2018 Accord 1.5T Touring - $324/mo. 36/12 $1868 DAS *signed!*

Ask the Hackrs
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[UPDATE ON POST 24 - BETTER NUMBERS, SIGNED!]

Hey all, long time lurker, first time leasee. I got all excited by a confluence of fortuitous events – an Accord 1.5T Touring in the color I love available locally, an unprecedented polar vortex, the end of the month, a discontinued trim package – and thus spent several hours at the dealer today. This post from a few months ago (2018 Accord Touring 1.5T (SoCal) $299+tax) was my gold standard – I was looking for the mythical $299/mo. 1.5T Touring lease.

Here’s my F&I form (finance guy wouldn’t let me print it but a picture was OK, “company policy”). I qualified for T1 but I’m also getting screwed. Fortunately, I think I know why – looking for opinions.

Lease
Lease1613×1210 970 KB

**MSRP: $34,690
**Selling Price: $28,595 (17.6% off)
**Monthly Payment: $387.76
**Cash Due at Signing: $986 (Taxes $471.51, 1st month, license and registration)
**MSD: $0
**Incentives: $0

**Months:36
**Annual Mileage: 12k
**MF: 0.00072
**Residual: 51%

**Region: South Carolina
**Leasehackr Score: 7.4 years

Sticker was actually $36.6k due to a couple grand of BS dealer options (tint, wheel locks, nitrogen tires, etc.) but I got all that stuff waived. The down payment amount came from my telling them I’d pay first month, tax, and doc/license. I was able to get the same figures in the calculator from my F&I sheet (SC is weird on tax, it’s no more than $500 and technically an “infrastructure improvement fee” and not a tax, no easy way to do it in our calc except incrementally until it matches the sheet) – here’s where I see the screwjob:

DLR CLOS CHG: $524.73
ESC Premium: $700.00

The first is, as far as I can tell, a marked-up acquisition fee. The second is a service contract that they always try to slip in. I can reject the second fee easily, but I’ll have to fight for the first one (fortunately, we all know they’ve got $2900 in lease cash they’re not showing on here to cushion themselves on the back end). I haven’t seen other Hondas on here with acquisition/dealer fees higher than $595, so I have to assume this is my dealer trying to soak me.

Soooo… assuming I can get both waived/removed, and if I pay my taxes and fees up front, the calculator gives me:

**Monthly Payment: $336
**Cash Due at Signing: ~$1500 (acquisition fee, 1st month, weirdo SC tax total, license and registration)
**Leasehackr Score: 8.6 years

What do you guys think? Am I on the right path with where the bloat is in this deal, and how’s it look?

2

I don’t know, other than the bs fees, 10% off plus the $2900 is $6369 off. There isn’t much left in this, I’d rather go hack a Benz or BMW(fart car) but that’s just me. I just wouldn’t go over $300 for the 1.5

3

These posts involving the 1.5 touring catch my attention because I leased this car last month and I can see no one is coming close to the numbers I received. Week after week I see such crazy numbers on this car. You are respectively looking at a car payment north of $400 when factoring everything in…don’t waste your time with these numbers. I got this car when factoring everything in for $295 a month…36/10.

4

Sure, I get that. I’ve had a few pieces of German iron ('98 740iL, '99 Audi TT, '03 325Ci) myself. But I’m also sort of (pathetically) image-conscious at the moment, being lower-middle-management and all and trying to break into upper-middle-management ;p I guess the Accord just kind of conveys an “everyman” vibe that appeals to me right now. To each their own.

As for the monthly, yeah, my target max was $300, which only a couple on here seem to have swung. I don’t qualify for the programs that the poster I linked to did, so if I have to eat a few more bucks a month, I’m OK with it (certainly not $387!). If my tax return had come in already I’d kick in a bit more to get it to $299. I know, lease sacrilege, but my refund ended up being more than expected anyway. Suppose it couldn’t hurt to ask if they’ll hold a check for a few days.

5

Well, yeah, certainly not at $387/mo. However, as mentioned, if I pull out the two BS fees, it’s much more palatable. Sure, you got a great deal (including some leftover lease payments rolled in, I believe) and I think it’s probably the rock bottom floor at the moment, but I’m fine not getting quiiiiite there. Also, to be fair, you’re 36/10 and I’m 36/12. I think that’s 1% difference if I recall correctly?

Contacting the dealer today to have them pull out those two fees, re-crunch the numbers a bit, and get to $325 or so.

6

Not sure why you keep bringing up numbers based on last month’s programs which are no longer relevant?

Does everyone keep saying you can get a free car when someone’s looking for something the size of a Cruze?

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7

The <300 deal is only going to happen with this type of discount MINUS the $2900 rebate MINUS flex cash.

Typically the lease rebate is broken out separately as it’s taxable - where is it? Or is it gone?

8

I also had no idea 10k a year was even possible in any region for HFS, but apparently it is.

He got extremely lucky, but I see his posts everywhere else trying to assert it as a new standard to shoot for… it’s not very reproducible for most folks on here :/.

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It’s because I screwed up in negotiating x_x. We were talking price only but I uttered the word “lease”, even though I had tried to train my brain not to. Which, of course, opened the sales manager up to “well OF COURSE you’ve seen those lower prices, there’s lease incentives baked into those lower prices!!!1”. That’s on me. Trying to correct it now, lol.

10

Upper middle management is highly overrated, in fact management in general is. If anything a german make would show how you’re upper-middle management material. I hear the assistant to the regional manager is the job to shoot for.

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11

Assistant TO the Regional Manager.

12

Fixed! 202020

13

Same here. But I just saw a dealer quote in FL and looks like they added the 10k option recently a few months back.

14

I’m told west coast FL dealers cannot quote 10k mi but S.FL dealers can. Must be regionally restricted.

15

Region is usually the state? No ?

16

you would think but Honda is weird

17

Just heard from the dealer - won’t drop the $700 service contract (“It would actually make the car more expensive!” jerk-jerk motion) and wouldn’t drop the “DLR CLOS CHG” fee. Took $300 off for $373/mo., and walked me when I refused that deal. Hendrick Honda in Charleston, SC, now that there’s no deal. Will now be shopping competitors.

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18

They are probably done for the month. Good idea to move and if you really want the Accord, maybe try again. I think the incentives may run through Feb 28th

19

I thought you were shopping competitors the entire time…when I was doing my lease I called probably 8-10 places within a 45 minute drive. All done over the phone…of course they want you to come in but I got my numbers before coming in. Out of the dozen places I called I only went to two dealerships.

20

Agree however the money factor did drop but I guess flex cash and incentives pretty much faded. However the trim is being discontinued.