2011 Orange County Auto Show

Published 2011/11/212011/11/21 by G

I know this post is a bit late since the LA Auto Show is in town and in full swing. I still think it’s a good idea to get some pictures and info out there so you can take a look at what’s new this coming year. The OC Auto Show isn’t exactly the best show in SoCal, but it’s good enough to get a feed for what’s currently out there. Most people hold out for the LA Show because it’s a much more “comprehensive” show than the one in OC. This show seemed more like a giant dealership more than anything. To avoid being repetitive (since I will be posting the LA Auto Show pictures right after this), I will just post the more “unique” photos from this show.

Acura

TL – Small revamp in styling, improved, but not quite the “prom queen”.
TSX – Limited Edition is mostly cosmetic changes. A sedan with sport aspirations.

Audi

A7 – Great looking sedan. Top notch interior quality and very unique design. Not sure of I like this one more of the CLS. I really dig what Audi has done with the Nav by integrating Google’s Navigation system. If you have ever used Google Nav on Android phones, you will know what I mean. If you haven’t, then you are really missing out.

Chevrolet/Cadillac/Buick

Cruze – If you haven’t seen the interior of the Cruze, you’ll be surprised. This car was at the show last year too, but I can’t get over how well Chevy has done with this car’s interior. If you have ever rented any Chevy, you’ll notice how terrible GM has been when it comes to interior quality.

Corvette – This is one way to get people to buy American…

CTS-V Coupe – My favorite American car. Just love the way the seats just hold you and never lets you go.

Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep

Charger SRT8 – The interior quality has really stepped up significantly. I’m still not crazy about the lines on the doors, but the front and back just looks mean! If I had to pick though, I would probably go with the 300. Less racer boy, more rap mogul.

300 SRT8 – Beats by Dr Dre is truly a sick audio system. It boosts my street cred just sitting in the back seat.

Grand Cherokee – Best looking 5-passenger SUV in my opinion. Quality is still suspect (my friend got one and it has been in the shop twice in less than a year), but it’s not surprising since it’s a first year model.

Hyundai

Veloster – Better looking in person…barely. From what I hear, it also looks much sportier than it drives. I would consider one, but only with a Turbo. The interior is nicely laid out, with good ergonamics. It is also feature loaded which makes it that much more attractive. Clearly targeting the 18-24 year-old crowd.

Toyota

Camry – I am NOT a huge Toyota fan right now. Their cares are uninspiring and feel like appliances more than anything else. The incoming Camry is slightly less hideous than the outgoing model, but I still don’t see how they will outsell the Sonata.

Volkswagen

Beetle – Redesign and less girly. Still not as iconic as the original.

GLI – It’s here and the lease rates on this puppy are decent (not great though). Interior quality is still “bleh”, but the red-stitching helps.

Tiguan – It got a nose job to fall in line with the rest of it’s siblings.

Jetta Star Wars Edition – From a performance perspective, this feels like this….If it were a GLI, it would be more like THIS!

Lexus

GS350 – I’ve seen enough of the LF-A to last me a while, so only new thing to report here is the newly redesigned GS350. I barely notice the difference except for a more “linear” design and the Audi-wannabe LEDs.

Honda

CR-V – If only they would actually sell this concept and give us an optional beefier engine (turbo4 or small displacement 6) then the 2012 would be forgiven. I guess that’s asking for too much innovation.

Nissan

Leaf – If you were wondering how the Leaf looks like inside, here are the pics. If you were wondering how the interior materials feel; it’s all hard plastic.

MINI

JCW Cooper Coupe – One thing is for sure, MINI knows how to milk the living crap out of the MINI brand. I am waiting for the MINI Van (pun intended) to show up any minute now.

Land Rover

Evoque – It looks great for a compact crossover. Not sure how comfortable rear passengers will be with such a low roofline, but it really makes owning a crossover cool. I’m not sold on the 2-door model though. The whole point of getting a crossover is to have more practicality, otherwise, I’d get a coupe.

Volvo

S60 – This is the first time I’ve been so pumped about a Volvo as a lease. I’m not all that crazy about the schnoz of this sedan, but the rest of the car looks great. It is also a very good lease for those of you who are willing to give Volvo a try. I haven’t always been open to driving a Volvo (my sister has a few of them and they haven’t exactly been reliable), but as a lease, if the car looks good and the numbers look good, any manufacturer is worth a try.

2012 Lexus Lease Rates – November 2011

Published 2011/11/14 by G

Residuals on the IS250 has carried over from last month. LFS has also been kind enough to drop the money factors to make the lease a bit more attractive. The best discount in the SoCal region is about 8% off MSRP, which is actually reasonable. Still not good enough to make the Round-Up though, but still worth a look if you are shopping for an IS. Looks like Lexus is trying to drum up some sales this holiday season which is good news for consumers.

