41 thoughts on “2011 BMW Lease Rates – November 2010”

1. I’m glad I leased in August. The 335i vert went from 64% in August to 58%. These rates look like they are right in line with November 2009 rates, but with a slightly lower MF. It would be interesting to see the rates in a multi-year trend line. I suspect the changes would be similar from year to year and would be valuable in predicting where they may go next month. This could be valuable in helping people decide when to make a deal.

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2. G:
   Question for you: I ordered a vehicle a month ago and therefore locked in the more advantageous program #’s at that time. Do you think there is any way I can get the Holiday credit as well? I kind of feel like they will not give me both the better program and the credit, what do you think?
   Thx,
   Scott

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   • @ScottH
     I don’t think BMWFS will let you double dip like that. You either take last month’s rates or you take this month’s + holiday cash. I would be VERY surprised if they let you hang on to last months numbers and this month’s cash. Personally, I’d take last month’s numbers, they look better.

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3. What residual/money factor do you have for 328i convertible for 36/36000

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   • @jeff. You add 2% for 12k and 3% for 10k. That is pretty much the standard right now.

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4. I’m seeing some local dealerships advertise a “pull ahead program” where BMW FS will pay your remaining payments on current 3 series leases ending before 4/11. I wonder if this can also be combined with the holiday credits too. Anyone have any ideas or have heard of this program?

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   • @davidG.
     Yes, you should be able to exit your existing lease and get the holiday cash on the new car. The pull ahead program is just to get you off your current BMW lease. BMWFS is basically saying, “get into a new, longer lease with us and we let you off your existing loan.” MB and Infiniti also do this.

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5. Wish I leased in August. Residuals crap with crap money factors. Maybe just buy.

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   • @pony. yeah the numbers look ugly this month, but this isn’t exactly unexpected since they did something like this last year too. Buying makes more financial sense.

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6. Thanks G!

   I didn’t know about MB and Infiniti also doing this as well…

   I’m going to find out the details later, but I would imagine that if your over your mileage on the lease or the cars current value is less then the contracted residual value, then its a mute point or done at the dealers discretion? I’m also reading that its done through BMW FS instead and has nothing to do with the dealer? Anyone else have any experience with this?

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   • Not too sure about “over-mileage”, but yes, BMWFS is the one the basically “waives” your current loan and gets you into another loan. Just to be clear, for those of you who are reading this, you have to have an existing BMW lease in order to do this. 😀

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7. Is the pull ahead program available for existing 1 series lease holders?

   And are there no rates lease available for the new X3 yet? I didn’t see them in the list above.

   Thanks, and I appreciate any help!

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   • Nothing on the X3 yet. I thought the 2011s were out already. I’ll keep my eyes out on that since the new X3 is supposed to be improved from the outgoing model. As for the pull ahead program, it should be for all BMW leases. It generally is.

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8. There are 2011 x3 lease prices on the bmwusa.com website. With a few useful packages on both the x3 35i and x3 28i they are ridiculously expensive.

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   • you meant this? http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/FinancialServices/LeaseOfferDetail.aspx?enc=3QoRLrJ9rBnWLtjC1KzoYw==
     That’s expensive alright!

     • $489 First months payment
     • $2,800 Down payment
     • $500 Security Deposit
     • $725 Acquisition fee
     • $4,514 Cash due at signing

     It takes a “special” type of person to fall for this type of lease “promotion”.

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9. yup, those are the prices I was referring to.The x3 35i is even more expensive. If you plan to pay $0 down and get even the technology and premium package your talking about $700/month range for an x3…….

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   • That’s almost as bad as the Q5. At that price range, I’d lease a CLS550. 70k car for around 700-800 bucks after taxes.

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10. Interesting. I didn’t know the Q5 was in that range too. The GLK is significantly cheaper even with options. As for the CLS, I am guessing they really want to get rid of them since the new 2012 one is coming (which looks and sounds awesome), but they are still giving away an expensive car really cheap.

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11. 2011 CLS550 is $700-800 after tax???
    you sure?
    I lease m3 convi for $800 and something and I thought my deal was fantastic…

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12. The offer on mbusa.com is $699/month with 4k down. After tax and with $0 down, you could probably get it for $800-850. For an $80,000 thats still really good

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13. I should be more specific..

