Monthly Round-Up : July 2011

Published 2011/07/262011/07/26 by G

Sorry for being MIA with the Round-Up. In order to save time, I will be skipping the usual commentary, but I will categorize the cars into different classes. Please read the GROUND RULES to get an idea of how the numbers are calculated.

This month’s participants include: Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Nissan, Acura, Hyundai, Infiniti, Honda, Lexus, Jeep, Volvo, Audi and BMW.

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.
To check your credit, go to CreditReport.com.

Ground Rules

Participating vehicles will be based on the lease rates gathered on this website during the corresponding month.
36-month/15k lease terms will used for all calculations unless a better term is available.
A $1500 drive-off fee is assumed for all cars. Since fees and taxes vary from region to region, your drive-off may vary.
Sale Price estimates will be based on Truecar.com sales data in the Southern California region, so your numbers may vary.
All estimates assume you qualify for the base rate. A minimum Credit Score of 700 may be required to secure Top Tier credit in most cases.
Sales taxes are not included since different states handle taxes differently.
The rating system used is based on RIDE with G’s Lease Calculator. Only cars with a 90 rating or higher will be included on this list.

SEDAN

2011 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec-V (106.1)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00003 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 Journey (103.4)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00058 base money factor

2011 Nissan Maxima SV (102.3)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00022 base money factor

2012 Nissan Altima 3.5SR (102.1)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00081 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37x (100.0)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00083 base money factor

2011 Volvo S80 3.2 (97.9)
48 month | 15k miles | residual 46% | .00001 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 Sport (96.2)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00058 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G25x (95.0)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00091 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G25 Journey (93.9)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00067 base money factor

2011 Volvo S80 T-6 (93.0)
48 month | 15k miles | residual 49% | .00001 base money factor

2011 Honda Accord EX (91.4)
48 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00049 base money factor

2011 Honda Accord LX (91.2)
48 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00049 base money factor

2011 MB C300 Sport 4matic (90.2)
48 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00109 base money factor

2011 MB C300 Sport (90.0)
48 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00109 base money factor

CONVERTIBLE

2011 BMW Z4 3.5i (109.1)
24 month | 15k miles | residual 79% | .00190 base money factor

2011 BMW Z4 3.0i (106.1)
24 month | 15k miles | residual 77% | .00160 basemoney factor

2011 BMW Z4 3.5i (104.3)
24 month | 15k miles | residual 77% | .00175 base money factor

2011 Jeep Wrangler Sport (94.0)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00005 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 Sport (92.6)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .000146 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 (92.6)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .000146 base money factor

2011 Volvo C70 T-5 (90.3)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00001 base money factor

COUPE

2011 Infiniti G37x (103.3)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00086 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 Journey (102.7)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00076 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 Sport (101.7)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00076 base money factor

2011 Infiniti G37 IPL (96.6)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00076 base money factor

HATCHBACK/WAGON/SUV/CROSSOVER

2011 Nissan Versa 1.8 SL (96.4)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00003 base money factor

2011 Acura ZDX (95.4)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00085 base money factor

2011 Infiniti EX35 Journey AWD (92.7)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00072 base money factor

2011 Infiniti FX35 AWD (92.7)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00076 base money factor

2011 Honda Pilot LX 4WD (92.5)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .000107 base money factor

2011 Honda CrossTour EX (92.2)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00049 base money factor

2011 Honda CR-V LX 4WD (91.9)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00078 base money factor

2011 VW Tiguan S 4motion (91.3)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00079 base money factor

Rare Sight. The Z4 takes top honors this month for being the highest rated lease. However, I caution you when dealing with BMW dealers. It is common practice for dealers to PAD the money factor. BMW also is known for those weird MACO/Training fees that I despise. It is your job to be informed and shop around. There are a lot of great incentives available for returning customers, so do not overlook them! With that in mind, BMW has done a great deal introducing the best lease this month. The number should remain through the month of August so plan accordingly.

Unusual American. I don’t remember the last time an American car made it on the list. What’s even more unusual is the fact that this car is coming from Chrysler. When is the last time you saw a good lease from Chrysler, right? Kudos to US Bank for making the Wrangler an attractive lease. Not sure I would want one since the ride is quite rough, but it should be a budget friendly ride for those looking for some fun under the sun.

