What does everyone think of this?
2018 Subaru Forester 2.5 I Limited
3 year 36,000 mile lease.
$306.13 per month
First month payment, license plates, and IL doc fee down,. Total out of pocket $695.56
Taxes and fee included
Acquisition Fee $595
Money Factor .00050
Residual value 62% = $19324.16
MSRP $31,168
Invoice $28,974
Sale price $28,074
LeaseHacker Score: 8.9
I’d try for extra $500-600 off.
You’re probably right. I got those numbers over email (Lake County, IL) immediately on first request with no additional information. Given that we just turned a 2015 Forester 2.5i Limited in that we were paying $378 on I can say it’s not a bad start.
This one is for my Mom so we’ll have to see if she likes it. I’ll post more info when I have it. My goal is to turn her 2006 Lexus ES330 with 200k miles in as a down payment and get the Limited for $275/month.
Newbie question but what influences the money factor? I just leased a Sienna XLE AWD from Toyota and the MF was .000100 compared to this Subaru at .000500.
Thanks,
Subaru Finance is Chase and they set MF. But Subaru historically has high MF and high RV, though this year I see better than usual MFs. Forester may not be for your mom, especially after Lexus. If you want to stay with Subaru, you should look at Outback instead. I see 2017s Touring 3.6 advertised at $2k under invoice, and Limiteds probably the same.
My wife drove the Subaru Forester for 33 months (just swapped it for the Sienna today) and loved it. My Mom sat in it yesterday and liked it but hasnt driven it.
May I ask why you’d recommend the Outback? I know they’re quite comparable but I never looked at the Outback. She actually didn’t like her Lexus, it was given to her. She hated it’s blind spots and that was a main reason I got my Wife the Forester - no blind spots, AWD and safe.
My wife also loves her 3rd Forester 
I just think Outback is more car like with almost the same utility. Forester’s seats are not very comfortable and it’s a bit noisy.
Also make sure you get a bid from Grand Subaru in IL. They’re one of the most competitively priced Subaru dealers in the country, so it’s a good place to start to get an idea of a sale price to target.
Side Note: I did not enjoy working with Grand.
From another dealership in IL here’s the updated deal:
2018 Subaru Forester 2.5i Limited w/ Eyesight + Nav + Starlink
MSRP: $34233.00
INVOICE: $31550.00
SALE PRICE: $30581.76
NET RESIDUAL PERCENT: 60%
NET RESIDUAL: $20539.80
MONEY FACTOR: 0.00050
15000 MILE LEASE - 36 MONTH TERM
MONTHLY PAYMENT: $ 357.67
MONEY DUE AT SIGNING: $357.67
Taxes: $927.41
Acquisition: $595
License & Title $196
Electronic Filing $25
IL Documentation $172.15
^^^^ Their 2nd to last offer before I added the trade.
I added a 2006 Lexus ES330 with 180k miles in “fair” condition as trade.
Their latest offer (waiting for the customer disclosure form):
$286/Month
First Payment + Trade as drive-off.
3 free oil changes (location is 2mi from house) + all weather mats & cargo mat (which I think are included anyway).
It feels like a good deal… Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Get at least another $500 off of selling price.
I thought the same but was wondering about the trade? I haven’t seen the buyer disclosure yet so the numbers are not clear.
When I input their numbers into the leasehkr calculator I get different numbers (mine are lower).
Given the above data of $286/month can you reverse engineer what they numbers are?
You seriously can’t calculate the difference? They are only giving you $2580 for your trade-in.
Wasn’t sure if moving different numbers from different areas had different impacts, like taxes.
About $2,300…
($357.67 - $286) * 36 = $2580 ???
Nope, put in calc 
That was kind of my point, I figured other factors like possibly MF and taxes affected the price. (Why I’m waiting on the disclosure).
KBB estimated between 1800-2300 for dealer trade in fair condition btw.
Appreciate everyone’s help.
Here’s what I ended up getting my Mom:
2018 Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring Black w Saddle Brown Leather Interior.
MSRP: $34,980
Invoice: $32,432
Sales Price: $31,517
36months - 15k miles
RV: 62%
MF: .00050
7% sales tax
Monthly Payment: $294
Drive Off: 1st Month
Trade-In: 2006 Lexus ES330 w 180k miles - fair condition.
KBB Dealer Trade Value Estimated at ~$1800-$2200
Trade-in received: $3,000
3 free oil changes + all weather mats and cargo tray.
Looking back I probably could have got to $280-285/month but I was able to negotiate everything without ever picking up the phone or going into the dealership.
I’m happy with the deal as long as my Mom enjoys her car. The Lexus probably wouldn’t have made it through the Chicago winter.
You left easily achievable $15-20/mo on the table just because you didn’t want to pick up the phone?
No, I’m not saying that I definitely could have got $15 bucks more off. But I’m guessing someone who took the time, shopped a bunch of dealers and got more aggressive doing in person negotiation might’ve been able to do better than me.
I didn’t want to post my deal and discourage anyone else from doing better. Just trying to contribute back to the community and add some context.
I know. I’m telling you that you could have easily 