Also check Carvana and Vroom for possible buy out of the Miata. Carvana was about $1,000 more than anyone else when I sold my car. The whole process was online. Inspection, paperwork and pickup took about 15 minutes total.
I was dead set on a GTI SE as well. Been wanting one for years. I thought it was finally time to get one, as my 2010 Jetta has been giving me troubles. Tried several different dealers and they were just not even close to where I wanted to be, which, like you, was around $300 (closest I got was $413 with $1500 DAS). Buying one made much more sense because I’ve seen $5500 off MSRP at multiple dealers, but only for a financed purchase.
I finally accepted the fact that GTI’s don’t lease well and I wasn’t going to get near $300/month. I found a loaner/demo BMW 330i with 4500 miles and it is $267 a month on a 36/10k and I had to pay $1000 DAS (first month and doc fee). Picked it up last weekend. It’s a hell of a fun car, 0-60 in about 5.5, right there with the GTI.
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Update: Gave up on the GTI dream. Expanding my search to look at others. BMW doesn’t look like it has anything worth looking at below 350. Audi A4 looks ok @ 339/mo with 3299 DAS. Kia Stinger AWD also looks like it’s worth a test drive @ 319/mo with 26999 DAS.
That’s a hefty DAS!
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Look for a Giulia. Pricing may be a tad higher than you’re looking for, but they are a BLAST to drive and are practical.
Where are you? Those deals all suck but if you’re in, say Oregon or Alaska, I get why you think they don’t.
Stinger doesn’t lease well at all. You’ll get a lower payment on a BMW. A suggestion is to stop looking at whatever “offers” you’re currently using to shop and look on here first to see what cars lease well
California. Clearly I’m new to the leasing game, and I’ve got major negotiation fatigue. Dealers like to prey on us military types. What’s a good number to focus on? I’ve been looking at the overall cost of the lease as the main factor. And the Stinger meets the 10% of MSRP rule if you get rid of the DAS. (Minus the extra 9 I put in)
That sounds amazing. Can you shoot over the details for that if you have them? Trying to get something similar to that for an A4. Thanks!
If you’re looking for engaging and fun to drive, I leased a 2018 Hyundai Elantra Sport last September at $250/month with zero out of pocket. I know some people maybe look down on this car, but trust me, it’s a great little car. Blast to drive, quality is excellent (I’ve owned a GTI before, this is on par) still great mpgs and it leases extraordinarily well. Just a thought.
Also, like someone said earlier, Stingers lease horribly. Most KIAs actually do. Stay away.
Noted on the Stinger. That’s a shame. Any particular reason you didn’t go for the new Veloster? I would think the RV’s would be mostly the same and it’s definitely more geared towards enthusiasts.
I’ve also seen serious price cuts on the BMW X2. They just aren’t selling them like they hoped they would and BMW Monterey is leasing them for 319/mo, albeit with 4254 down. I guess I’m trying to figure out how to approach it. A sub-300/mo BMW 330i with no money down sounds good enough to make me consider signing today. I appreciate everyone’s advice, this forum is awesome.
Have you seen George’s sheet? GeorgeCSL Lease Deals. Updated Monthly!
He’s got an A4 ultra for $305 and a quattro for $345 - those for 7.5k miles, but 10k will probably be like 10-20 bucks more. 330i for $309.
But if you’re ok with a loaner and have some time, just keep checking the marketplace like every 15 minutes. There has been some really awesome deals on loaner bimmers lately.
This whole post bums me out because I want a GTI SE as well! Not having a whole lot of luck either in Los Angeles
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I have not seen that list, that definitely gives me a place to start. At the very least I can walk into a dealer and say “Here’s what this dealer is offering. Beat it and I’ll sign today.” Any similar sheets for non-luxury cars? I’ve been searching the forums and coming up empty.
That’s list means nothing without details. I doubt a dealer would take it seriously. Anyone can make a list like that and put any price they want.
The new Veloster wasn’t out yet when I was shopping. But even if it was I would have passed based on practicality. We have a 4-year old, and having a carseat in the back of a Veloster would be an exercise in torture. Plus the Elantra Sport is definitely geared towards enthusiasts, just a bit lesser-known.
I know the car is a lot less “prestigious” than a lot of cars mentioned in this thread, but for me that matters so little when the car is just so much fun to drive. Not to mention all of the money you’d save. I used to own a 2012 GTI and no joke this is better, IMO. Hyundai’s DCT transmission isn’t quite up to VW’s DSG, but it’s close, and it’s improved A LOT since it’s introduction. I’m at close to 17k miles now completely problem-free. Can’t recommend this car enough. (plus the exhaust note is intoxicating)
I have heard great things about the Elantra GT Sport as well, definitely compares favorably with the VW GTI. So much standard equipment as well for the price. Didn’t know it leased well!
That’s why they call it Stinger - it stings …
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When I leased my Stinger it definitely didn’t meet the 1% rule, but it was close. I negotiated 4k off the MSRP and received another 4400 in discounts from the manufacturer to lease. I only paid 500 DAS for my lease, however the killer was the MF which I am not proud to say was .0022 (I believe… or .00022). I have to look over my contract again, but I’m pretty sure it was .0022, so roughly 5.2% interest rate. The MF was set by Kia Financial Services and could not be negotiated down, so we negotiated as much money off as possible. Final sale price of the stinger (MSRP for 42,200 approx.) was around 34,500 after discounts and negotation. Rolled in registration, taxes, fees, for a final out the door price of around 36,700.
Ended up paying 495 a month with just 500 DAS. Honestly, my first real lease negotiation on my own and I walked away pretty happy with an AWD Stinger GT with 19 inch tires wrapped in michelin super sport 4 tires.
495 is definitely steep and about 50 bucks more than what I had originally alotted myself for a monthly budget. However, it has an awesome warranty and has been super reliable to me after 11k of spirited driving. Pretty content with it. Love the hatch.