For my 5th lease, I’ve decided to narrow it down to the following models.
The younger, mid-life crisis part of me is currently enticing me to go with one of these…
Infiniti G37 (Base or Journey)
Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5SE
Honda Accord EX-L V6 Coupe
My reason for looking at these 2 Nissan models is because my company has a Vehicle Purchase Program which entitles me anywhere from 1.65% to 3.58% under invoice price for any Infiniti and 2.87% to 4.3% off invoice for any Nissan. (Nissan VPP) This puts me at a pretty solid price point. However, my reasons for not pulling the trigger yet is because the interest rate on the Infiniti’s higher than I’d like (4.65% or so…OUCH!) Better rates should be available considering Fed’s keep cutting rates.
The other reason is that my wonderful Mazda3 will have pretty heft turn-in fee ($650 or so….I know, I should have know better…I do know now of course) which its making it difficult to keep the costs down for my next ride.
As for the Honda, the rates and residual are just not there…costing way too much to even consider at this point.
The more “conservative” part of me is telling me to go with these other options:
Acura TL Base
Infiniti G35 Journey
Toyota Camry SE V6
The Acura has the best deal right now, as mentioned in one of my previous posts. But I don’t really want to have such a common ride (this is mostly pride talking). I have a friend who owns one…and he’s reported whistling sounds at high speeds and apparently, there are others suffering the same fate. Not a big deal since its not a major mechanical problem, more of an annoyance.
The G35, like other Infiniti’s fall under the VPP my company offers. So if the G37 turns out too pricey, I can fall back on the G35 and still be happy.
Camry was having pretty solid lease terms for the month of March since the 09 models are rolling in. All other trims are nasty, so SE is the way to go.
Lastly…the “utilitarian” part of me suggests…
Mazda CX7 GT
Mazda’s typically have crummy residuals, but this model in particular is in fairly good demand, making its resale value decent compared to something like the RX-8. Add on some cash incentives and decent MF, you can probably net one of these around mid-300s per month with little to no money down. Being a crossover SUV, gas mileage is going to suck…but it’s a good looking car and as long as I go easy on the gas pedal, I should be fine.
I don’t like most GM/Ford family vehicles (I know Mazda is partly owned by Ford, but lucky for me, they are minority owners), which explains why I don’t even consider them. Poor resale, poor quality, ugly designs and plastic interiors typically score very low on my desirability scale.
No test drives just yet, but once I’ve done that, the list of candidates show narrow down a tad. Lease is up August 08 on the Mazda3, so I got a few months to figure things out. Got a list of your own? Don’t like my choices? Post a comment…would love to hear from ya.