2019 Golf SE w/ Driver Assistance Package

Hi there leasehackrs!

This will be my first time leasing a car and I was wondering if I could get some opinions. I did all the paperwork today, but the color I wanted is being brought over from another dealership, so its not final until I drive it off the lot tomorrow. For some reason, I didn’t bring the paperwork back with me, but I’ve got enough info and the sticker info.

MSRP: $27,855 (includes $895 destination charge)
36 months / 10k per year
$300/month, $3300 down (that includes first month… that’s with 8.25% tax included)

I remember in the paperwork, they knocked something like $3500 off the MSRP so that seems like a pretty decent discount.

I saw in another recent thread about 2019 Golf SE that the general sentiment is that Golfs don’t lease well… I know I could probably get a much better deal on a Jetta, but I really like the Golf.

Also, after getting through most of the paperwork, the financing guy wanted to sell me the Lease-End Protection benefits, which costs $1575 and covers a lot of stuff including “excess wear-and-tear charges up to $10,000” and many other things. What’s the conventional wisdom around here about this kind of thing? A good idea?

He also tried to sell me on paying for the annual maintenance up front, which also seemed weird. Normal?

Thanks for your advice and opinions!

You’ll be paying nearly $400 effective for a $27k Golf after factoring in the upfront costs. These cars simply do not lease well at all - never have.

You could purchase and finance it for 72 months and own it for close to the same amount you’re paying monthly. Normally I’d never recommend a 72 month term, but VW has a 6 year/72k mile warranty.

If you have to have it and need to lease it:
(1) don’t pay any money upfront besides first month. If you drive off the lot and total the car, the $3300 you put down is gone.

(2) lease end protection is for you to decide. If you’re hard on cars, park on urban city streets etc, it may be worthwhile. But then, I’d say maybe you should be buying.

(3) Don’t prepay maintenance.

If it’s too late to make a change then just enjoy the car and stop back next time before signing on the dotted line.

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With you being in Cali, $400p/m could buy you way more vehicles than a lot of other states. Obviously that doesn’t mean you’ll like or want all of them, and you might have to travel to Socal, but the competition is better than any other state.

The obvious contenders are C Class and 3 Series, especially ex-demos/loaners. Depends what other factors and preferences are swaying your decision.

Thanks for the responses.

For me, 36 months is a good amount of time because I’m looking at this lease as a stopgap before an electric car becomes a more practical consideration (I currently park on an urban city street and being able to easily make the drive between the Bay Area and LA is a priority).

So even though VW has that good warranty, I don’t think I’ll want to have this car for 6 years. I suppose that technically all options are on the table… I could finance this car and I could also buy it today with cash. However, I’m a freelancer and even though business has been good lately, I am all too familiar with slowdowns so I don’t relish the idea of dipping that deep into my savings.

My previous car was a bit of a problematic Miata that I bought for about $5500 and probably dumped ~$2k into over 2.5 years before it ran its course.

My perception is that for a car that everyone seems to agree “doesn’t lease well”, I add least did decently here, but what kind of numbers would bring this into a range that more people here would consider a good lease if not an excellent one?

Then as mentioned by someone else, there are lots of cars you can lease for $400/month in CA. Several BMWs from reputable businesses have been posted here this month that would be substantially similarly priced.

It sounds like you’ve made up your mind and are comfortable with it, so best we can tell you is to enjoy!

As an example of what is in the Bay Area for less than your budget:

How much for a gti?

Ah thanks… that is interesting, but I don’t really want a SUV. I really do want CarPlay and Assisted Cruise Control, so those were things that led me to this lease. I really like the Golf… I think I’m just kind of a notorious waffler and I’m making this decision hard on myself!

I didn’t look into the GTI. It looks fun, but equipped with the options I wanted, I think it would have come out to be more.

Pure MSRP maybe. But lease rates may be better making it ultimately cheaper.