@JD81 cool thanks for the info.
Thanks to everyone. Wow, I’ve learned a lot.
Seems like you may have it backwards? Going through insurance at a shop that’s part of the reporting network is the likeliest way for your damage to be reported
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I think you both are trying to say the same thing.
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Seems like the most financially responsible option would be refinancing the Mazda and start saving for the tires, repairs, etc. While getting into a lease to flip sounds fun bringing $4k in negative equity into the deal will make that harder to do. A new lease comes with fees and taxes that will likely eclipse the needed funds to repair your current vehicle. APR and insurance to some extent are based on credit. Are you sure you would qualify for the lowest possible money factor? I’d be asking myself how much total, not how much a month in this situation. If the Mazda is still reliable and safe, I’d stick with it and come up with a plan to put some money away. Last thing you want to have happen is not being able to cover the deductible on a leased vehicle. Good luck in whatever you decide.
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Melina, I think everyone covered the other questions except for this.
It costs nothing ($0) to refinance your existing CX5 with any bank or credit union. It’s not like a mortgage where there are thousands of dollars in up front fees. Nor is it like a lease, where you are going to pay an acquisition fee + doc fee + tax on cap cost reduction.
You seem very intelligent and open to suggestions. Do some math and let us know what you end up doing 
There are definitely ways to “hide” the negative in a lease but it’s going to cost a lot of money. So I would either refi the CX5 or roll the negative into a great lease deal that you can swap out to someone else and then start fresh.
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And as an example on the “advanced” example I gave on the MDX, here is one:
The cap cost would be in the neighborhood of $36k+taxes+fees+Your negative. So maybe like $42k for the sake of this example. That cap cost would be your payoff to buy the car out. You would not owe the rent charge.
Now what’s the actual value of a used $52k MSRP 2020 MDX with a couple hundred miles on it? If it’s $42k, you could immediately trade it in to a dealer or re sell it and break even. Even if you have to roll in $2k to another lease you’re still ahead.
Just an example. The 2020 TLX could also be another idea, IIRC they have some huge rebates too.
You’d have to figure out all the numbers on your own. Same strategy could apply to any vehicle with huge rebates/incentives, but in the case of the fusion even with the big rebate it will still be thousands underwater.
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You’d also need to be sure to get a dealer that structures the lease with the high mf/high incentive acura program. Perfect case where you want a high mf.
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I’m seriously considering a 2020 MDX to replace the van (
) but waiting until the new model is released and banking that dealers get desperate to clear the old ones. Hopefully the incentives stay. It would be a lease then immediate refi or cash payoff. ~$36k for a new $54k MDX SH AWD Tech is nuts… I can deal with the laggy stupid dual screens at that price 
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It’s nuts on a price vs msrp perspective, but does that really matter? It just tells me the msrp is horribly inflated.
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Inflated yes but they’ve been moving these for years without the massive incentives. Check the used values to verify. Not an S90 or a BMW
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I just returned my wifes MDX advance 2 months ago and I know many of you hate the dual screens but honestly never bothered us at all. The standard driving assistance technology that the MDX far offset the screen lag that everyone mentions. Audio controls were on steering wheel, Navi was alsways on phone thanks to waze and climate control was also not something crazy. I have owned multiple Honda / Acura’s, Toyota’s Lexus etc but the MDX was my familys most satisfied lease ever. 36k miles of trips from S. FL to Houston, Chicago and even Quebec city, that suv was a champ in every weather.
@chrishs2000 is 100% right on the $36k price for a $54k suv. That is a true dollar value deal.
If I signed a lease on this, how would I not have a rent charge? Because it’s $0 DAS and I flip it before first month payment?
Or are you saying trading Mazda in for Acura MDX on a loan & immediately swapping it out?
Because of the low resale correct? In other words, sure I amortize at 3 years, but didn’t get ahead of the NE, just rolled in for lower APR & mo payments
Why is that? Sorry guys, I’m almost there in understanding this strategy lol
Another prayer to the insurance gods, 800/year for a v60cc and s60 at max coverage and 1mil extra benefits. PA has its perks.
High MF gives you more $$$ from Acura , that money is your friend when looking to hide negative.
Say a ring master trying to ditch his horrible Japanese clown car, into a Ford with 5 figures of rebates.
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Acura offers two different lease programs on the mdx. One that is high mf with high incentives and one that is lower incentives with a lower incentives. Without a trade in, the two programs result in a lease price that’s almost identical.
With the high mf/high incentive lease, the starting price is lower, so there’s less depreciation, but your rent charge is higher. If you were going to hold the lease long term, you wouldn’t want to roll negative equity into this because you’d be paying higher interest. However, if your plan is to sell it immediately, you want the lower starting price. The mf doesn’t matter because you’re not accumulating rent charge.
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This is a dangerous strategy for someone who doesn’t have any financial buffer. How many payments can they make on an MDX until they can get out of it?
No disagreement from me there.
I see! This makes sense.
As far as the Fusion, I’m not getting very far.
These are the best #s I got so far
Base MSRP: $24,500
Sticker MSRP: $26, 790 (not sure which one the loan is written for)
Cap Cost listed: $21,290
Residual: 43%
36/12k
$357+ tax $0 DAS (not including wear/tear/tire protection)
Rebates: $3500 (included in cap cost above)
There’s still $2000 rebates left for trade which I asked if it could be included in the cap cost reduction, but FM says he’s “already using it”, simultaneously says he’s knocking off the reg, tag, acq & dealer fees, but when I do the numbers he’s using the base msrp and didn’t discount it before using incentives.
I haven’t said anything about my trade yet. This guy also tried to put in a 2020 Fusion loaner at 5800 miles for $26k with a popped front right bumper 
Don’t go asking the dealer how much they want you to pay. Put together numbers in a specific vehicle. Once you know what your target is, then you can consider approaching a dealer.
Also, if you’re going to pursue a fusion, it’s important which one.
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Has OP verified their credit score? Based on some of the penny wise and pound foolish strategerizing on this thread one might draw the conclusion that the OP is highly leveraged. Not casting aspersions or anything of that nature, just trying to determine if any of this is even worth discussing. Dropping down a credit Tier or two will quickly torpedo any and all of this and you’ll be right back where you started.
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In your first post, you say you have 24 months left in the current loan. Why not just accelerate payments and pay it off? Doesn’t sound like you are in any position to be going further down the drain,
Apologies if I missed something…
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