My Take: Haahaa, NEXT!
2009 Ford Flex
2009 Ford Flex AWD Limited
36-month | 15k miles | residual 48% | .00444 base money factor
48-month | 15k miles | residual 39% | .00431 base money factor
2009 Ford Flex AWD SEL
36-month | 15k miles | residual 48% | .00444 base money factor
48-month | 15k miles | residual 39% | .00431 base money factor
My Take: The Holiday Season is upon us! I hope most of you got your shopping out of the way by now. If not, good luck! As you already know, I will be out of the country visiting family for two weeks, returning January 10th. Until then, I leave you with the lease rates for the Ford Flex, which will be my last post of the year. I know, this isn’t exactly the best lease rate to leave you with, but this is all I could dig up before leaving. The good news is that there is $1000 rebate on this car, so going below invoice is certainly possible (it should shave about $30 off your monthly payment). I do have to hand it to Ford though, they have done a decent job positioning themselves to weather the economic storm. I can’t say the same for GM or Chrysler. GM should have sold off some of their divisions but you already know what they say about old dogs…Anyway, this is an old rant for the new year, so enjoy the Holiday Season!!! Feel free to post on the forums if you have questions, I know B sometimes pops in to share his knowledge and knows a lot about leasing cars. If I find internet connection, I might answer a few questions of my own if time permits. See you all next year and Happy Leasing!
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| At Invoice | At MSRP | |||||
| Make/Model | Invoice | MSRP | 24-month | 36-month | 24-month | 36-month |
| 09 Ford Flex Limited FWD | $33,164 | $35,735 | $N/A | $539 | $N/A | $615 |
NOTE: Estimates assuming the following conditions:
2009 Ford Flex December Lease Rates
2009 Ford Flex Limited FWD
36-month | 15k miles | residual 48% | .001875 base money factor
Don’t like what you see? Visit Leasecompare.com and see what 3rd party banks offer!
Lease Calculator 2.0
I know, you are all probably eagerly anticipating December’s lease rates and the best thing I got for you right now is an updated on the Lease Calculator. Well, don’t be too disappointed! The new lease calculator is rather nifty. I added some new fields such as “Sales Tax Paid in Advance”; “Previous Balance” (for those who plan on carrying over some negative equity from their existing vehicles; monthly payment calculations assuming you roll in all fees into the lease; and monthly payment calculations assuming you pay inception fees in advance. Cool huh? I thought so. I based it loosely on my own lease contracts. I still haven’t exactly decyphered their system yet…but it’s only a matter of time.
Lease Rates
Patience…if you haven’t noticed, they usually surface around the 2nd week of each month, while some (Audi) will carry over through a good portion of this month since they just released last week.
Buying
It is a good time to buy since we’re looking at year end right now. 2008 model clearance is on! You waited all year long to buy a car, this is as good a time as any. Lot of “Winter” promotions with low APR going on right now. I said it before and I will say it again, no lease will beat 0% financing. If you are looking to lease a car that offers 0% financing, consider buying it. Specially since a lot of those 0% financing deals are for 60 month terms.
Auto Industry and the Economy
GM builds 4 similar SUVs (Acadia, Enclave, Outlook, Traverse) across 4 different brands…WHY!?!?! Need I say more? If they can’t learn to manage their company, they don’t deserve a bailout. That’s what I mean. I hear a lot of the “if the gov’t isn’t going to bail us out, the economy will end fall into a depression, etc…” That may be true, but that’s a half truth. It sounds more like someone is trying to save their own skin.
Downtime
I will be away on vacation starting Christmas until January 10th. That means I will be MIA for approximately two weeks, most likely with limited internet access. Hopefully you can all survive without me for that time period. 🙂
Every morning, I get an email from Costco pitching their latest and greatest deals. This morning, I noticed that there were some “specials” on their Automotive site. I once leased a car using AAA and Costco (I have them both) membership, but I didn’t really seen any major advantages (mainly because I didn’t bother to ask what sort of discounts I would get). This time around however, if you head over to Costco’s Auto website, you can see all of the promotions going on.
