Hello all! Long-time lurker posting for the first time.
I am seeking a transfer for a 2018 C300 in San Francisco. Leased the car new and it remains significantly under mileage (only 3K miles 9 months in, total allowance is 20K over 2 years). This is a good opportunity to get a short term lease (15 months left) with extra mileage for a decent price. As much as I love the car, it turns out I am not using it as much as I thought and the costs of parking/insurance/lease/maintenance are piling up. Please find details below:
MSRP: $45,245 Lease terms: 24 months, 10k/year (effectively 12-13K miles now given under mileage) Mileage: 3,200 (20,000 allowance) Months remaining: 15 months Monthly payment: 323 + tax, 351 total MSDs: $3K Color: lunar blue metallic with beige interior Options: premium package (inc. blind spot assist), heated seats, 18-inch wheels, hands-free access package, multimedia with Apple CarPlay (see sticker photo) Condition: for full disclosure, the left front door has two dents which are not very visible but fixing them requires replacing the door. I am thinking of two options to address this: (1) repair it at a certified MB shop before the lease transfer, or (2) leave as is but forgo the $3K of MSDs. Aside from this issue, condition is excellent, car is kept in a private garage and was serviced at the MB dealership for the first year.
This feels like a good short term lease for a '18 car with 4K extra mileage vs. contract but I am open to providing small incentives if this helps depending on demand. I honestly have no idea how the community will perceive this - do go easy on me!
Looking to get out of the lease by February '19 and happy to show the car in the city.
Edit: per Jon’s reply, adding close-up photos of the door. It’s hard to take good photos of them as the car is basically like a mirror. While visible up close, I didn’t find this so bad as not to drive the car but I may just have low standards! Also see the photo of the driver side up in the first batch.
Is the door potentially covered under your insurance (i.e., comprehensive)? That (and I may be alone in this opinion) is significant as the repair will have to happen before lease turn-in. That is a hefty cost for whoever assumes the lease.
@BPitch, I wish! This happened when I had a higher deductible and it would have been collision (touched a tiny pillar in the garage) so unfortunately that didn’t seem like a great option at the time.
I’m thinking of a few options for the door (fixing before transfer, forgoing MSDs, etc.) and definitely not trying to avoid responsibility for it. Worst case I can continue using the car but figured the price wasn’t bad so may be of interest to some!
Agreed, a really good PDR person might be able to work their magic on that. My mom got a Camry dent on her old E-Class and PDR got it 90% fixed. We weren’t charged upon lease return.
Agreed…100-200 PDR repair by the looks of it. If PDR isn’t possible for whatever reason, they can reskin the door and not replace it. Not cheap, but cheaper than a door.
Thanks all for the suggestions! That was my initial thinking as the paint looks fine but after trying a few body shops and two PDR guys, all suggested the door needs to be replaced (something to do with aluminum, adjacent small dents, and a barely visible crease). Whether they are BS’ing me, I have no idea… I’ll reach out to a few more PDR with these new photos.
I wanted to be completely transparent with fellow hackrs but if someone more resourceful can get it fixed for less than the MSDs, there’s some upside!
Morning all! Received a number of inquiries last night so wanted to add more info about process here:
Step 1: let me know what your terms are and if you have any questions on the car. As of now, I will take the loss on all registration / drive-off costs, I am asking the buyer to pay the $695 transfer fee, and am still open to both options on the door but with a preference for just forgoing the MSDs.
Step 2: if you are serious, send me your email so MBFS can send you credit application documents. This is a credit check so only if you are committed.
Step 3: based on prior postings, it takes 3-4 weeks and we have to stay on top of it to avoid any delays.
Just to wrap things up, transfer has been completed as of yesterday to a fellow LH member. Received a number of PMs and ended up agreeing on terms with one member. Thanks again all for the great advice!
Will take a break from car leasing for a while but certainly look forward to that hacking game when it’ll be time to get another car.