Honda

civicRU

Monthly Round-Up: January 2011

Published by G


As you can see, the month of January is not as good as last December. Payments on cars in the Top Top list jumped anywhere from $20 to $50 per month, which translates to thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. The good news is that the Civic tops this month’s list for the third time in the last seven months. Impressive. Even more impressive is that fact that Honda and Nissan pretty much dominate this month’s Round-Up. As you all know, I highly recommend Hondas if you are a first time lessee. Their lease program is straight forward and economical compared to other brands. GAP coverage, damage waiver and no disposition fee simple blows the competition away.

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

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 FICO® Score of 700 may be required.
  • Sales taxes are not included since different states handle taxes differently. Please refer to “Understanding Sales Tax” to learn how taxes affect your monthly payments.
  • The rating system used is based on RIDE with G’s Lease Calculator. The closer you are to the 100 rating, the better the deal. Anything exceeding a 100 rating is phenomenal.

Top Ten Finalists

click to view chart

First – 2011 Honda Civic LX (116.9)

Not as good as last month, but still reasonable enough for what you are getting.

Second – 2011 Nissan Sentra S (111.0)

The customer cash is still there, but it’s not available for leasing. Therefore, not as good of a deal. If you buy cash or using third party bank to finance, you should be able to tap into that rebate.

Third  – 2011 Honda Accord LX Sedan (102.9)

I’m actually warming up to the mid-cycle refresh of the Accord. It gives it a “classier” look in my opinion, although the back look a little too much like the Hyundai Azera.

Fourth – 2011 Infiniti G37 Sport Sedan (102.9)

Technically tied the Accord for Third, but since the G37 is a manual and a bit harder to find, it gets penalized a little bit.

Fifth – 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour EX (101.4)

Not a bad ride for the amount of cash you pay, but not the kind of car I’d like on my drive way. It’s like a failed case study on how to clone the BMW X6.

Sixth – 2011 Infiniti G25 Sedan (100.8)

Seems like a lot of folks are warming up to the entry-level G sedan. With lease numbers like this, I can’t say I blame them.

Seventh – 2011 Nissan Altima S (100.5)

For this price range, I would rather have the Accord. However, I cannot deny that this is still one heck of a deal.

Eighth – 2011 Honda CR-V LX AWD (100.3)

Good deal if you are looking for a crossover. I’m still waiting on Honda to introduce a V6 version of the CR-V. Until that happens, I probably won’t consider leasing one.

Ninth – 2011 Nissan Maxima S (100.2)

Most of you will probably opt for the SV, which will cost you more. But if you manage to find some S on the lot, you should be able to cut a pretty good deal on them.

Tenth – 2011 Infiniti M37 (98.8)

I got three words for you: One. Sweet. Ride.

Missing the Cut (90+ rating)

2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T SE (93.1)
2011 Honda Odyssey LX (95.4)
2011 Infiniti FX35 (97.4)
2011 Acura TL (98.3)
2011 Mazda3 i Sport (96.0)
2011 Mazda CX-9 GT (97.4)
2011 Mercedez-Benz C300 Sport (90.9)
2011 Lexus IS250 (90.3)
2011 Audi A3 (90.0)
2011 VW Tiguan S (91.0)
2011 VW CC R-Line (90.2)

Parting Shots

As stated before, not the best time to lease a car, but certainly not the worst. Probably better than the past few Januaries I’ve seen and comparable to last November in most cases. I’d would like to see more VWs, Hyundais and Acuras on the Top Ten though. Nissan and Honda have been dominating the list these past couple months, while BMW didn’t even get close to Missing the Cut. A little more variety would be great.

RoyallyBlue

The Wall: RoyallyBlue’s 2011 Honda Civic LX

Published by G

Name: RoyallyBlue
Location: Louisiana
What He’s Got: 2011 Royal Blue Honda Civic LX Sedan

The Story:

First let me give a HUGE thanks to BouncewithB for his outstanding advise and knowledge.  He also has a really cool car that has been posted on the Wall and should be checked out.  I’ve seen it in person and it is a sweet ride.  Anyways, he introduced me to this site and took some time to talk to me about the in’s and out’s on leasing.  Without his time and help, I would probably not even considered doing a lease.

With that said, I ended up getting 2011 Honda Civic as seen in the pic.  It was a leasing special they were running and I believe G had even posted it as the 2nd best leasing offer for the month of December.  The lease was no money down, no first month payment, 35 months (with first payment due and paid for by the dealership at signing) for a total of $219 a month taxes included ($202 base without taxes.)  The only thing I paid was ttl which was about $150.  Gross Capitalized Cost: $18811 – Depreciation: $6842 – Rent charge: $454 – 12,000 yr. – I was very happy with the lease and am very satisfied by my car.  It may not be the best lease ever obtained, but this is optimally suited for me.

