Author: G

August 2008 Lease Rate for 09 Acura TSX

Published by G

My Take: The TSX’s base rate isn’t very attractive this month. However, the residual remains “artificially” strong, making this car a fairly decent lease. Very well appointed as always, even without a Navi and Tech package. If you are considering a IS250, C300 or even a 328i, I would give the TSX a look as well since they fall under the same category, with the TSX being the cheaper of the bunch.

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  • TSX Base
  • MSRP $29,720
  • Invoice $27,381
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included
  • Residuals posted are for 15K miles/year.

2008 Acura TSX Base Sedan
36 Month – Residual 64% of MSRP – .00280 Base Rate

36mo Payment: $362 at invoice, $433 at MSRP

You’d be hard-pressed to get invoice pricing on the TSX right now since the car is relatively new. I don’t see too many on the road right now, maybe the same car twice around my neighborhood. The TSX is a great car, so low $400s per month isn’t too bad, but still a bit on the expensive side. Since all my estimates don’t include tax, your looking at mid $400s at MSRP. You can probably knock off $15 per month by opting for 12k miles a year, making things a tad cheaper.

August 2008 Lease Rate for 08/09 Mercedes Benz E-Class

Published by G

My Take: 2009 Models for the E-Class are out, with lease support too (on some models)! 2008 models do no have any lease support from MB, so stay away from those. Luxury, Sport and Luxury 4matic models seem to be getting the most love from MB this month. Residuals could be better, but I think MF’s are low enough to make things interesting here.

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  • E350 Luxury + Premium 2
  • MSRP $58,125
  • Invoice $54,118
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included

2009 Mercedes E350 Luxury
24 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00041 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 40% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $886 at invoice, $1054 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $811 at invoice, $927 at MSRP
48mo Payment: $736 at invoice, $824 at MSRP

I opted to look at the 48mo lease because I suspected that the payments would be lower. The MF stayed the same while the residual dropped only 9%, same as from 24-36 months. Looks like I was right. It might be “okay” to do so since MB does provide you with a 4yrs / 50,000 mile warranty. You might have to replace some tires during the term, but that would be offset by the upfront costs you would had to pay if you chose a shorter term and had to into another lease. The only major thing I’d be worried about are those 36k mile maintenance checkups.

Even with the reduced MF, the lease is still expensive. You are better off with the 5-series or the M35, with the edge going to the 5-series. I’m only going to analyze one trim this time since most of the rates are pretty bad, with the ones that are good falling around the same range as the one I calculated. Keep in mind that there will probably be better “purchase” incentives available for the ’08 models, so be sure to inquire about those.

2009 Mercedes E320 BlueTec
24 Month – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 46% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E350 Luxury 4matic
24 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00030 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 41% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E350 Sport
24 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00041 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 40% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E350 Sport 4matic
24 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 43% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E550
24 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00030 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 43% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00120 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E550 4matic
24 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 43% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 33% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E63 AMG
24 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 47% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 42% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 34% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E350 4matic Wagon
24 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 40% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 33% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2009 Mercedes E63 4matic Wagon
24 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 45% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 40% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 33% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E320 BlueTec Sedan
24 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 45% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 38% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E350 Luxury Sedan
24 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 33% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E350 Luxury 4matic Sedan
24 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 40% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 34% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E350 Sport Sedan
24 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 33% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E350 Sport 4matic Sedan
24 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 40% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 34% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E350 4matic Wagon
24 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 43% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 38% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 32% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E550 Sport Sedan
24 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 42% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 38% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 32% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E550 Sport 4matic Sedan
24 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 42% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 38% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 32% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E63 AMG Sedan
24 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 46% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 41% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 33% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

2008 Mercedes E63 AMG Wagon
24 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00385 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 44% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
48 Month – Residual 39% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate
60 Month – Residual 32% of MSRP – .00350 Base Rate

* Residuals posted are for 15K miles/year.
** Rates provided by Tarry Shebesta from Leasecompare.com

August 2008 Lease Rate for 08 Infiniti EX35

Published by G

My Take: Good News! Last month’s super low MF for the EX35 stays the same for August. Not to mention 0% financing is available as well. So leasing or buying looks like a great deal right now for the EX35. The rates look so good that I will be estimating payments for all four trims at 24mo and 36mo terms. For those people in Southern California, I can refer you to solid Infiniti sales guy.

