.2) The last couple of months, we saw the Maxima SV eat the G37 Sport Coupe’s dust in this competition. This month, the tables have turned. If you don’t mind driving a FWD, the Maxima is probably the more budget friendly deal compared the it’s cousin, the G37 Sedan. You pretty much get all the bells and whistles, but at a lower price point. Nissan has yanked the bigger cash rebate, but there seems to be a smaller one still around. Dealers are trying to move these cars because 2011s have started to arrive into dealerships, so now is the time to go test drive one of these.

FIRST PLACE

2010 Honda Civic Coupe LX
36-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00090 base money factor

MSRP – $18,955.00
SALE – $15,750.00
MONTHLY – $156.18

(111.6) You don’t have to be a near-luxury car in order to be considered a great deal and win this Round-Up. Despite it’s low price tag, it seem Honda dealers are willing to discount the car. Sure, its plain vanilla, but it does get great gas mileage and it’s an excellent commuter car; cheap, reliable and efficient.

Notable Absentees

The following vehicles’ were ranked in the Top Ten Round-Up last month but due to the lack of lease rates this month, their deals could not be confirmed.

Parting Shots

Notable models that barely missed the cut include the 2011 BMW 328, 2010 VW Tiguan S and the 2011 Honda CR-Z. The CR-Z has a high MF, but with it’s super-high residual and some minor discounts off MSRP, this lease can still be attractive. I recommend trying to knock down about 5% off the sticker price if you are interested in leasing this fun-looking hybrid, that should make for a reasonable lease that you won’t lose sleep over.

There is still plenty of time to take advantage of these deals, so I encourage you to contact your local dealer. If you don’t know your nearest dealer, you can request quotes using this link.

Got comments? questions? Disagree with my analysis? Please chime in with your thoughts on what you think this month’s Top Ten should be.

2011 Audi Lease Rates – September 2010

Published 2010/09/192010/09/19 by G

Update: Tarry of LeaseCompare.com has come through for us once more. He’s finally released the September Audi Lease rates so here’s the complete list. Audi residuals are not known to be high, but their money factors don’t look so bad in most cases. Not a bad month for Audis!

My Take: I am extremely bummed to see that no Audi lease rates were available last month. This month’s Audi numbers will probably remain sketchy as well since Tarry hasn’t provided me with complete Audi lease rates since July. Lease rates are hard to come by, so if you happen to come across any numbers please share them with the rest of us. Thanks!

2011 Audis look good so far, so no major complaints here. Remember to keep an eye out on the money factor and residual value. The best way to spot a potential good lease is to watch for a low mf (typically below 0.001) AND a high residual value (I prefer cars that have at least a 55% residual value over 36 months at 15k miles per year). Once you have determined that, hop over to TrueCar to see what kind of selling price this car is going for around your neck of the woods. Punch in the number into the lease calculator and that should give you a good idea as to how much it should costly per month.

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2010 Audi Incentives

Monthly Round-Up: July 2010

Published 2010/07/292010/09/09 by G

Welcome to the “Monthly Round-Up”!!! Starting this month, I will begin examining the Top Ten Deals of the month based on the information I have collected throughout the month. Since this segment is meant for those who enjoy cutting deals last minute (in order to get in on those last-minute deals), expect these series to be posted sometime during the last week of each month.

But before I kick start this month’s Round-Up, here are some ground rules:

Participating vehicles will be based on the lease rates gathered on this website throughout the corresponding month (and limited to a price range of $20,000 to $50,000 range). I encourage you to share the information you’ve gathered during your research so we can make The Round-Up more robust down the road.
Only 36-month/15k lease terms will be examined.
A $1650 drive-off fee will be assumed for all cars. Remember, this is ONLY an estimate, the drive-off could be lower or higher depending on the car.
Estimates will be based on the Southern California region, so your numbers may vary.
All estimates assume you qualify for the base rate.
Sales taxes not included in order to keep things simple. Please refer to “Understanding Sales Tax” to learn how taxes affect your monthly payments.
The rating system used is based on my Lease Calculator, which assumes that 1.00 or a monthly payment of 1% off the MSRP is a GREAT lease deal. Anything lower than 1.00 is even better.

