Best 3rd row SUV deals in May (Northeast, NJ, NY)

Ask the Hackrs
1

Hackrs,

What Make/Model 3rd row SUV is my best shot at a deal right now?

I got a great deal on an Explorer ST in March but my lease was up in August so I rolled the dice for something better. Now with the chip shortage, I’m finding even Pilot and Atlas deals seem challenging.

Here’s what I looked at so far:
Durango R/T
Explorer ST
Highlander XLE (seems the best deals currently)
Atlas SE, SEL
MDX 2020, 2022 (not too bad with 2020 models if I can still snatch one)
Subaru Ascent (found a really good deal on a loaner but fleet manager wouldn’t lease it to me)
Honda Pilot SE

Running out of ideas and time
Any leads appreciated.

Cheers

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2

If you’re in the metro area, the best way to save money is a hybrid. Highlander or Sorento.

I ran some numbers in late April on a Highlander hybrid XLE and IIRC a 9% discount at base MF got to $400 with first and 9 MSD DAS. Based on 6.625% tax upfront but capped.

made some offers and most people came back (if they did) with high 500s or low 600s. One dealer came back with $425/m with $1,000 and 9 MSD DAS.

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3

Why specifically the hybrids? Is inventory better? RV and MF are the same for the Sorento gas and hybrid

4

Because an NA V6 pushing close to 5,000 lb gets abysmal MPG in the real world in a metro environment, significantly worse than its EPA ratings. Of course YMMV.

Hybrid third row SUVs weren’t a real option before. Now they are and around the city they just make a ton of sense.

5

That’s exactly why.

It used to be that the rv/mf/incentives were way worse on hybrids, so the value proposition wasn’t there on a lease. Now that they aren’t, you get to pay the same and benefit from the gas savings.

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6

I always look at total cost of lease. When you factor in fuel, hybrid is going to be significantly lower everything else being equal but given slightly higher MSRP, this might offset the savings over 3 years. Tough one to measure. Gut says it evens out. Never actually tried to do the math on that.

7

CX9
CX9
CX9
CX9
But those highlanders are solid!!

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Right, but you have to do the math, and it’s just a guess. You have no idea what gas prices will be over 36 months.

You have to track every fill-up to get accurate data, retrospectively.

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9

Damn dude, can I get that highlander hybrid deal here in NYC please? I need :heart:.

10

It’s not that far (NNJ suburbs which you can reach via NJ transit or Uber if you don’t currently have a car).

11

Just got a highlander hybrid, have 1200 miles on it and averaging 32mpg. It’s pretty sweet

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And no maintenance needs to be done in recently days. :+1:

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13

I totally forgot I looked at a Carbon edition CX9. The wife liked it, I’ll take another look.

14

If it were my app, I would also hire the Iron Sheik for my QA.

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15

Best I could do back in march. Got cold feet and dropped the deal.
Thoughts? Could I beat that between now and August?

16

March deals are :100: irrelevant now.

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17

You are always so helpful.

18

Ha! Fair enough. I’ll give it another swing.
Has anybody taken a swing at an ST this month?

19

@verstft keep all your posts together.

And how did you go from looking for the best deal across the segment to focusing on the vehicle that leases worst in the entire segment?

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20

Ha! well thats a mixture of irrationality and my wife tbh.

Pilot and CX9 are by far the best leases right now. They are about as exciting to drive as a minivan.

Wife likes Explorer ST and X3 m40i.
Just giving those models my best shot before I pull the trigger on the cheapest option.