The Only Swede That Matters. Sorry Saab, but for us regular folks, the only Swedish brand of any consequence is Volvo. The S80 and C70 are making strong leases this month with great rebates/discounts despite the crummy lease rates.

What Tsunami? While Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura are reeling from the earthquake/tsunami one-two punch, Nissan/Infiniti has been reaping the benefits of having a better supply of cars. This translates to PURE DOMINANCE by Nissan/Infiniti on this month’s Round-Up because they can discount cars a bit more and provide great lease program for them.

2011-12 BMW Lease Rates – July 2011

Published 2011/07/192011/07/21 by G

ATTENTION READERS! It has been brought to my attention that the money factors posted are regional. If you need confirmation of the CURRENT numbers please leave me a comment below. If you need info on credit tiers, loyalty reductions, lease cash and credit, leave me a comment as well.

Please note that the money factors below are not all incorrect. Just some of them are. If you are getting conflicting information from your dealer, just leave me a comment and I will confirm your numbers. Sorry for the inconvenience but I was asked not to “share” the numbers. So the best i can do is confirm your rates.

Thank you for your understanding.

UPDATE – BMW is offering $1000 cash towards the purchase or lease of a new BMW. You have to be a participant of the Drive for TEAM USA (similar to Ultimate Drive) in order to qualify. Why they don’t promote this more is beyond me. If I were a current BMW customer that is shopping for another BMW, I’d be hitting up this test drive in a heart beat! Imagine, 0.0003 MF reduction OR $1000 cash PLUS another $1000 from this test drive. SICK! Anyway, here’s the link if you would like to register: Drive for TEAM USA. I would love to do this, but the nearest dealer is 30 miles away and I’m not willing to make the drive. Specially since I’m not really in the market for a new BMW.

For

For other states, please visit LeaseCompare.

Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 BMW Z4 sDrive30i
MSRP – $48,325
Sale Price – $44,730
Monthly – $479+ tax
RWG Rating – 97.3

2011 BMW MODELS

2011-12 Audi Lease Rates – July 2011

Published 2011/07/13 by G

There have been some drops in residual value compared to last month. 2012 models did not lose any residual value, but some of the 2011 models dropped by around 1%. AFS did drop the MF slightly to compensate, but I don’t think that in itself will make much of a difference. If anything, I think the numbers are worse. There doesn’t seem to be anything in terms of incentives for non-Audi owners. I haven’t been very excited about any Audi lease for a long time and it’s looking like that trend will continue. I have to say, the “Summer of Audi” really blows so far.

Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 Audi A3 S-tronic Frontrak Premium
MSRP – $28,145
Sale Price – $25,821
Monthly – $332+ tax
RWG Rating – 86.0

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

This month’s lease rates have been brought to you by LeaseCompare.

2011 Audi A5 2.0T quattro Premium Plus Convertible
24 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00079 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 48% | .00079 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 41% | .00185 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $750 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $1,500 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $500 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

2011 Audi A6 3.0L quattro Premium Plus Sedan
24 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00026 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 45% | .00026 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 38% | .00206 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $1,500 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $3,000 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $2,000 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

2011 Audi A6 3.0L quattro Premium Plus Avant
24 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00043 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 44% | .00043 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 37% | .00206 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $1,500 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $3,000 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $2,000 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

NOTE: R8 Residuals are based on 10K mi/year.

2011 Audi TT 2.0T quattro Premium Plus Coupe
24 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00054 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00054 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 43% | .00195 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $2,000 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

2011 Audi TTS 2.0T quattro Premium Plus Coupe
24 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00072 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 45% | .00072 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 38% | .00195 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $2,000 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

2011 Audi TTS 2.0T quattro Premium Plus Cabriolet
24 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00067 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 46% | .00067 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 39% | .00195 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $2,000 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

2011 Audi TTS 2.0T quattro Prestige Cabriolet
24 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00067 base money factor
36 month | 15k miles | residual 45% | .00067 base money factor
48 month | 15k miles | residual 38% | .00195 base money factor
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Owner Loyalty through Audi Financial*
Vehicle eligible for $2,000 Owner Loyalty through LeaseCompare.com*
Vehicle eligible for $1,000 Fleet Incentive through LeaseCompare.com*

2011-12 Volvo Lease Rates – July 2011

Published 2011/07/13 by G

Matt AKA Rman850R has come through again with this month’s Volvo numbers. Not only that, he even wrote me a great summary of this month’s Volvo lease rates. Here is what he said:

Unfortunately, residuals have gone down, and the money factor reduction has not fully compensated. Overall, leases have gone up except for the C70 and S80, which have improved slightly. S80 3.2s now have $2,000 dealer cash up from $1000. S80 T-6s have $1000 dealer cash and all C30s have $500 dealer cash.