Before we begin, I’d like to ask that you consider using Yahoo! Autos to obtain your free online quotes. Since they are an affiliate, each quote request helps pay for this website’s operating costs. Thank you for your support!!!

So without further ado, lets get this list rolling!!

2010 Infiniti G37 Sport Coupe
36-month | 15k miles | residual 63% | .00131 base money factor

MSRP $44,595
Sale Price $39,500
Monthly $405 + tax

(0.91) This month’s biggest winner is the G37 Sport Coupe. I mean, this deal simply rocks your socks off! In order to get in on this, you need to qualify for the Conquest or Loyalty cash that’s available on both the Sedan and the Coupe. Since the residuals and money factors are really strong this month, I think we can all agree that this ride gives you the best bang for the buck.

2010 Nissan Maxima SV
36-month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00047 base money factor

MSRP $39,230
Sale Price $32,746
Monthly $367 + tax

(0.94) There may be some discrepancies with this estimate due to the fact that I included almost all of the incentives going on right now. This shouldn’t change the fact that the Maxima is still a fantastic lease deal right now. You will need to contact your local dealer and have him/her clarify which rebates are applicable. Regardless, I think that there are enough rebates available so you will definitely get a decent deal out of this. Don’t forget the 0% financing that’s also available should you choose to buy instead.

2010 Infiniti G37 Sport Sedan
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00107 base money factor

MSRP $40,065
Sale Price $35,300
Monthly $387 + tax

(0.97) A bit higher than the Coupe, but still a very good deal. Again, this deal is dependent on the cash rebate and your ability to secure a low sale price. The rebates will be around until September, but there is no guarantee that the residuals won’t drop next month.

2010 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00106 base money factor

MSRP $22,690
Sale Price $19,500
Monthly $222 + tax

(0.98) Expect your payments to be more since the model I picked is bare bones. Nevertheless, this car has an excellent residual and money factor so if you negotiate a competitive sale price, you will drive off with a great car at a great price.

2010 Honda Accord Sedan 4-cylinder EX-L
36-month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00121 base money factor

MSRP $27,580
Sale Price $22,800
Monthly $279 + tax

(1.01) With or without Navi, the Accord Sedan in both the 4 cyl and V6 trim are a solid deal this month. Keep in mind that Honda’s doing this promo were you pay nothing up front (gets rolled into payments) and they lower your MF, so your payment will probably be a bit higher that what I just estimated, but still a good deal.

2010 Acura TSX
36-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00100 base money factor

MSRP $30170
Sale Price $27,500
Monthly $322 + tax

(1.07) There is $750 dealer cash that is applicable to leases so be sure to take advantage of that during your negotiations. Since production of the 2010s should be pretty much over, availability may be spotty. Still, one of the finest entry level sedans out there with one of the best lease programs in the country. Can’t go wrong with that.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00050 base money factor

MSRP $28,200
Sale Price $26,000
Monthly $304 + tax

(1.08) I would personally choose the GLS due to it’s lower price-point and monthly payments. However, if you can fit slightly higher payments into your budget, go with the better equipped Limited trim because it’s still a great deal.

2010 Acura TL

36-month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00097 base money factor

MSRP $35,965
Sale Price $31,900
Monthly $386 + tax

(1.08) The cheapest of the TL line up also boasts the best residual value. There is $1750 dealer cash that is applicable to leases. Folks in the Midwest may be out of luck on the low money factor. Remember that Acura is currently offering a “special” MF that you can only get if you opt for the $0 drive-off deal (this will make your monthly payments a bit higher than my estimate).