Prior to this I had a 96 Mustang that I have owned out-right for the past six years.  Well, I have recently gotten engaged and used the money I’ve been saving for a new car towards one heck of a diamond ring for my fiance.  Needless to say, literally a month and a half later, the head gaskets blew on that Mustang and so I had no car and little cash.

I had gotten so used of not paying monthly for a car that the thought of the lease scared me (not to mention all the horror stories that I have heard and confusing terms that come along with the agreement.)  So I decided to go used car shopping.  Forget it.  Down here, the used cars that are worth what you spend on them are the rare finds and I could not find a good deal on trustworthy car after EXTENSIVE research.

Anyways, I learned BouncewithB leases and asked him about it and he led me here and gave me some tips.  Thanks to this website and B, I am leasing my first car.  This website is extremely valuable to anyone even thinking about leasing and the straight forward and honest enthusiasm for the “Art of the Lease” makes this website a winner.  The calculator was real handy too.  Thanks for all the info to G and his staff and a SPECIAL thanks to BouncewithB.

RoyallyBlue

My Take: CONGRATULATIONS (one the new car and the engagement!) Glad to hear the site has not only has helped you get a new set of wheels, but also save you money when you needed it most. Definitely gotta give BouncewithB a shoutout on this one. He’s been a huge help to me as well over the years with his advice and support. $219 is cheap with no money down so you did extremely well there! Congrats again!

Want your ride featured on RIDE with G? Send your pics over to thewall(at)ridewithg.com

1101honda

2011 Honda Lease Rates – January 2011

Published by G


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Hope you all had a restful holiday season. Honda 2011 lease rates are actually looking pretty good this month (with the Civic being an awesome deal still). A few models’ MF are a bit high (CR-Z), but that was the case last month as well, so no big surprise there. Overall, it looks good, with the CR-V looking pretty strong right now. Remember to inquire about any remaining 2010 models since there should be some left over (like the CrossTour) that should still lease well.


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 Civic Sedan LX AT
MSRP – $19,305
Sale Price – $15,729
Monthly – $140 + tax
RWG Rating – 122.8

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.


‘s Honda lease specials:

2011 Honda Civic LX AT (MSRP: $19,305)
Monthly: $166 + TAX
Term: 36 months
Mileage: 12k/year
$0 cap cost reduction with 1st month, bank fee, and motor vehicle fee due

2011 Honda Accord LX AT (MSRP: $22,730)
Monthly: $224 + TAX
Term: 36 months
Mileage: 12k/year
$0 cap cost reduction with 1st month, bank fee, and motor vehicle fee due


2011 HONDA ACCORD COUPE LX-S AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00123 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 2WD EX
36month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00123 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L
36month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00123 base money factor

2011 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN LX AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00123 base money factor

2011 HONDA CIVIC COUPE LX AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00076 base money factor

2011 HONDA CIVIC SEDAN LX AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00076 base money factor

2011 HONDA CR-V 4WD LX AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 61% | .00071 base money factor

2011 HONDA CR-Z HATCHBACK AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 65% | .00200 base money factor

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

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

2011 HONDA ODYSSEY LX AT
36month | 15k miles | residual 64% | .00190 base money factor

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

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

sentraRU

Monthly Round-Up: December 2010

Published by G

As this year comes to a close, here is this year’s last Round-Up. There have been noticeable changes to the rankings, with the C300, ML350 and the CLS550 getting tossed out of the top-10 list and being substituted by cars such as the Mazda6 and the Acura ZDX, to name a few. This is mainly due to a higher sale price, so if you managed to get in on last month’s excellent MB leases, congratulations. Even though many of the lease rates carried over from November, some of the sale prices have changed, which resulted in a large number of cars jumping into the “Missing the Cut” group. There’s still plenty of time to cut deals right now, so make sure to take advantage of it. Most lease rates will stay the same through January 3rd, giving you a few extra days to get in on those last minute deals. January is notorious for being a bad leasing month, so I don’t recommend waiting.

Please enjoy my last post of the year. I am essentially done collecting lease rates for the rest of the month, so my apologies if I didn’t get the numbers you were looking for. Don’t forget to use my lease calculator during your negotiations. It’s rating system is a very good tool and there’s nothing else like it out there. Plus, It does a fairly accurate job at predicting how good a deal is, so take advantage of it.

