Author: G

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2011 Infiniti Lease Rates – May 2011

Published by G


Infiniti leases are becoming more and more expensive. Like any Japanese automaker, their production is being affected by the tsunami, so sale prices and money factors have gone up. Then, you factor in lower residual values and you get higher monthly payments. But I wouldn’t let this discourage you because Infinitis still leases better than most cars.


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 Infiniti G37 Sedan Journey
MSRP – $36,695
Sale Price – $32,070
Monthly – $350+ tax
RWG Rating – 100.1

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE IPL AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00128 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G25 SEDAN JOURNEY
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00119 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G25 SEDAN X AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00125 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 SEDAN JOURNEY
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00094 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 SEDAN X AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00117 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 SEDAN SPORT MANUAL
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00094 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE JOURNEY
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00128 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE X AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00120 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE SPORT MANUAL
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00128 base money factor

2011 INFINITI EX35 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00145 base money factor

2011 INFINITI EX35 AWD JOURNEY
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00145 base money factor

2011 INFINITI FX35 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00113 base money factor

2011 INFINITI FX50 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00124 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 CONVERTIBLE BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00180 base money factor

2011 INFINITI G37 CONVERTIBLE SPORT 6MT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00180 base money factor

2012 INFINITI M37 SEDAN X AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00155 base money factor

2012 INFINITI M56 SEDAN X AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00174 base money factor

2012 INFINITI M37H SEDAN HYBRID
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00164 base money factor

2011 INFINITI QX56 4WD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00220 base money factor

2011 HONDA RIDGELINE CREW CAB RT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00200 base money factor

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2011-12 Honda Lease Rates – May 2011

Published by G


Numbers look like they have gone up to higher MF and lower residual values. Tack on the shortage of vehicles and you are looking at higher overall lease payments. I’ve been hearing a lot about how the tsunami has affected production and so pricing has gone up a bit. I don’t know if it’s just a ploy to get you to pay more for your car or not, but I imagine there is some truth to that. The problem is that it’s starting to sound more like a scare tactic which I find kind of annoying. Nevertheless, don’t expect any breaks on the 2012 Civic. My cousin was trying to pick one up last month but wasn’t very successful negotiating with them. They wanted sticker price and wouldn’t budge. With gas prices inching up, dealers know that Civics are going to be hot commodities in the near future.


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 ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L
MSRP – $34,920
Sale Price – $30,996
Monthly – $366+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.4

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 HONDA ACCORD COUPE LX-S AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00077 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 2WD EX
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00077 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00077 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00077 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN EX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00077 base money factor

2012 HONDA CIVIC COUPE LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 63% | .00200 base money factor

2012 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 65% | .00200 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 64% | .00200 base money factor

2011 HONDA ELEMENT 4WD LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00200 base money factor

2011 HONDA FIT HATCHBACK AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00200 base money factor

2011 HONDA ODYSSEY LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00161 base money factor

2011 HONDA PILOT 4WD LX
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00125 base money factor

2011 HONDA RIDGELINE CREW CAB RT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00200 base money factor

g37main

Trading-In Your Lease

Published by G

Despite being a base model coupe, my ’08 G37 has been by far, the finest vehicle I have ever leased. As I detailed and prepared it for an appraisal last night, I found myself wanting to keep it just a little longer. However, the needs of the family supersede my desire for a “fun-car”, so what needed to be done, had to be done.

This afternoon, I took some time out during my lunch break to get my car appraised at Carmax and to my surprise, I am getting a sizable chunk of change in return. Before I break down the numbers, I would like to point out key reasons as to why I was able to do this.

  1. My car is in pristine condition. Not even a scratch (not since that little bumper incident anyway) and the paint is silky smooth.
  2. I am almost 5,000 miles under my mileage allowance (at 31,000 when I should be at around 36000).
  3. I detailed my car the night before. No, not just a car wash. I mean DETAIL! Every nook and cranny.
  4. I rotate my tires every 6000 miles to wear out the tires evenly.
  5. I still have over 3-months left on my lease.
  6. I suspect that the value of Infinitis has probably gone up a slightly due to disaster in Japan.

