Here is a partial list of bank acquisition fees. If you have leased with a brand or bank that’s not listed here, please share with the rest of us. Fees marked with a (*) are unconfirmed.
UPDATE (12/10/2012) – Had a very interesting conversation with the Honda finance guy the other day regarding bank acquisition fees. My original understanding of bank fees was that they served as two things: 1) loan processing 2) GAP coverage (for most banks). However, there is another little known reason why the amount is so high…apparently, the bank (which is a separate entity from the manufacturer) uses portions of that fee to pay for an multi-million dollar umbrella policy for their leased vehicles in case the lessee damages property or kills someone. As you know, we live in a very “sue-friend” country and when the plaintiff can’t get money from the defendant, we all know who they sue next.
Acura – $595
Audi – $695
BMW – $725
Buick – $795
Chevrolet – $795
Ford– $595
Honda – $595
Hyundai – $595
Infiniti – $595 $700
Jeep $795 (Ally)
Kia $595
Lexus – $695
Lincoln– $595
Mazda – $595 (Chase)
Mercedes-Benz – $795
Nissan – $595
Porsche – $895
Range Rover – $795
Subaru – $595
Toyota – $650
Volkswagen – $595
Volvo – $695
Special thanks to everyone who has contributed to this list!
Some MB dealers here in south FL charge ~$1200 on acquisition fee. They actually add a markup to the standard fee.
@oscar. yeah that’s a pretty common practice. BMW and MB are probably the worst offenders. My local MB dealer charges 1095, a $300 markup which is totally unjustified. It is common for them to retract it if you point that out though, so that’s not bad.
@eldar. unfortunately, taxing the acquisition is pretty common too (legal too). I think almost all fees are taxable with the exception of county fees and dmv registration. Of course, if you roll that into your lease loan, you will end up paying interest AND taxes on it (depending on your state).
Hi,
What about tax on bank fee? I have always felt uncomfortable with this. There is no taxes on fees anywhere else, so why do dealerships, at least here in NY, always seem to get away with that. Is this just another way for dealers to get the most out of you? Thanks.
Porsche $1085
Mazda is $595
G,
Mazda is chase.
Ford/Lincoln is $595 through FMC.
Chevrolet – $795
Jeep (GMAC) – $795
Subaru – $595
PFS (porsche) base acquisition fee is $895…$1085 is probably with the mark-up
Range Rover base is $795
Volvo dealers have nearly united in charging $995.
If your net is wide enough, you’ll find a few who don’t mark-up the $695 acquisition fee(Galpin Volvo in LA and Demontron Volvo in Houston, just to name two…)
hi G this is very good info for people shopping for a lease. I think you should start a thread about disposition fee. Not a lot of people are familiar with that at the end of lease if they return the car.
@Harry. Good idea. I think folks tend to forget that those disposition fees can sometimes be really costly.
My local Laguna niguel benz wants to charge $1095 acquisition fee but I see it’s $795 above. Their telling me the $795 is for employees only. Is this bogus? How do you prove them wrong? Thanks in advance.
@Bryan. Yes. That’s bogus. In the MBUSA website’s Special Offers section, it is clearly stated that the acquisition fee is $795. http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/special_offers/current Are they saying that online ads are for employees only??? There’s no indication of that being the case.
It is right on Mercedes menz USA website 795 acquisition fee
@G. Wow, so clearly they are packing it (+$300). They didn’t say that the online ads are for employees only but just said its for employees only and customers pay the $1095. I really want to lease the car – ’12 C250 coupe but the $1095 might be a deal breaker! I know not that much but still the principal.
@bryan. true. $300 isn’t much, but knowing that a dealer is trying to milk you for every dollar you own, stinks. This is actually very common though. I have heard of some customers confronting them about the “advertised fee” vs “their fee”. The bank fee is for MBFS, not the dealer, so they are just pocketing the difference. There are a few ways you can offset that. If you are going to “pay” the extra $300, you can press for an additional $300 discount on the car. LOL. In my experience, it’s a bit easier to negotiate the sale price than it is to negotiate the fees.
Is disposition fee and acqusition fee same?
Kay, the bank acquisition fee is a fee paid to the bank to process your loan. The disposition fee is paid at lease end as a “return fee”. They use that to “prep” the car for resale…so they say. I see it as another excuse to get money from you.
my dealership wants to charge me 1095 dollars for the aquisation fee, can he do this.
This is for Mercedes I pressume? Yes, they can charge you that to pocket some extra cash, but you can insist on having them honor MB Financial’s fee.
Hi, I have 2 questions; I live in NY.
1-we leased two cars and both were totaled during Storm Sandy. Are we due back our disposition fee?
2-if we lease two cars and the credit is already checked once-why do we need this fee twice?
It would help if I got a notice with my reply –thanks.
Correy. Sorry about the cars. Glad you are okay though. As for the fees., typically, disposition fees are due at lease end. It is also known as the “turn-in fee”. Not sure why you had to pay for it in advance. I suspect you are talking about the Bank acquisition fee (since you posted your question on the bank acquisition post).
1) The bank acquisition fee is a “processing fee” that the bank imposes to process your lease loan. This non-refundable and you have to pay it for every lease loan you sign.
2) They charge this fee twice because you are opening two different loans with two separate accounts, that is likely the reason for having two acquisition fees. Also, some banks include GAP coverage as part of that bank acquisition fee so in this case, it’s a good thing.
Confirming that lexus is at $695.
Toyota’s is $650 and not $695 (confirmed). Scion, if it ever makes sense to you to lease one, is also the same at $650.
Hey G, I know you don’t typically get any numbers for american car leases anymore but I thought I’d ask anyways. Do you know if Ally still charges the extra $2500 on top of the residual for the lease buyout? I’ve read some complaints about it online but can’t find anything recent. I’m debating on leasing or buying a 2014 Grand Cherokee and want to be able to weigh everything equally.
Thanks in advance for any info.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Adam. I have not heard of it, but researching over the web, I can see people complaining about as recent as August 2012. My friend leased a 2013 GC last November, I will ask him to see if he used Ally and if he has that $2500. I think its ridiculous, but I don’t think that would stop me from negotiating a deal for the car. This all has to be disclosed in advance and make sure you don’t sign the contract if there is a $2500 buyout fee. Let me get back to you on this because I think this applies to all Ally leases which is a bit concerning. Definitely not a good thing for folks like us.
Thanks for checking G. I’ll look for your response. I placed the order for the 2014 GC on March 9th, and they said 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. So I have some time to figure it out. Worst case I have them run lease numbers through other banks since they aren’t “jeep financial services” or something like that i’m sure that US bank or BofA or Chase will have similar rates to Ally and hopefully not have that fee. I’ve already negotiated the sale price and everything too.
US bank might be a good option if you ask me. Their leases aren’t too bad. I will let you know. Waiting for my buddy’s reply still.
HEY GUYS I WORK FOR AN INFINITI STORE ON LONG ISLAND. I AM THE FINANCE MANAGER. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, IF YOU FEEL YOUR GETTING SCREWED OVER SOMEWHERE AND NEED AN INSIDE GUY TO HELP OUT, LEMME KNOW. IM HERE TO HELP. CHASE DOESN’T OFFER LEASE RATES, AND JEEPS ARE THROUGH CHRYSLER CAPITAL FOR LEASING……TTYS BE SAFE AND DRIVE RIGHT
Kia $595