VERY good point!
So I took in a lot of what you guys had to say and I followed the link to Bill Brown Ford that @z0lt3c had posted. I saved a few models they have in stock, I’ll follow up with them tomorrow. That then led me around to the dealer I purchased my last Explorer at. He had a couple of nice 2023 models and a Courtesy model 2022 King Ranch that is really nice. If I can get that one at a STEEP discount I would do it. Otherwise I found a 2023 that is cheaper than the 2022 I posted at the top of this thread. It doesn’t have the rear seat entertainment option which I never wanted anyway! PERFECT! Let’s see if I can make a deal with them.
You guys were really helpful. Thank you!
Did you get the lease programs from Edmunds or Rate Finder, and run them through a calculator. You want to have a target deal in mind before you contact any dealers.
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How much is that convenience costing you vs finance? At some point you might as well own the thing if your paying so much
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I’m not exactly sure how much. Maybe $3000 maybe $4000? All I know is that I don’t want a vehicle that has been running the streets of NYC for 5 or 6 years. It will start needing repairs a couple years after that which will cost far more than what I saved in interest payments. Furthermore, the time and effort it takes for me to sell the vehicle is not worth it given the other areas of my life that demand my time. If my time is given to those areas I can earn far more than I would reselling a vehicle I own.
Sometimes a car deal has more factors in it than just the deal numbers. And just because I put value on these factors doesn’t mean I want to enter into a bad deal in the first place. I work very hard for my money and I appreciate all the folks here who are helping me. You guys are great!
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Yessir! Using Rate Finder has been a big confidence booster. What I can share with the forum is this:
2023 Lincoln Aviator are selling for MSRP or very close to it. I had an offer for a 2023 Lincoln Aviator Standard at 4% below MSRP. That was the best I could do, they wouldn’t budge off that. I tried going to 16% and they told me to leave 
Here’s what I’m looking for on the Explorer:
The ace up my sleeve is that I know I have about $6k coming back to me on a total loss settlement for my last Explorer. I can keep that money home and use it monthly to offset my lease payments.
That’s totally fair. It’s just that many don’t think that thru but if the value you are getting buy not having to sell the car in 3 years is worth it to you then 
just be cognizant of the numbers and what that will cost you.
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So here is what Ford is offering me on a 2023 Explorer Platinum. Lease vs Finance. Caveat to my question is I want an Explorer. I know I can get a better lease on another brand. Thoughts?
Ford one of the worst to lease right now…seriously.
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These numbers are just as atrocious. Not sure how you’re expecting responses to be any different?
At the end of the day it’s your money so just say F it and spend it but don’t expect the LH consensus around these numbers to change.
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At least you know you are making what is a non-ideal decision (based on objective measures) because you subjectively want it.
Max,
What is “atrocious” about the numbers though?? I mean I get that there is not much of a discount but that is on Ford, not the dealer. Is the math wrong? I just don’t understand.
How do you figure?
There is only so much the dealer has on MSRP. What is it? 5%? 10%? Other than that it’s incentives and rebates from the automaker.
While this is true, youre showing essentially no discount at all in your calculator. Now, that may be reasonable based on the market (or it may not), but thats on the dealer, not the manufacturer.
The dealer gave me $1500. Ford is giving me $3500 as a returning lease holder.
Are you shopping the car or are you shopping for a good deal? Sometimes a car is atrocious to lease and that’s that. Then it’s on you to decide how much you really want that car. When people are getting $70k Porsche macans for 600/month, then 750-800/month for a ford explorer becomes atrocious.
I guess if you can put a 10’ length of pipe, a ladder and bottles of oxygen and acetylene in the back of your Porsche. 
I think at the end of the day, most here would agree there are several much better options out there, not just financially but also from a vehicle standpoint. If you have driven others and truly believe this is your best option, get quotes from several ford dealers and move forward with the best one…but definitely finance. Leasing makes no sense in this transaction.