Bundle these six reasons together and here’s how the numbers look like:

IFS Payoff Quote: $23,370.20
CarMax Offer:  $24,500.00

Difference: $1129.80

Other than my need to get into a more “practical” car, I felt the urgency to do something because by May 17th I would have to pay my DMV registration again. I wanted to avoid paying a full year’s registration to drive my car another three months, so the most logical choice was to trade it in.

What I am getting into next is still up in the air, but it is nice to know that I can sell this car soon in order to get some nice equity out of it. Further proof that if you take care of your car and don’t put too many miles on it, you can get some money by selling a leased vehicle.

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2011 GM Lease Rates – April 2011

Published by G

Due to a lack of lease rates from GM, I decided to pool together all GM models and put them in one post. Please note that GM uses interest rates instead of money factors, so the money factors listed below are approximations of what the interest rates would be.

The money factors are really low right now, plus there are some good cash incentives available to help with the poor residual values. These vehicles seem to be very good candidates to lease and then buy out at lease-end. Still not in the 90+ RWG rating range, but it’s at least they are looking somewhat more promising.


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 Chevy Cruze Eco (24mo)
MSRP – $19,175
Sale Price – $17256 (with $1250 cash incentive)
Monthly – $242+ tax
RWG Rating – 85.5

2011 Chevy Cruze Eco (36mo)
MSRP – $19,175
Sale Price – $17256 (with $1100 cash incentive)
Monthly – $226+ tax
RWG Rating – 86.1

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


2011 Cadillac CTS 3.0 Performance Sedan ($4075 cash incentive)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 44% | .00061 base money factor

2011 Cadillac SRX Luxury ($650 cash incentive)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00077 base money factor

2011 Buick Lacrosse CXS ($1900 cash incentive)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 47% | .00007 base money factor

2011 Buick Regal CXL Turbo ($2400 cash incentive)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 47% | .00007 base money factor

2011 Chevy Cruze Eco ($1250 cash incentive for 24-month, $1100 cash incentive for 36-month)
24-month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00007 base money factor
36-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00042 base money factor

2011 Chevy Tahoe LT 4WD ($1400 cash incentive)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 46% | .00007 base money factor

2011 Chevy Traverse 1LT 4WD
24-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00007 base money factor

2011 Chevy Traverse LTZ 4WD
24-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00007 base money factor

2011 GMC Acadia Denali SLT2 AWD ($1000 cash incentive)
39-month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00013 base money factor

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2011 Hyundai Lease Rates – April 2011

Published by G

UPDATE: Added the Sonata SE & Limited Turbo rates. The residual dropped 1% but the MF remain the same as last month. The bad news is that the Sonata selling price seems to have gone up about $500 more this month compared to last month. Seems demand is going up. Its still early in the month though, so the prices to drop at the end of April.

Hyundai seems to have updated their residuals for April. Apparently, people like their cars, so the banks seems to think their resale value will improve (hence the slightly higher residuals). It’s kind of tough to argue against that logic since folks seem to be embracing Hyundai cars more and more each day (I’m one of them). Keep in mind this is only a partial list which will be updated as more lease rates become available. One car to take note of is the new Elantra. The bank has given it a VERY high residual (probably due to it’s gas sipping ways), but the sale prices are still relatively high (TrueCar indicates only about 2% off MSRP in SoCal region). Nevertheless, it is still a VERY good deal due to the low MF.


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 Elantra GLS
MSRP – $17,945
Sale Price – $17,558
Monthly – $181+ tax
RWG Rating – 96.0

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE..


NOTE: Hyundai residuals increase 1% from 15k to 12k and 2% from 15k to 10k.

2011 Genesis Coupe 2.0 Base AT
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00184 base money factor

2011 Genesis Coupe 3.8 Grand Touring
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00187 base money factor

2011 Genesis Sedan 3.8L
36-month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00038 base money factor

2011 Genesis Sedan 4.6
36-month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00058 base money factor

2011 Sonata SE
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00056 base money factor

2011 Sonata SE Turbo
36-month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00056 base money factor

2011 Sonata Limited Turbo
36-month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00056 base money factor

2011 Tucson GLS AWD
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00156 base money factor

2011 Elantra GLS
36-month | 15k miles | residual 66% | .00076 base money factor

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2011 Honda Lease Rates – April 2011

Published by G

If you have been watching TV lately, you probably have seen Honda’s “Really Big Thing” promotion going on now. It’s actually a pretty good deal still, but not as good as the past few months due to a slight increase in sale prices. Hondas and Infinitis are EXCELLENT leases in generally. The “bang-for-the-buck” factor is off the charts in some cases.