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  • 2008 Infiniti EX35 2WD
  • MSRP $32,765
  • Invoice $30,208
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included

2008 Infiniti EX35 2WD
24 Month – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00001 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00002 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $358 at invoice, $465 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $349 at invoice, $420 at MSRP

Edmunds TMV indicates about $1800 under invoice, but the lowest quote I’ve personally seen is $200 under invoice for a lease. From what I was told, $1800 under invoice is only attainable if you purchase. In any case, how attractive is this? $349 a month? If you can get that $200 under invoice price at your dealer, that’s another $9 off per month on a 24mo and $7 on a 36mo. You can cut the payments further by going for 12k miles per year. Now the only question is, can you find a base EX35 2WD in your area? They are probably quite rare.

  • EX35 Journey 2WD + Premium + Tech + Navi Packages
  • MSRP $42,565
  • Invoice $38,848
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included

2008 Infiniti EX35 Journey 2WD
24 Month – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00001 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00002 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $537 at invoice, $692 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $477 at invoice, $580 at MSRP

The numbers look much higher here due to a few reason; lower residual, high price tag. You can drive down the payments by taking off a few packages, opting for 12k lease and asking for a that $200 under invoice price I was quoted in July. You could be looking at low $400s on the 36mo lease if you can manage that. The Journey 2WD trim should be more abundant than the Base 2WD model. This is probably what I would have gone with hadw aited until August to lease.

  • 2008 Infiniti EX35 AWD
  • MSRP $34,165
  • Invoice $31,491
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included

2008 Infiniti EX35 AWD
24 Month – Residual 67% of MSRP – .00014 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00057 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $366 at invoice, $477 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $372 at invoice, $448 at MSRP

Notice something interesting here. The 24mo/15k lease at invoice is actually cheapest. That’s a good deal if you ask me. If you need AWD, but don’t need all the extras, this is the car to get.

  • EX35 Journey AWD + Premium + Tech + Navi Packages
  • MSRP $43,965
  • Invoice $40,131
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included

2008 Infiniti EX35 Journey AWD
24 Month – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00014 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00057 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $527 at invoice, $688 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $515 at invoice, $624 at MSRP

Not too bad here. You’re looking at a near-loaded model, so payments aren’t going to be in the high $300s to low $400s. I recommend opting for the 24mo lease if you can get it to be lower than a 36mo lease because at the end of 36 months, your tires will more than likely need to be replaced. Have you ever looked at how much four 17″ or 18″ tires cost recently? Not Cheap.

If you are looking to buy/lease a EX35, now is the time!

* Residuals posted are for 15K miles/year.
** Rates provided by Tarry Shebesta from Leasecompare.com

August 2008 Lease Rate for 08 Nissan 350Z

Published by G

My Take: Edmunds TMV suggests around invoice pricing for the 2008 350Z, so lets take a look at the Touring model since it seems to have a higher residual.

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  • 350Z Coupe Touring (manual) + All Options
  • MSRP $39,200
  • Invoice $35,677
  • Standard inception fees + tax no included

2008 Nissan 350Z Coupe Touring (manual)
24mo/12k – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate
36mo/12k – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate
24mo/15k – Residual 65% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate
36mo/15k – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $510 at invoice, $663 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $476 at invoice, $580 at MSRP

Not too shabby for a fully loaded Touring model. If we were to take out the Navi and the 18″ Chromies, thus dropping the price to $35,720 MSRP / $32,914 invoice, we’ll be looking at the sweet spot of $446 a month for 36mo/12k. Dropping to 10k miles a year will save you another $9 a month, which is pocket change if you ask me, so go with the 12k. If you need the extra backseat, the G37 will probably work out better and a bit cheaper too.

