that’s because when you go Stage 1 you also have to upgrade the clutch. Stock clutch cant handle all that torque.
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I took the tune off and sold it. It didn’t slip all the time just 3rd gear WOT pulls. Car was so much fun but I much rather get something auto and turbo. I think a 340 is on my horizon when my other leases finish.
I’m curious where people are getting 330i demos under $400/month. I’m in MD and all of the quotes I’m getting for the past 3 months are mid-400s to 500+. Ironically, I reached out to some PA dealers where BMW has higher rebates and the fees are lower and the quotes I got were even higher. I would love to get into a 330 for mid 300s but it seems like those are truly unicorn deals.
I’m also going to jump in here and suggest exploring a GTI. I’m right at the end of my lease on a '16 GTI SE (~$350/month 15k miles) and strongly considering getting into another one - that’s how good it is. Also thinking about test driving the Giulia or Q50, but it’s hard to beat the fun factor of the mk7 GTI. The 2019 models have a Rabbit Edition which I think looks awesome. If VW would just go ahead and release the new GLI already, I’d be all over that.
Got mine from Mt Laurel BMW. But check out Passport BMW’s website. They show pretty steep discounts on their loaners as a starting point. I tried emailing them without much luck, but maybe an MD resident would get a better response.
And don’t just ask “hey, how much?” Give a stock number and make an offer. I contacted about a dozen places with the same basic “I’m interested in stock #xxxx. i’m looking to pay $xx,xxx before the $xxxx incentives. Using the base MF and residual of xx%, that should put me at a payment of about $xxx/mo for 24/12k with just first month at signing. Please let me know if this is an acceptable offer.”
Several no responses, 1 or 2 “no thanks,” and several “how did you arrive at that number” emails later, I finally got my deal.
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Yeah, I’ve worked with Passport. they were the lowest but still not game. I picked a unit and we were close but they weren’t willing to go below 417. I’ll keep trying. I have until April until my TLX lease ends. if all else fails, i’ll probably pick up another TLX.
I loved the GTI but the seats were downright painful. If it weren’t for that, I’d have one already. As an alternative, the Mini Cooper S Hardtop is a blast too.
That explains a bit. Sales tax of 6% of, say, $50K is another 3 grand rolled into your payments. Whereas PA or NJ would just be between 6.625-9% of the lease payments.
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Geez, a lot of these are already discounted down 20-25%. Perhaps they’re not willing to discount so much for a lease?
Yeah, MD tax is rough. Might have to buy a mailbox in Delaware 
They include all available rebates you will not qualify for, including $3.5k finance (7% right there on a 50k car). Read their fine print.
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Same. I’m in a Q50S that will expire in May or June. I got a great deal on mine, but I don’t think I could replicate it now. I also think that I am ready for something different, but I do love the car. There’s no doubt that it is a major bang for the buck.
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Same here - any BMW I have checked into (loaner or not) the payments are mid-$500’s+
That’s a safe assumption. MFs have gone up with interest rates, and RVs on many cars have been lowered compared to where they were in years prior. A lot of the “funner” sedans, like the Alfa, Jag XE, and BMW 330i on up will most likely start in the mid 400s. The prices you’ve been getting, as described in your follow-up post, aren’t surprising. Maybe you can shave some $$$ off if you hold out a little longer for some 2018s on the final month(s) of lease support?
That’s what I’ve been hearing…the (readily) available lease deals may be a thing of the past. I’m assuming the lease support varies from manufacturer to manufacturer - what is the general timeline for supporting the previous year?
Every manufacturer is different. Heck, every year could be different. We were all set to get an S60 loaner, and the salesperson was CERTAIN December would be the same as November because it has “always been that way.” Volvo then ended 2018 lease support after November. No S60 for us.
Wow! That would be quite the surprise.
Agreed, the GTI is a fantastic car, but I’ve never seen them lease all that well. You got a good deal 3 years ago, but I’m not sure that’s still true today, esp on higher trim variants. I just turned in my 2016 GLI SEL and got my first non VW/Audi in 12 years. I went with a Giulia in part because the new MQB based GLI is still not released. I will probably miss rowing gears, but otherwise find the Giulia more fun and faster than my outgoing GLI or my friend’s 2018 GTI w/ pp.
I’ve rarely seen GTI leases below 1%, and expect whenever VW does release the new GLI, it will take a while to see attractive LH worthy deals.
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Depends on where and in which. Even Porsche is limiting manuals in Europe, and I think true M cars don’t offer them at all in Europe. I think lux European makes think that offering a manual on high-level performance cars is simply to appease a weird American affectation… 
I think that when seeking ultimate performance, a la M cars (and those pesky eye-talian marques), the jury is in:
DCT and even some conventional autos have passed the manual, if one is serious about acceleration/lap times.