With that said…HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! And if you missed out on a new ride this year, there’s always next year!

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

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 FICO® Score of 700 may be required.
  • Sales taxes are not included since different states handle taxes differently. Please refer to “Understanding Sales Tax” to learn how taxes affect your monthly payments.
  • The rating system used is based on RIDE with G’s Lease Calculator. The closer you are to the 100 rating, the better the deal. Anything exceeding a 100 rating is phenomenal.

Top Ten Finalists

click to view chart

First – 2011 Nissan Sentra S (136.7)

There has been a big buzz surrounding the Sentra’s lease program this month. Regardless of whether the cash rebate is applicable to leases or not, you can’t deny how great the rates are on this econobox.

Second – 2011 Honda Civic LX Sedan (131.3)

Just like the Sentra, the Civic is a red-hot lease right now too. I think the design and styling is a bit aged, but certainly a step up from the Sentra. The car costs a bit more (than the Sentra), but it’s still a smoking good deal.

Third  – 2011 Honda Accord LX Sedan (119.4)

The mid-cycle refresh of the Accord makes it slightly more bearable, but I think the low monthly payments should keep most lessees happy since it doesn’t really burn a hole in your wallet to drive one of these well-built rides.

Fourth – 2010 Honda Accord CrossTour EX (118.3)

Honda is still trying to move the CrossTour this month. Lowest price I’ve seen is several hundreds less than last month, this means lower monthly payments because the lease rates haven’t change since last month.

Fifth –  2011 Nissan Altima S Sedan (114.2)

The Altima, like the Accord, are pretty good deals this month. However, I would recommend going with the Accord since Honda has a better lease program and costs about $500 less to lease over a three-year period.

Sixth – 2011 Honda CR-V LX AWD (110.8)

I made the mistake of not including this ride on last month’s top-10 list. This is an excellent lease on one of the most popular crossovers around. The only issue I have with the CR-V is it’s engine. I can’t believe there isn’t a V6 option! Honda, wake up!

Seventh – 2010 Infiniti G37 Coupe Sport (107.6)

I’m am almost getting tired of listing the G37 Coupe Sport. Month in and month out, this ride is pretty much the sports coupe to get. If you are looking for a luxury coupe, look nowhere else.

Eighth – 2011 Mazda6 s Touring (105.0)

I think this is probably a better option than the Sonata if you are an enthusiast. In terms of driving dynamics, very few non-luxury brands can top Mazda. They don’t repetitively remind you of their “zoom-zoom” capabilities for nothing. This is a solid ride at a very good price.

Ninth – 2011 Nissan Maxima SV Premium (105.1)

Nissan seems to be back at it with the Maxima. Last summer and fall, we saw some insane deals on the Maxima, fully loaded! Right now, you are looking about the same thing. If you want a reasonable payment, four-doors, V6 power and lots of goodies, this is your car.

Tenth – 2010 Acura ZDX (99.5)

Acura didn’t do much in terms of lease rates, but it seems some dealers are becoming rather eager to unload remaining 2010 inventory. Once 2010 rolls around, this would technically be considered an “old-new” car. Which will probably be hard to lease. I think its a fine deal if you are into the whole “Crossover Coupe” thing.

Missing the Cut (90+ rating)

2011 Infiniti G37 Sedan (99.5)
2011 Infiniti G25 Sedan (98.4)
2011 Acura TL (97.3)
2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited (95.7)
2011 Mercedes-Benz ML350 (95.3)
2011 Infiniti FX35 (94.3)
2011 Honda Odyssey LX (93.7)
2011 Nissan Rogue SV AWD (93.7)
2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS550 (93.0)
2010 Acura TSX (92.7)
2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport (92.0)
2011 Lexus RX350 (91.7)
2011 Audi A3 (91.7)
2011 Hyundai Genesis V6 (91.2)
2011 Infiniti M37 (90.8)
2011 Hyndai Genesis 2.0T (90.5)

Parting Shots

This month’s best brand to lease is Honda/Acura. Their holiday lease programs are top notch and deserve a look (if you can past the old-fashion styling). Honda does need to “rework” their style a bit, but they still build some solid cars that are practical and easy to live with. Nissan/Infiniti have excellent offerings as well, as does Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz. Audi didn’t bring much to the leasing world this year (with the exception of the A3) and neither did VW for some odd reason. Anyway, I hope next year we get some American cars with great lease programs, that would be refreshing to see.

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