2008 Nissan 350Z Coupe GT
24mo/12k – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate
36mo/12k – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate
24mo/15k – Residual 62% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate
36mo/15k – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00165 Base Rate

August 2008 Lease Rate for 08 BMW 6-Series

Published by G

My Take: The 6-series is one of my favorite BMWs around, despite that, I can think of many other cars I’d rather have for a near-$100k price tag.  The numbers aren’t looking very attractive this month, expect payments in the thousands because the MF is a bit high. The residual would need to be 10% higher and the MF a good .001 lower (on a 36mo lease) in order for me to consider this a “good” deal.

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  • 650CiC + Premium Sound + BMW Individual Composition
  • MSRP $98,825
  • Invoice $90,250
  • Standard inception fees + tax

2008 BMW 650CiC Convertible
24 Month – Residual 67% of MSRP – .00205 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00205 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $1322 at invoice, $1697 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $1294 at invoice, $1549 at MSRP

Wow payments are crazy high. That’s more than my sister pays for mortgage every month. Edmund’s TMV is also suggesting that the sale price is $2000 over invoice. I personally don’t think this car is leasable unless you can treat this as a business write-off or you make so much money that a few thousand a month is pocket change.

2008 BMW 650Ci Coupe
24 Month – Residual 65% of MSRP – .00205 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00205 Base Rate

2008 BMW M6 Coupe
24 Month – Residual 68% of MSRP – .00250 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00250 Base Rate

2008 BMW M6 Convertible
24 Month – Residual 68% of MSRP – .00250 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00250 Base Rate

* Residuals posted are for 15K miles/year. Add 2% to Residual for 12k mi/yr and 3%
for 10k mi/yr on all terms
** Rates provided by Tarry Shebesta from Leasecompare.com

Quality Issues at Chrysler? Yes Indeed!

Published by G

From the AP…

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan – Chrysler LLC’s manufacturing chief says the company is working with great energy and speed to fix its quality problems, but the payoff hasn’t shown up yet in external quality studies.

Frank Ewasyshyn, executive vice president of manufacturing, said Monday that many problems reported in such studies have to do with perceived quality issues, such as ride and handling, or interiors with too many hard surfaces. In each case, the company is working hard to fix the problems, he said.

The number of actual mechanical problems has dropped and is much lower than it has been in the past, he said.

FULL ARTICLE

No surprise there! This reminds me, some time ago, I got a video clip from BOUNCEwithB, one of our fellow contributors, showing us first hand what “Quality” issues Mr Frank Ewasyshyn is talking about. I’ll get around to posting that video, so bare with me. Definitely worthwhile!  In a way, I feel bad kicking them while they are down, but “Quality” seems to be the forgotten word when times are good. That goes for pretty much every manufacturer.

August 2008 Lease Rate for 08 Lexus ES350

Published by G

My Take: There is a $1000 cash rebate available for current customers on the ES350, in addition to a reduced money factor. The residual stays the same, making this lease cheaper than last month.

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  • ES350 + Premium Plus + Navi
  • MSRP $39,075 ($40,075 – $1000)
  • Invoice $34,366 ($35,366 – $1000)
  • Standard inception fees + tax not included

2008 Lexus ES350 Sedan
24 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00065 Base Rate
36 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00065 Base Rate

24mo Payment: $517 at invoice, $717 at MSRP
36mo Payment: $433 at invoice, $567 at MSRP

Check out last month’s numbers:

24 month payments: $574 at invoice, $775 at MSRP
36 month payments: $476 at invoice, $611 at MSRP

That’s about $40+ less per month on the 24mo and 36 mo leases compared to July. Obviously, the $1000 rebate is what’s helping drive the payments down. Even without it, you should see some savings ($15 less on a 36mo lease). So what does Edmund’s TMV say? They say that the ES350 goes for about $36,366, which is about $1k over invoice. So I think best case scenario is $1000 over invoice, minus the $1000 loyalty case (if you are a current customer) and you get invoice, which on a 36mo/15k lease it’s approximately $462. Knock it down to a 12k mile lease and you’re looking at $440 a month.

* Residuals posted are for 15K miles/year. Add 2% to Residual for 12k mi/yr and 3%
for 10k mi/yr on all terms