    For a CLS550 without P1 package in the 70ks range, you should be able to get it for under $800 after taxes IF you do not live in a state that charges you taxes on 100% of the sale price or more than 7% sales tax. If you do, then it’d be in the low $800s with inception fees due at signing.

    A fully loaded CLS550 would be around would be around mid $800s with 10% tax and inception fees due at signing. More if you have to pay 100% of the sales price in taxes.

    These are a bit more realistic numbers. I probably should have said “BEFORE” tax to get a more realistic estimate on a fully loaded CLS550. After all, someone shopping for a CLS probably wants it loaded.

    This is still a very good deal for a car that’s priced at this range and I would pounce on it if I had that kind of money. Haha. I know my wife really wants one.

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14. sorry for my ignorance.

    First I got offered $890 with 0 down for 2011 audi S5(MSRP about $60,000)
    then I found 2011 M3 had great residual(67% for12,000k) so ordered it.
    It was $840 for $72,000 car.
    Finally I just found out CLS550 fully loaded (well over $80,000) mid $800s???

    what s going on?
    how is that possible? CLS doesnt have great MF nor residual like M3.
    Enlighten me please.
    I might cancel the order for M3.

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    • Yup. The main reason the CLS is going for this price range is because the 2012 model has been redesigned.

      Lets compare the M3 sedan with the CLS550 for this month

      M3 Sedan
      36-month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00135 base money factor
      *my guess is that you got the rates from last month or the month before which a heck of a lot better than Nov’s.

      vs

      CLS550
      36-month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00021 base money factor
      48-month | 15k miles | residual 46% | .00021 base money factor

      As you can see, the CLS has the same residual but a significantly lower MF. Which should result in a better payment-to-msrp ratio than the M3. MBs generally lease better at 48mo instead of 36, so the payments should hover around the 800s range with a fully loaded CLS550. I estimated a $76k CLS550 on this month’s Round Up and came away with a $741 per month payment before tax. The reason MB is able to do this is because they are knocking off an incredible amount of cash off the MSRP in order to make this happen. TrueCar indicates about a $7000 discount off MSRP on the CLS, but I suspect it could be more if you live in an area with good dealer competition.
      The difference here is that you have to pay you inception fees. This IS a $0 down deal, but its NOT a $0 drive-off deal. $0 down deals are generally referred to as “no down payment”, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible for the fees associated with the lease. $0 drive-off means no down payment, no fees and no first month payment due at signing. Essentially, a sign-and-drive.

      So a realistic estimate would be about $2500 due at signing and $850 per month for 48mo/15k miles per year. This could be lower by around $15 a month if you opt for 12k instead. To strike the best monthly payment, you need more than just a high residual and low money factor. You need great sale price and an adequate term length to spread that loan across.

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15. Woo, check out http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/special_offers/current. If you see the winter sale, a CLS is $699/month for 39 months, with $3995 down. This price includes the gas guzzler tax and p1 package ($80k MSRP)
    I think this is happening because of the completely new 2012 CLS.

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16. Hey new to this site and I like it a lot. I am looking at BMW 335xdrive with MSRP at 52,500. Dealer is saying Cap Cost at 48999.00 with 725 acquisition fee minus the Holiday Credit. For total of 48224.00. 12,000 miles a year, 2800 down and 615.66 a month. Is this a decent deal or it there room to work? I have a question about the residual as well, is that off the Sale price or the MSRP? In other words how is that calculated? Also, looks like money factor is .00155. Thanks, need some help with all this!

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    • Anthony, the residual is based off the MSRP. This is actually ideal since your payments are derived from the difference between the sale price and the residual value (which is higher if its off MSRP than if its off the sale price). Anyway, I think the sale price isn’t half bad, but you could try milking another $500 off. The MF is in line with BMWFS’ base rate, which means they aren’t padding it (pretty rare by BMW standards, this also means they are actually honest? shocking.) Anyway, the payments look legitimate, my only concern is that the 335xi isn’t a fantastic lease right now. Its not bad, but it isn’t a “deal” like the ML350 is or the CrossTour or any car listed on this month’s Round-Up. It gets a 83 rating on calculator (assuming you knock off another $500), which makes it an “OKAY” deal to get.

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17. oh and taxes are approx. 4310. Thanks.

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18. gosh sorry I didn’t put lease length, it’s 36 mos.

