My Take: January rates were much better for the IS-F (for both 08 and 09 models). I would recommend buying or skipping the lease this month. Hopefully they improved down the road.
UPDATE: Found some of the IS250 numbers and they look much worse than last months. The residual values have stayed the same, but the money factors went from .0002 to .00140 for the AWD model and .00135 for the RWD model. These are Lexus’ February sales figures for the IS: (2009) 2,147 sold, (2008) 3,906 sold. Difference: -42.7%. Sales were down almost 43% from last February, so maybe that will mean better leases for us in the coming months.
- Get RIDE with G via a RSS Reader or Email!
- Got questions? Post it on the RIDE AUTO FORUM TODAY!
2009 Lexus IS
2009 Lexus IS250 AT
24-month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00135 base money factor
36-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00135 base money factor
48-month | 15k miles | residual 41% | .00135 base money factor
2009 Lexus IS250 AT AWD
24-month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00140 base money factor
36-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00140 base money factor
48-month | 15k miles | residual 41% | .00140 base money factor
2008/2009 Lexus IS-F
2009 Lexus IS-F
24-month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00275 base money factor
36-month | 15k miles | residual 46% | .00275 base money factor
48-month | 15k miles | residual 37% | .00275 base money factor
2008 Lexus IS-F
24-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00275 base money factor
36-month | 15k miles | residual 43% | .00275 base money factor
48-month | 15k miles | residual 34% | .00275 base money factor
My Take: I think the Q7 is a good “lease-to-buy” candidate due to the low money factor and low residual value. No inceptives available on the Q7 other than “special” financing. I use the term losely because 4.9% for 60 months is FAR from special. More reason to lease first then buyout the lease if you intend to keep the car, right?
My Take: Edmunds suggests a sale price of a few hundred under invoice on the Accord EX-L V6. There is $1000 dealer cash on this Accord, so I think you should get more than “just” a few hundred off invoice. If you manage that, you would be looking at $351 + tax on a 36-month/15k mile lease instead of $381 per month (assuming you pay all inception fees at signing).
My Take: Looks like Infiniti fudged with the EX numbers this month. Last month, an EX35 Journey AWD’s residual value was 49%. This month, the residual value for the same exact car goes up to 51%. That’s typically a good thing, however, the money factor went up along with it, which basically cancels each other out. The good news is that there is 0.9% financing for 72 months or 0% for 36 months. Unfortunately, the $5000 dealer cash cannot be combined with this deal, but it should be at least partially available for leases. The $500 sell down dealer cash should be available for both leases and purchases. 
My Take: The best lease on the X-Series SUVs this month is probably the gasoline-powered X5s. The other X-models suffer from either low residual, high money factor or both. There is $1750 customer cash available on the X5 3.0i and 2.9% financing for up to 60 months. You should be able to combine the two, but make sure to double check with your dealer.
My Take: MDX lease rates aren’t that much better than February (you are saving yourself about $10 a month compared to last month). The money factor dropped to compensate for the drop in residual value. The $2000 dealer cash is still available, so be sure to take advantage of that if you are shopping for a MDX. Personally, I’m liking the FX35 more this month.
My Take: This is just for giggles. I clearly do not intend on making a recommendation on the S40. The car itself is so-so (this is personal opinion of course, I’m sure there are plenty of S40 fans out there) and the lease rates are clearly horrific. However, if you actually plan on leasing one of these, you might want to “help me, help you” by visiting LeaseCompare (big banner add above the site), it could save you hundreds. Of course, you can always opt to go into the dealership with your own bank financing you or ask them to provide you with rates of other banks they work with. I’m sure they would be more than willing to help in that regard.