Lauren actually got me thinking about getting a CrossTour (Noooooo!). I don’t really like the car aesthetically; however, it’s practicality, cost and Honda’s fabulous lease program is really got me considering one.


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 ACCORD CROSSTOUR EX
MSRP – $30,570
Sale Price – $26,322
Monthly – $266+ tax
RWG Rating – 107.1

2011 HONDA CR-V 4WD LX AT
MSRP – $23,725
Sale Price – $22,063
Monthly – $242+ tax
RWG Rating – 95.2

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE.


2011 HONDA ACCORD COUPE LX-S AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00113 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 2WD EX
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00062 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00062 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00113 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN EX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00062 base money factor

2011 HONDA CIVIC COUPE LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00057 base money factor

2011 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00057 base money factor

2011 HONDA CR-V 4WD LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00069 base money factor

2011 HONDA CR-Z HATCHBACK AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 64% | .00200 base money factor

2011 HONDA ELEMENT 4WD LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00200 base money factor

2011 HONDA FIT HATCHBACK AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00138 base money factor

2011 HONDA ODYSSEY LX AT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00187 base money factor

2011 HONDA PILOT 4WD LX
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00145 base money factor

2011 HONDA RIDGELINE CREW CAB RT
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00200 base money factor

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2011 Acura Lease Rates – April 2011

Published by G


Looks like Acura has kept the lease rates the same as last month. According to TrueCar, it looks like sale prices have remain the same as last month as well (at least in the Southern California region). Assuming your neck of the woods sells for about the same as last month, whatever quote you got last month should still apply this month. I personally think that the TSX needs to drop a bit more, though.


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 ACURA TL BASE
MSRP – $36,165
Sale Price – $32,316
Monthly – $378+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.5

2011 ACURA TSX BASE
MSRP – $30,470
Sale Price – $28,344
Monthly – $340+ tax
RWG Rating – 89.5

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE.


2011 ACURA MDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00145 base money factor

2011 ACURA RDX AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00159 base money factor

2011 ACURA RL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00072 base money factor

2011 ACURA TL BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00101 base money factor

2011 ACURA TL SH-AWD BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00101 base money factor

2011 ACURA TSX 4DR SEDAN AT BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00129 base money factor

2011 ACURA ZDX BASE
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00120 base money factor

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2011-12 Volkswagen Lease Rates – April 2011

Published by G

UPDATE! Added more VW numbers since I am currently looking at the Golf/Jetta TDIs and the 4DR GTIs. Wow TDIs are NOT lease-friendly AT ALL! I did a quick number crunch based on TrueCar sales data and it’s EXPENSIVE! Totally not recommended right now. The 4DR GTI with Sunroof isn’t too bad since it’s only a 1% drop in residual compared to the non-sunroof model. However, It’s within a $10 payment difference between a Premium A3. Ahhh decisions, decisions…

Numbers are pretty much the same as last month. A few 2012 models have arrived (CC, EOS) and their rates look pretty good. I don’t recommend leasing them yet because 2011 models are probably getting bigger discounts. Good enough to even offset the better 2012 model’s lease rates.


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 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 2DR HATCHBACK AT
MSRP – $25,555
Sale Price – $23,273
Monthly – $287+ tax
RWG Rating – 89.1

For Dealer Quotes, CLICK HERE.


2012 VOLKSWAGEN CC SPORT AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00047 base money factor

2012 VOLKSWAGEN EOS KOMFORT AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00083 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2DR HATCHBACK AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00084 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 2DR HATCHBACK AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00063 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SEDAN S AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00181 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA WAGON S AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00073 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN ROUTAN S
36month | 15k miles | residual 45% | .00010 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN S 4MOTION
36month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00062 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG VR6 SPORT
36month | 15k miles | residual 46% | .00052 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 4DR HATCHBACK AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00063 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 4DR HATCHBACK AT w/ SNRF
36month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00063 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 4DR HATCHBACK AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00100 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF TDI 4DR HATCHBACK AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 50% | .00181 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA SEDAN TDI AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00181 base money factor

2011 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA WAGON TDI AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00181 base money factor