Costco Auto Special Promotions
Couple things stand out here:
Purchase a new Volvo XC90, XC70 or V70 through the Costco Auto Program between November 13, 2008, and January 5, 2009, to receive:
* $1,000 Off Volvo’s employee price
* $750 holiday gift card from Volvo1
* All available customer rebates and dealer incentives
* $500 Costco Cash Card for completing a Costco Auto Program Survey
That’s a lot of savings since you get $1000 off the employee pricing + rebates + gift card + costco cash. Add on whatever discounts the dealer gives you and you simply can’t over look this deal if you are shopping for a new family hauler that’s one of the safest according to the IIHS (XC90).
Then there is 0% financing for Infiniti, Toyota, Nissan models. Nothing out of the norm here since I’ve seen the commercials on TV for quite some time.
GM is having a Red Tag sale…ho-hummm…
Lastly, you can get employee pricing + rebates on most 2008/2009 Ford models.
How vehicles are evaluated: The Institute’s frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of 40 mph frontal offset crash tests. Each vehicle’s overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.
Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle’s structural performance during the impact.
Rear crash protection is rated according to a two-step procedure. Starting points for the ratings are measurements of head restraint geometry — the height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average-size man. Seat/head restraints with good or acceptable geometry are tested dynamically using a dummy that measures forces on the neck. This test simulates a collision in which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 mph. Seats without good or acceptable geometry are rated poor overall because they can’t be positioned to protect many people.
ALL 72 WINNERS
Large cars
Acura RL
Audi A6
Cadillac CTS
Ford Taurus
Lincoln MKS
Mercury Sable
Toyota Avalon
Volvo S80
Midsize cars
Acura TL, TSX
Audi A3, A4
BMW 3 series 4-door models
Ford Fusion with optional electronic stability control
Honda Accord 4-door models
Mercedes C class
Mercury Milan with optional electronic stability control
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy
Volkswagen Jetta, Passat
Midsize convertibles
Saab 9-3
Volkswagen Eos
Volvo C70
Small cars
Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
Mitsubishi Lancer with optional electronic stability control
Scion xB
Subaru Impreza with optional electronic stability control
Toyota Corolla with optional electronic stability control
Volkswagen Rabbit
Minicar
Honda Fit with optional electronic stability control
Minivans
Honda Odyssey
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona
Large SUVs
Audi Q7
Buick Enclave
Chevrolet Traverse
GMC Acadia
Saturn Outlook
Midsize SUVs
Acura MDX, RDX
BMW X3, X5
Ford Edge, Flex, Taurus X
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe, Veracruz
Infiniti EX35
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes M class
Nissan Murano
Saturn VUE
Subaru Tribeca
Toyota FJ Cruiser, Highlander
Volvo XC90
Small SUVs
Ford Escape
Honda CR-V, Element
Mazda Tribute
Mercury Mariner
Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan Rogue
Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen Tiguan
Large pickups
Ford F-150
Honda Ridgeline
Toyota Tundra
Small pickup
Toyota Tacoma
Shamefully, my G37 didn’t make the cut, but it made it into the “ALSO RANS” list:
ALSO-RANS
These 26 vehicles earn good ratings in front and side crash tests. They have ESC, standard or optional. They would be 2009 Top Safety Pick winners if their seat/head restraints also earn good ratings:
Chevrolet Malibu
Chrysler Sebring, Sebring convertible, Town & Country
Dodge Avenger, Grand Caravan
Infiniti G35, M35
Kia Amanti
Lexus ES, GS,IS
Mazda CX-7, CX-9
Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Endeavor
Nissan Altima, Pathfinder, Quest, Xterra
Saturn AURA
Smart Fortwo
Toyota 4Runner, Camry, Prius, Sienna
Something sad to note here, no Chrysler cars made it to the top of the list. I’m starting to feel like Chrysler is one automaker that probably doesn’t need the bailout since they build such “average” cars.
My Take: It’s been a quiet start of the month this time around. Not a lot of lease numbers seem to have popped up in many places. Hopefully none of you are in dire need to jump into a car within the next 24 hours. With that said, this is the one of the few cars I’ve been able to find lease rates of thus far. Ford is offering a lot of cash inceptives here, so because to take advantage of them (Incentive). Essentially, the cash will be used to offset the poor the residual value since the money factor is insignificant. The numbers below reflect the $3000 rebate, if you qualify for others, your payments should be even lower. This rate is only valid until Nov 18th, whether Ford Credit extends this is still up in the air. With the current economic environment, anything is possible.