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.

2012 LEXUS IS250 AT SDN
MSRP – $35,640
Sale Price – $32,685
Monthly – $395+ tax
RWG Rating – 89.8

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TrueCar.com

2012 LEXUS ES350
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS GX460
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00160 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS HS250H
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00160 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS250 AT SDN
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS250 AWD AT SDN
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS250 AT CONV
36 Month – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS350 AWD AT SEDAN
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS350 CONV
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS-F
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS LS460 AWD
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00160 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS RX350 AWD
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS RX450H AWD
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00160 Base Rate

Monthly Round-Up: October 2011

Published 2011/10/172011/11/03 by G

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

For Dealer Quotes, go to: Yahoo Autos or TrueCar.com..
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

2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SEDAN S CVT (107.1)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00047 Base Rate

2011 INFINITI G37 SEDAN JOURNEY (107.1)
36 Month – Residual 59% of MSRP – .00064 Base Rate

2012 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN EX AT (105.9)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00050 Base Rate

2012 NISSAN MAXIMA S (103.8) *The SV also leases very well
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00184 Base Rate

2011 INFINITI G25 SEDAN JOURNEY (102.2)
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00065 Base Rate

2012 NISSAN SENTRA SR CVT (100.5)
36 Month – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00115 Base Rate

2012 Acura TL Base (98.1)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00166 base money factor

2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 4matic 4dr Sedan (98.1) *$1500 Loyalty cash applied
36 Month – Residual 62% of MSRP – .00182 Base Rate

2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan V6 (97.2) *$1500 Conquest/Loyalty cash applied
36-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00147 base money factor

2012 Volvo S60 T-5 (95.1) *$1000 Loyalty cash
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00134 base money factor

2012 Hyundai Sonata Turbo SE (92.1) *$500 Loyalty cash applied
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00120 base money factor

2012 INFINITI M37 SEDAN X AWD (91.6)
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00153 Base Rate

CONVERTIBLE

2011 INFINITI G37 CONVERTIBLE BASE (93.8)
36 Month – Residual 59% of MSRP – .00160 Base Rate

2012 Volvo C70 T-5 (90.1) *$1000 Loyalty cash applied
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00082 Base Rate

COUPE

2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE JOURNEY (107.9)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00128 base money factor

2012 HONDA ACCORD COUPE LX-S AT (101.8)
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00050 Base Rate

2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SEDAN S CVT (101.0)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00141 Base Rate

2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE IPL AT (96.2)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00128 base money factor

2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 2dr Coupe (91.8) *$1500 Loyalty cash applied.
36 Month – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00225 Base Rate

HATCHBACK/WAGON/SUV/CROSSOVER

2012 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L (110.2)
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00068 Base Rate

2011 HONDA CR-V 4WD LX AT (99.3)
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00095 Base Rate

2011 INFINITI EX35 AWD JOURNEY (98.4)
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00127 Base Rate

2011 INFINITI FX35 AWD (96.7)
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00130 Base Rate

2012 HONDA PILOT 4WD LX (95.8)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00061 Base Rate

2011 NISSAN MURANO AWD S (93.7)
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00005 Base Rate

2011 NISSAN ROGUE AWD S (92.7)
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00094 Base Rate

2012 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS V6 AWD (90.5)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00115 base money factor

Bright Spots

Audi does have a lot of loyalty cash available, making the lease decent. They aren’t rated over 90, but they are in the high 80s if you manage to get aboout 10-11% off MSRP with the loyalty cash. Worth a shot if you are shopping for one.

BMW and Acura also has a few cars with high 80 ratings (TSX, 1 and 3 series) If you are willing to pay a bit extra for your lease, they might be worth a look.

The Nissan Leaf has terrible lease rates, but the rebate ($7500) is so huge that it makes the car a decent lease. Obviously, there are limitations to this car and it may not be for everyone. However, if your commute is short (and limited), this car may be for you. Leasing it at 10,000 per year (it’s got limited range anyway) should help keep the payments low.

Weak Spots

VW leases stink. Not only does VW make it tough for people wanting to trade-in their VW (before lease end), they also don’t discount much off their cars. The only glimmer of hope lies on the Volkswagen CC Sport, but this car barely cracks a 87.1 RWG, and that’s with lease cash.

Lexus is also a disappointment. Leases are not very attractive on 2012 models. 2011 are getting a lot of incentives right now so if you plan to lease a Lexus, try to find a 2011 model.

In Summary

Once again, the Round-Up is being dominated by Nissan/Infiniti and Honda/Acura. Despite very good competition, I have to give Honda the edge since the CrossTour is an excellent lease right now. It’s not a pretty car, but you can’t deny how good the lease is.