2010 Audi A3 2.0T Premium
36-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00012 base money factor

MSRP $30,715
Sale Price $27,200
Monthly $332 + tax

(1.08) This ride barely makes the cut because it’s got the highest residual and lowest money factor of all A3 2.0Ts. In most cases, Audi does not offer great lease deals because their residual values are very low and they aren’t to be heavy discounters. Despite this, I think you can still walk away with an excellent deal on an A3 if you can negotiate a low sale price before the month ends.

2010 Volkswagen CC DSG Sport
36-month | 15k miles | residual 47% | .00021 base money factor

(1.16) I know, I know. What’s a car with just a “Good” rating doing on this list? Well, this is my “Sentimental” choice. There are many factors that simply can’t be measured on a lease calculator. For starters, VW offers a three year maintenance program when most brands don’t. Yes, BMW has been offering it for years and their 1-series are probably just as deserving to be on this list. Unfortunately, BMW does not offer 0% financing for up to 60 months on their vehicles, VW does.

Parting Shots

As we wrap up the Monthly Round-Up, I’d like to add that there are many cars listed on this website that get a “Good” lease rating as well, so be sure to do some research on those. I would also like to point out that Toyota would probably dominate much of this list had I bothered to post any of their lease numbers (specially the Camry and Prius). But when it’s all said and done, Toyota is still reeling from some safety issues and bad PR, so I don’t want to openly recommend them at the moment. Of course, that will change as time goes by. Lastly, keep an eye out on the new Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Both cars will get a lot of government and state rebates which will bring down the cost of their leases well below what was recently advertised, making them fantastic leases.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed the first edition of the Monthly Round-Up. Feel free to chime in with your opinions on what you think this month’s Top Ten should be.

2010 Audi Lease Rates – July 2010

Published 2010/07/122010/07/14 by G

logo_audi My Take: Some changes in the Audi lineup this month…The TDI A3s, for example, dropped in residual and went up on the money factor. Not exactly the direction you’d want them to go, but there is loyalty cash still available remaining 2010 A3s. 2011 will be arriving in the Fall, so it’s pretty safe to say that production is wrapping up. As for the rest of the Audi lineup, there are some drops in residual and money factor as well. Some models also got bumps on the MF as well, so pick and choose your car with caution. Check out the incentives page on Edmunds (link at the bottom of this post) to see which models have some lease cash available because with residuals like this, only rebates can make these leases half-decent. Overall, the 2010 model year is winding down, so you will start seeing residuals take a hit through the rest of the year. Use your best judgement when it comes to MFs. If you are looking at a ride that has a MF of 0.00012, chances are, it isn’t going to drop that much more. It may be wise to pull the trigger on it, specially if there are cash incentives available. Otherwise, you could be looking at a lower residual, possibly higher MF and no cash incentive. I would also like to add that “buying” should not be overlooked since there are some decent interest rates available right now (2.9% for 60 months isn’t half bad).

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2010 Audi Incentives

Lease rates provided by LeaseCompare.com

2010 Audi Lease Rates – June 2010

Published 2010/06/08 by G

logo_audi My Take: Audi lease rates remain unchanged from last month. That’s three straight months with the same numbers. This means one thing, you should probably expect July/August to be different. Better? Maybe for some models. Worse? Residual will probably drop. If you see models with ultra-low money factors, know one thing…They can’t possibly drop that much more. But there’s always the possibility of cash rebates. I know this doesn’t exactly help since it’s a guessing game, but if I knew how to predict the future, I wouldn’t exactly be blogging about auto lease rates now would I?

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2010 Audi Incentives

Lease rates provided by LeaseCompare.com

2010 Audi A3, A4, S4, A5, S5 Lease Rates – May 2010

Published 2010/05/082010/05/08 by G

logo_audi My Take: Things look unchanged from April, which means that some models enjoy super low money factors. There is also some cash available to returning customers making these leases pretty decent if you play your cards right. The 2010 production year seems to be coming to an end, with 2011s projected to come around summer/fall. This is also the time when you will start seeing low financing rates for purchases as well, so be sure to look into that if leasing isn’t your cup of tea.

2010 Audi Incentives and Rebates

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Lease rates provided by LeaseCompare.com

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