Broker spreadsheets are a terrific baseline.
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Hereās another
Member for over a year.
Have spreadsheets and BMW threads out there. All cars are on there.
This āfeelsā like a message thatās going to every broker out there. So, this is probably one I will not respond to.
Youāre probably right for the ārealā good broker postings but then we get other āthese are the best deals possibleā & āwonāt last longā postings which are near the other spectrum of a good baseline. (Weāve had few in recent weeks)
And individuals would have to do the legwork to weed out those ānot so greatā dealsā¦
Oh totally!
I just think the broker spreadsheets are a great baseline for new users to understand what a good deal looks like 
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We both got slapped by that one 
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As a new LH user (but not new to leasing), I can differentiate between every day deals and unicorn deals.
Even before joining the forum, I did a lot of reading/research on different deals posted and what percentage off MSRP is reasonable and possible. Using BMW as an example, 10-12% on a new car is what most brokers post in their spreadsheet. There might be bigger discounts on 7 or 8 series here and there, but if I were looking at other models (X3, X5, 3 and 5 series) that will be my baseline.
I am not going to disagree that some folks believe they can get a bigger discount on a new car (say 15% off), 'cos they saw someone post their deal in the āsignedā section.
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Yah, but that makes you different than most of the newcomers (or even people that have been around a while)
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Exactly as @mllcb42 saidā¦you did the legwork and that sets you apart.
This is about users who donāt do the needed legwork pre-signing of the lease or joining the forum but expect the deal to be as good as an experienced LHckr and not understanding the effort needed to get the āunicornā deals.
The other thing I see a lot of are people blindly going to the dealer and asking for a price and then being shocked that the dealer didnāt quote them a unicorn deal out of the gate.
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Yup, this is the one I had to fight with a lot on my last deal. Being in CA, specifically the Bay Area, getting some of the deals Iāve seen here is damn near impossible or such a time suck that it isnāt worth it.
I understand why the brokers may need to get an up front deposit/retainer. It takes time to put a deal together. So, I understand the frustration when a broker puts together a deal that meets the clients prerequisites and they ghost him/her, bail on the deal, or act like a jerk when they get to the dealer to sign. Iām in the architecture field, and I donāt start any design work until I get the non-refundable deposit to make sure they are serious about proceeding. Only had 1 client not follow through with final plans after deposit has been paid. So itās understandable that brokers may need that.
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Man I feel lucky that all my deals have just been right place right time things that required little to no effort. Just gotta be willing to jump on a deal when itās presented.
You are in the minority. Some folks will keep grinding for an extra $5 off per month.
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The other thing that is really frustrating is when people want to add options and residualize them or remove options. People need to understand whatās on a window sticker is exactly what comes with the lease and must be returned with it.
For some reason Toyota doesnāt always include Bedliners on a $50k truck. I can get them added for $3-400. But that makes the payment go up $15-20/mo. For some reason they just canāt grasp that concept.
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Appreciate all the comments from everyone. Being on LH is an ongoing learning experience for me.
i know exactly who this is. guy has hit me up w/ random messages for months. i havent replied in forever. pure tire kicker.
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Please can you start a thread with screenshots of direct messages that you get 
I am sure a lot of people will have a good laugh.
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Lol I know itās poor form
I just wanted to give some example is all.
Thanks for the great discussion. I am a new member but following the page for quite a while. I am not in the market (q3 2020 lease ending) but i would bet itās safe to assume when engaging a broker, for the best possible experience would be for me to pay the broker fee upfront. Even if I canāt get the deal today, a broker would be on the lookout for the right transaction when timing is right. Itās only logical!
-RS
Florida
Can someone actually document a Unicorn deal? there are many variables as I can see across this entire post.
For me, I leased a 62-65k e class at the end of the 2016 model year, got 15% off MSRP and if I recall like a 59% residual. I paid 9 MSD and had a payment of around 510 (i paid taxes up front but in hindsight would have been cheaper to roll in). My rent charge, and this is my #1 criteria - was like 460 for three years. People get caught up in lower payments but I refuse to pay a high rent charge. So less than 1k is my goal. I tried something similar with a 7 series, but that was a joke. Iāt was like 8k of rent charge and that to me is throwing money away. again YMMV.