On a side note, I have this ongoing theory that the reason why the CrossTour gets so much lease support is because it’s a tough sell without it. Your thoughts?

2011-12 Lexus Lease Rates – October 2011

Published 2011/10/052011/10/05 by G

2012s are out and they have the usual high res and mf combination. In retrospect, these lease rates are actually BETTER than last year, when the 2011s were introduced. If you look over to last November, you will notice that the starting MF was 0.00210 with very little in terms of price discounts.

My recommendation is to explore the possibility of leasing a remaining 2011 model. Discounts should be more significant, even if the residual value is low. If that doesn’t work , THEN look into leasing a 2012 or perhaps shop for another brand altogether.

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 GS350 AWD
MSRP – $49,725
Sale Price – $42,274 ($1000 dealer cash)
Monthly – $611+ tax
RWG Rating – 83.6

2012 LEXUS ES350
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS GX460
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS HS250H
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS250 AT SDN
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS250 AWD AT SDN
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS250 AT CONV
36 Month – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS350 AWD AT SEDAN
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS350 CONV
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS IS-F
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS LS460 AWD
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS RX350 AWD
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2012 LEXUS RX450H AWD
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS GS350 AWD
36 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS GS460
36 Month – Residual 48% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS LX570
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 Lexus Lease Rates – September 2011

Published 2011/09/14 by G

Lexus lease numbers still don’t look great, because esiduals have tanked and the MF has only dropped slightly. However, since we are nearing the end of the 2011 model year, you should expect sizable discounts. Take the IS250 for example, TrueCar indicates that So.Cal. prices are about 11% off MSRP. That’s VERY good because the residual is still good an the MF is reasonable.
If you are in the military, you should qualify for the $750 incentive that’s available through March 31st, 2012. Yes, that’s next year.

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 – $31,311
Monthly – $379+ tax
RWG Rating – 92.0

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

2011 LEXUS ES350
36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00115 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS GS350 AWD
36 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00095 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS GS460
36 Month – Residual 48% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS GX460
36 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS HS250H
36 Month – Residual 51% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS IS250 AT SDN
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00115 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS IS250 AWD AT SDN
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00115 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS IS250 AT CONV
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS IS350 AWD AT SEDAN
36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00115 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS IS350 CONV
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS IS-F
36 Month – Residual 52% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS LS460
36 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS LS460 AWD
36 Month – Residual 50% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS LX570
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS RX350 AWD
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00110 Base Rate

2011 LEXUS RX450H AWD
36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00190 Base Rate

2011 Lexus Lease Rates – August 2011

Published 2011/08/04 by G

Money Factors have dropped across the board on all Lexus models. That’s good news because they haven’t been very good in the past few months. Residual values remain the same with the exception of the IS250 Convertible. That car gets a 1% residual boost this month. Overall? A better month, but still not a great one. Sale prices are hovering around 6% to 8% off MSRP, which isn’t too bad, but it’s no Infiniti or Acura, but it’s comparable to BMW’s 3-series and better than Audi.

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 – $413+ tax
RWG Rating – 86.6

For Dealer Quotes, Click Here.

2011 LEXUS ES350
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00145 base money factor

2011 LEXUS GS350 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00130 base money factor

2011 LEXUS GS460
36 month | 15k miles | residual 51% | .00130 base money factor

2011 LEXUS GX460
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS HS250H
36 month | 15k miles | residual 54% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS250 AT SDN
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00145 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS250 AWD AT SDN
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00145 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS250 AT CONV
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00185 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% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS IS-F
36 month | 15k miles | residual 55% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS LS460
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS LS460 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 53% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS LX570
36 month | 15k miles | residual 52% | .00185 base money factor

2011 LEXUS RX350 AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 57% | .00140 base money factor

2011 LEXUS RX450H AWD
36 month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00185 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 Lexus Lease Rates – June 2011

Published 2011/06/09 by G

Lexus has not changed the residual value of their IS250 since March! The money factor has also gone down a little bit. Normally, this is a good thing. However, the sale prices for all things Lexus have shot up significantly, making the lease more expensive. Based on the calculation below, the price difference between a March lease of the IS250 vs the June lease is about $45 or $1620. Pretty hefty huh?

My wife has recently made her desire for a IS250 (as her next lease) known, so I am really hoping numbers start improving over the next year or so. Lucky for us, her lease does not end until Feb 2013, which gives us a year and a half to see how Toyota handles their recovery process. At the moment, I am suspecting that her Jetta’s payoff is probably around the same as it’s wholesale value since her Jetta is pretty rare. I’m hoping there is at least $1000 worth of positive equity by the time she decides to trade it in.

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.

March Calculation

2011 Lexus IS250 AT Sedan
MSRP – $34,690
Sale Price – $30,265
Monthly – $361+ tax
RWG Rating – 93.9

June Calculation