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19. hi G im new to this site great insite btw if u can help id realy appreciate it. im 21 i want to lease a 2011 BMW 335I coupe loaded around 54k im in so cal so there is a million bmw dealers i will go to each one till i get fairest price but before i shop around and have my dream torn i want to know what bmw financial looks for to lease to someone my credit is great its in low 700 i make 10-15k a month i had a car in my name as a co person its paid off now i want to see if i can get a lease in my own name i dont want a co signer and i dont want my age to give them a reason for a higher money factor what are your suggestions?? thanks

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    • Tamr, I think at low 700s, you should qualify for the base rate, but due to your age (this has more to do with your credit history than anything else), you may a letter from your employer if they don’t ask for a co-signer. That’s what I had to do when I leased my first BMW at age 24. Don’t get discouraged until you hear it from the dealer, so approach this like you “rightfully” qualify for the base rate and negotiate aggressively.

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20. G. Took your advice. Got another $500 off from the dealer. Brought my payment down even further. Overall, I am very happy. Thanks for the advice. One nice thing that the dealer told me is that while I wait for my car to get shipped, if there are any better deals from BMW then I will automatically get that deal. So I will keep watching this site. Thanks so much.

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    • Anthony. That is one of the nice things about leasing with BMW. You can lock in your existing rate and switch into a new rate/promo if there is a better one when your car arrives. Glad you got another $500 off the sale price. Definitely keep an eye on the lease rates in the next couple months. I don’t expect December to change much, if any. But January/Feb should be different.

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21. thank you G i will do, are you in so cal?? do u know of any sales ppl that might be good to go to any spec dealer there likes 20 bmw w/i 40 mile radius of west la? and also if im doing 10k miles a year will the residual go up +3% on your values u have listed. thanks

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    • @tamr
      The last BMW dealer I know left for MB of South Bay, so I kind of lost my BMW contact. The good news is that if you stick with a Fleet manager or internet sales manager, you should have a better leasing experience than using a regular floor sales person. My recommendation would be to request online quotes (you can use the Yahoo Autos quote service I have on my site, or you can go to BMWUSA and find a dealer near by to request a quote from). Make sure you detail what you are looking for, how much you are willing to pay for the car (sale price, not payments). Tell them the term you are looking for and the miles you want. You can also get on the phone and call the dealership and request to speak to a fleet manager (that’s what I do if the internet route doesn’t work). Check out my lease guide if this is your first time. It needs some minor revisions now, but for the most part, its a good way to go about leasing a car for the firs time.
      As for the residual, you are correct. BMWFS adds 3% to the 15k residual I post here. That is fixed by the bank. The MF on the other hand is that usually worries me.

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22. Hey G
    Long time no talk.

    I am looking at the X6 now and the edmunds.com shows that BMW is offering an $1800 dealer contribution for X6 leases. However, my local BMW dealer (South Bay BMW) says that is not accurate information. Any information on that?

    Always thankful for your valuable information.

    E.O

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23. thanks very much do know usually when is the best month for lease rates usually speaking?? thank u very much ill keep u updated.

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24. Hi G,
    I am wondering if you happen to know rates for 2010 models like the m5 and m6?

    Thanks so much — this is a great site!!

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25. Is the “nothing down” promo still in effect (waived sec dep)? Does it apply to M3? Does it effect acquisition fee?

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    • Based on the info provided by BMWUSA, it doesn’t look like the promo applies to the M3, but there is $1500 holiday cash available. The cash promo runs through January 3rd, 2011, so I expect Dec lease rates to remain the same as Nov. I will post the new rates as they become available.

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26. I am looking to use the pull ahead program to get out of my ’08 3 series. My lease is up 05/24/11. I pre paid a few payments and only owe 3 more. I was told that I could use the P/A program, but now I am being told that my lease end date disqualifies me. Any thoughts? I also want to pay cash for my new car, but I believe I have to lease/finance with BMWFS. What would you think about a one payment, fully amortized lease…would that work on an ’11 535?

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27. Nick, I think your situation is a bit unique since you are technically not qualified to be in the P/A program due to your maturity date being about 5 months away. However, you prepaid your lease, a few months, so I’m not sure why they wouldn’t make an exception. I see this like a “grey-area” type thing, so I would check with another dealer to see what they say.
    As for the single payment option, you can do that on any BMW. However, the advantages of that option really depends on the interest savings and what you could be doing with the money assuming you aren’t giving it to BMWFS up front. Overall, I’m not a big fan of it. I think there are better investment options, but that’s a totally different subject.

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