Got questions? Post it on the RIDE Auto Forum! Sign up HERE. If you like the site and would like to receive my latest posts, you may want to consider subscribing to our newsletter on a reader or have it delivered to your email.
| At Invoice | At MSRP | |||||||
| Make/Model | Invoice | MSRP | 24-month | 36-month | 24-month | 36-month | ||
| 08 Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $27,076 | $29,020 | N/A | $342 | N/A | $396 | ||
2008 Ford Edge SEL 2WD
36 Month – Residual 41% of MSRP – .0001 Base Rate
QUICK LINKS:
LEASE CALCULATOR (requires MS Excel)
THE LIST, monthly list of car rankings on monthly payments
My Take: How Ford calls the Flex a crossover simply baffles me. I am thinking it’s more like a minivan with optional AWD. Anyway, it doesn’t look like a bad time to jump into a Ford Flex right now. The residual value is low, but there’s $2500 in incentives available and the money factor is about .000625 or 1.5%, which is pretty low. This is for a 09 model mind you. You won’t hear me say this very often, but you may want to pay a visit to your Ford dealer if you’ve had your eye on the Flex. My sister actually likes this car because it has a minifridge. LOL. Priorites…Please keep in mind that I take the $2500 rebate into consideration when I estimate the payments below. If it looks lower than what you are getting, that’s probably because you didn’t include the rebate.
Got questions? Post it on the RIDE Auto Forum! Sign up HERE. If you like the site and would like to receive my latest posts, you may want to consider subscribing to our newsletter on a reader or have it delivered to your email.
| At Invoice | At MSRP | |||||||
| Make/Model | Invoice | MSRP | 24-month | 36-month | 24-month | 36-month | ||
| 09 Ford Flex SE FWD | $27,307 | $28,995 | N/A | $327 | N/A | $374 | ||
2009 Ford Flex SE FWD
36 Month – Residual 48% of MSRP – .000625 Base Rate
QUICK LINKS:
LEASE CALCULATOR (requires MS Excel)
THE LIST, monthly list of car rankings on monthly payments
Rates provided by Tarry Shebesta from Leasecompare.com
If you haven’t heard, Daimler-Chrysler has officially brought the new Smart ForTwo model to the USA. It seems like a good idea. With fuel prices skyrocketing with no end in sight, why not bring a super compact, efficient automobile to America. They’ve been selling the Smart Car in Europe for about a decade now and it’s been reasonably successful.
I thought it was a pretty good idea as well. What’s there not to love? You get German engineering, great fuel economy, and it’s got to be one of the easiest cars to park. However, once I looked at the spec sheets and comparable “normal” cars, I had my doubts.
| Smart or Not? |
||||||
| Base Price | Powerplant | Performance | Fuel Type | Seats | EPA | |
| Smart ForTwo | $11,590 | 1.0L, 71HP, 3 cyl, 5 sp auto | 0-60, 14.1 secs | Premium | 2 | 33/41 |
| Nissan Versa 1.8S | $12,990 | 1.8L, 122HP, 4 cyl, 6 sp manual | 0-60, 9.5 secs | Regular | 5 | 26/31 |
| Toyota Yaris | $11,550 | 1.5L, 106HP, 4 cyl, 5 sp manual | 0-60, 9.48 secs | Regular | 5 | 29/36 |
| Honda Fit | $13,950 | 1.5L, 109HP, 4 cyl, 5 sp manual | 0-60, 9.0 secs | Regular | 5 | 27/34 |
| Scion xD | $14,550 | 1.8L, 128HP, 4 cyl, 5 sp manual | 0-60, 8.4 secs | Regular | 5 | 27/33 |
| Ford Focus | $14,395 | 2.0L, 140HP, 4 cyl, 5 sp manual | 0-60, 8.3 secs | Regular | 5 | 24/35 |
The problem I have with the Smart car is that I expected more. I’m not saying that the mileage isn’t great. An EPA rated 33/41 for a non-hybrid is pretty awesome, but when you take into consideration that it only seats two and requires premium fuel, you start to furrow your brow a little. Maybe it’ll make up in sheer price? The price is pretty low at a base MSRP of just $11,590, but then your eyes look down the list and you see that the Toyota Yaris is around the same price, has more power, better performance, seats five, drinks regular fuel, and still manages to get 29/36!