I am willing to go to CT or NY dealerships. I would like a safe, reliable, compact car that can get me to-and-from work and will keep my insurance costs down for the minimum lease term possible (which seems to be 24 months). Initially I was going with Toyota because I own one already and am used to them as being reliable; it’s in my “comfort”-zone. But after reading the responses to this thread, I realize I should be open to exploring other types of cars as well, so I am open to others.
My timeline is that I need the car in less than 2 weeks.
I am also open to getting a broker, since I would like to keep my overall lease lifetime cost be as small as possible (without settling for a gas-guzzler unsafe car that can’t survive the cold winter or shakes on the highway, etc.)
Thank you for providing your location. Check out these threads and reach out to some brokers. They should be able to help you. 24 month term isn’t ideal in terms of best cost, but you shouldn’t be paying $350 for a Yaris. Reach out to some brokers and go from there.
You do realize that, anything else aside, a compact car is going to be less safe than even a slightly larger car? You can do what you need to in order to mitigate an accident, but there’s only so much you can do when someone runs a light or it’s icy or snowy…
I compared Honcker, edmunds, and a broker pricing. It was a Kia nationwide-special – the first time I saw a special on a 24-month lease. Since the deal was only through July, I went straight to the dealership on July 31st with their own ad. I still had to negotiate with them because there was still “fine print” that would add taxes/fees. But still got a much much better deal than with a Toyota, and the car is actually nicer than the current 2017 corolla I own. The price overall ended up being on-par with the broker’s offer (actually even a bit below). I felt a bit rushed because it was last day of the deal, and I need the car in a week at this point and wasn’t certain I’d find anything better in time. I realize that overall it wasn’t that great a deal, but still much better than initial numbers I was considering, and at this point I just needed it to be done, and I accept that.
Next time I’ll plan ahead and just go straight to a broker.
Thanks all for your tips, it ended up saving me 2k and I’ll be driving a car that is world’s better than a Yaris!