I am really high on the Volvo C70 right now. Convertibles are generally not known to be great leases, but the Z4, G37 and the C70 have really been very good deals lately. Hopefully the trend continues so that we can easily predict when to lease convertibles.

Lease rate was made available by the good folks at North Point Volvo. If you are in or near the Alpharetta, GA area and looking for a Volvo, please give them a call.

Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 C70 T-5
MSRP – $40,825
Sale Price – $37,378
Monthly – $449+ tax
RWG Rating – 90.3

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE.

Estimating Your Payments with the RWG Calculator

Published 2011/07/122013/10/20 by G

Any savvy lessee can tell you that the key to getting a good lease is “knowledge”. If you don’t know how to estimate payments, you run the risk of being fleeced by your salesperson. The only way to prevent this is to determine what a “realistic” payment is and try to work with your salesperson to achieve that. Realistic payment estimates are essential because no dealer will work with you unless they are able to make some money out of each transaction. Like us, they got bills to pay too. Below, your will see a few lease calculation examples that should help you with your negotiations.

Calculating Your Payment – Inception fees due at signing

The quickest way to estimate lease payments is to assume you will be paying your inception fees upfront. This way, your calculations remain simple and quick. All you need are the basics: MSRP, Sale Price, Term (in months), Residual Value and Money Factor. If you want to take advantage of the RWG rating, you will need to know your mileage allowance as well. Check out the example below:

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00170 base money factor
MSRP – $36,490
Sale Price – $32,567 (TrueCar price minus $1000 rebate)
Monthly – $380+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.9

The assumption is that you will pay your inception fees upfront and keep it separate from your loan. Since the drive-off (inception) fees fluctuate depending on the cost of the vehicle, I generally assume it’s approximately $1500-$2000. Inception fees normally consist of the following: Your first month payment, Bank Fees, Dealer Fees, County/City fees, DMV registration and sales taxes associated to any rebates you are getting. In some states, you may have to include the sales tax for a portion of your lease depreciation or 100% for your vehicle’s value. For most states, sales taxes are calculated as an “use tax”, which is applied to your payment on a monthly basis.

Based on my location, my inception fees would amount to approximately $1335. Here’s how I estimated that:

DMV $315 (CA DMV Registration Calculator)
Bank Fee $595 (List of Bank Fees)
Dealer Doc Fee $45 (Capped in California, other states are uncapped so could be in the hundreds).
First Month Payment $380

Total Estimated $1335.

This number is actually low because there are extras fees associated with your DMV registration. In addition, cities will sometimes charge extra fees here and there as well. If the dealer does electronic filing of your registration, there will be a cost associated with that too. If that wasn’t enough, you also have to pay taxes on any rebates and any advertising fees that certain dealers charge (Think MACO and Training for BMWs). When it’s all said and done, expect to pay AT LEAST $1335. To be on the safe side, I like to estimate my inception fees to be in the $1500 range and if you pay advertising fees, it’s more like $2000. The best way to know what you are paying for is to have your dealer itemize these fees so you know exactly where your money is going.

Once you have determined what to expect (in this case, you are looking at a $1500 drive-off with a $380 monthly payment +tax) you will know what to tell your dealer when they ask you how much you can “afford” per month and how much you plan to “put down”.

Calculating Your Payment – $0 Drive-Off

To get an idea as to what you would be paying per month on a $0 drive-off deal, you simply add-on the drive-off to your sale price. In this case, we know the sale price minus the rebate on the 2012 TL is $32567 and we estimated our drive-off to be about $1500. This comes up to a total of $34067 for your sale price (which we generally refer to as cap cost). In order to figure out the monthly payments, just plug the total into the sale price Fees to Roll In (thanks for the correction BD) field of the calculator and hit “calculate”. If you have to pay all your sales tax upfront, add that in there as well.

2012 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00170 base money factor
MSRP – $36,490
Sale Price – $32,567 (TrueCar price minus $1000 rebate)
Fees Rolled In – $1500 (Estimated inception fees)
Monthly – $424+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.5

One thing to note here is that this is a simplified approach, so your dealer’s numbers will vary slightly (usually a little higher). However, I think that you should be within reasonable dollar amount so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

It is more advantageous to do a $0 drive-off lease when the money factor is low. Please note that the $0 drive-off leases do take a very small hit on my RWG rating system (about 0.4 pts) and that is due to the fact that you are paying interest and taxes on items such as your DMV registration, bank fees, dealer fees, and so on. But in the grand scheme of things, those costs shouldn’t be too significant if your money factor is low.

RWG Rating System

The rating system I use is fairly straight forward. Anything above a 90 rating is considered a good lease. Ratings higher than 100 are exceptional. Ratings lower than 85 should probably not be considered. Personally, I would not recommend leasing anything below a 90 rating if getting more car for your money is a top priority. If you are willing to pay a little extra to get what you want, I wouldn’t go below 85. Please note that the rating does not take into consideration sales taxes and it also assumes you will pay your inception fees up front.

If you plan to use the rating system to compare $0 drive-off deals, make sure to do that for all cars to ensure a fair comparison. I would recommend adding $1500 to the sale price for all vehicles in the comparison to compensate for the usual drive-off costs.

How to Identify Good Deals

There isn’t a fancy way to figure out what makes a lease a good one. The best way to get a “DEAL” is to make sure at least TWO of the THREE main components of a lease are attractive. By components, I mean the following:

Residual Value. The first thing I look for is a HIGH Residual Value. I do not typically buy my cars at lease-end so leasing a car with a low residual value doesn’t make any sense. Because of that, I like to go for models that have residual values in the high-50% or low-60% on 36-month terms. I find 36-month terms to be optimal in terms of payments and wear-n-tear. 24-month are great, but may feel a tad short, while 48-month leases are too long and add too many unexpected expenses.

Money Factor. You want to keep this low so you don’t get charged too much interest on the loan. I usually shoot for leases with the “four zeros”, the ones that fall below 0.00100 or 2.4%. You can calculate the interest rate by multiplying the money factor by 2400.

Sale Price. An aggressive sale price is also a great way to keep your payments low. As you know, the size of your lease loan is determined by the difference between your sale price and residual value. If the gap between your sale price and residual value is low, the size of your loan will be smaller. This will also help keep the finance charge (money factor/interest) minimal, thus keeping your payments lower. Sale prices that are close to 10% off MSRP are probably the best. Any percentage above that is just icing on the cake. A good deal hunter would generally look for a vehicle that sells for a big discount (plus rebates and incentives), high residual value and low money factor. This combination typically yields the lowest monthly payments and gives us the most bang for the buck.

What’s a good example of a good deal? For the month of July 2011, the 2011 Infiniti G37 Journey Sedan looks very attractive. It boasts one of the higher residual values for 2011 models (58% @ 15k miles per year over 36-months) and has an easy-on-the-pocketbook 0.00058 money factor that breaks down to a low interest rate of 1.4%. The average sale price for this sedan in the Southern California region is 12% off MSRP and as of July 2011, there’s $1000 loyalty cash and $1000 dealer cash that’s available until August 1st, 2011. This certainly isn’t the only car that’s considered a good deal, but it’s one of them.

Here’s are some helpful links to get you started on how to estimate your own lease payments:

Now go find yourself a good deal!

2011 Jeep Lease Rates – July 2011

Published 2011/07/112012/01/31 by G

The Grand Cherokee 4WD Laredo looks like a great truck to lease right now. Just look at the low MF and the decent residual value. The Wrangler looks pretty darn good too. Overall, US Bank is doing a great job making these rides lease-friendly. See below for some calculations on the JGC Laredo and the Wranger.

If you haven’t leased with US Bank before, rest assured that they are like any other bank. Bank fees and disposition fees are standard. Turn-in inspection is also done by a 3rd party. I leased a Mazda3 back in 2004 for about 4 years. I didn’t turn it in or get it inspected, instead, I sold it as a trade-in to get my G37 back in 2008. They were very realistic with the residual value, so when I traded in the car, I almost broke even. The only reason I didn’t was because I had gotten into a pretty bad accident on the Mazda3 it’s value was diminished severely.

Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD
MSRP – $33,265
Sale Price – $30,526
Monthly – $394+ tax
RWG Rating – 85.7

2011 Jeep Wrangler 4WD 2dr Conv Sport
MSRP – $27,700
Sale Price – $25,452
Monthly – $293+ tax
RWG Rating -92.7

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD 4dr Laredo (US Bank)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00018 base money factor

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD 4dr Overland (US Bank)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 45% | .00059 base money factor

2011 Jeep Wrangler 4WD 2dr Conv Sport (US Bank)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00005 base money factor

2011 Jeep Patriot 4WD 4dr Sport (US Bank)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 44% | .00035 base money factor

2011 Jeep Compass 4WD 4dr Base (US Bank)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 44% | .00014 base money factor

2011 Lexus Lease Rates – July 2011

Published 2011/07/08 by G

Lexus lease rates remain unchanged from June. Sale prices don’t seem to have come down much either. There doesn’t seem to be much in terms of incentives either. Take the IS250 for example, the only cash available to customers is $1000 for current owners and $750 for members of the military. Other than that, not much available to those looking to lease a Lexus for the 1st time.

Not even financing looks great right now, which is 2.9% for 60 months. In contrast, IFS is offering 1.9% for 60 months on the G37, Acura is offering 1.9% for 60 months on the TL, MB is offering 2.9% for 66 months on the C300 and Audi is also offering 1.9% for 60 months on the A4.

Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 Lexus IS250 AT Sedan
MSRP – $35,340
Sale Price – $32,911
Monthly – $426+ tax
RWG Rating – 84.7

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

2011 LEXUS ES350
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00180 base money factor

2011 LEXUS GS350 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00155 base money factor

2011 LEXUS GS460
36 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00155 base money factor

2011 LEXUS GX460
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS HS250H
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS250 AT SDN
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00170 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS250 AWD AT SDN
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00170 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS250 AT CONV
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS350 AWD AT SEDAN
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00170 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS350 CONV
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS-F
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS LS460
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS LS460 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS LX570
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00210 base money factor

2011 LEXUS RX350 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00165 base money factor

2011 LEXUS RX450H AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00210 base money factor

2011-12 Honda Lease Rates – July 2011

Published 2011/07/08 by G

Honda dropped some of their money factors in response to depreciation. Some models did not suffer a drop in residual, but most did. Honda didn’t really adjust the sale price too dramatically in my area, hopefully they dropped their prices in yours. You can check out TrueCar to see your local sale prices.

This month, I would like to bring to your attention the Honda Pilot. In SoCal, it is getting about 12% off MSRP. The residual value is still fairly high and the money factor is reasonable at .00107 (2.57%). You may find it tough to find a LX 4WD model (I know I couldn’t back in April), but if you find one, you could be looking at a nice lease. The EX model should retain the same MF, but may suffer slight drop in residual value (I’m guessing about 2%). Be sure to adjust that in your calculations.

Here is a sample calculation based on TrueCar’s Southern California sale price and do not include local taxes. Please note that your dealer calculations may vary due to local fees/taxes.

2011 HONDA PILOT 4WD LX
MSRP – $29,130
Sale Price – $25,509
Monthly – $308+ tax
RWG Rating – 92.9

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

2011 HONDA ACCORD COUPE LX-S AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00049 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 2WD EX
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00049 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00049 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00049 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN EX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00049 base money factor

2012 HONDA CIVIC COUPE LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00185 base money factor

2012 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 64% | .00185 base money factor

2011 HONDA CR-V 4WD LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00078 base money factor

2011 HONDA CR-Z HATCHBACK AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 63% | .00185 base money factor

2011 HONDA ELEMENT 4WD LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00185 base money factor

2011 HONDA FIT HATCHBACK AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00200 base money factor

2011 HONDA ODYSSEY LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00144 base money factor

2011 HONDA PILOT 4WD LX
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00107 base money factor

2011 HONDA RIDGELINE CREW CAB RT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00185 base money factor

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RIDE with G

For those who lease cars

Author: G

Monthly Round-Up : July 2011

Ground Rules

SEDAN

2011-12 BMW Lease Rates – July 2011

2011-12 Audi Lease Rates – July 2011

2011-12 Volvo Lease Rates – July 2011

Estimating Your Payments with the RWG Calculator

2011 Jeep Lease Rates – July 2011

2011 Lexus Lease Rates – July 2011

2011-12 Honda Lease Rates – July 2011