Every single quote should be zero down, 1st month DAS only

Suggestions
1

I know leasehacking itself isnt what it used to be, and the market now is a nightmare, and blah blah blah. But I can’t be the only one frustrated at the marketplace listings that have economy cars pricing listed as “300/month, 10K, 3000 DAS” or some variant. The ENTIRE DAMN POINT of leasehacker is that we’re trying to get the best deals because leases can be hacked by both sides. And the very first thing you learn when you get into this is that you never put any money down when you lease, because in the event of an accident or total loss, you can’t recoup that money.

Listing any cost as “Due at signing” is inherently fraudulent, since it’s just a way to show a lower monthly payment.

This isn’t a place where we hide the money by shifting it around. The thing we’re tryna do is stop shitty middle men and dealers from getting over on ppl by shifting money around. It goes against the entire site to see listing after listing with thousands of dollars required at signing.

Every post on this site with posted rates should be with first month payment due at signing, and that’s all.

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2

you know that if you put $0 DAS you pay interest on Tax , Title , License as well as the car right?

BTW I like $0 DAS but people have to know it’s inherently more expensive.

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3

Here come the naysayers.

On the other hand you should be able to ask any brokers for pricing with $0 das and they will give it…

You’re correct. Thousands das are to covertly make payments look cheaper. No arguing that

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4

Doesn’t always work like that. Some dealer policies will require title and license at signing.

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5

The premise of this rant is entirely false. What happens after a total loss is not some blanket “all DAS is lost.”

It depends on:

  1. The payoff.
  2. The ACV settlement with the insurance company
  3. The contract or state law determining who gets the positive delta between (2) less (1), if any.
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6

I personally don’t see anything wrong with having inception fees due at signing…

It’s relatively simple math to figure out where you’ll be with inceptions due versus rolled into the payment.

If you 100% know how the leasing equation works then it shouldn’t matter if one advertises with 1st month DAS or full inceptions due.

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7

I think burying the DAS in 6-point font (as is the case in every car ad) is totally deceptive, although I wouldn’t call it “fraudulent.”

As far as I know, the LH brokers and dealers are pretty upfront about DAS, so I personally see nothing wrong w/ it.

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8

I tend to write quotes with $xxxx down+first unless the client specifically asks for minimum outlay (usually just first at signing unless title and license also reqd at sign by specific dealer…)

I don’t hide what’s in the recipe and will gladly show my work when asked.

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9

The biggest issue, as I see it, is you CAN’T advertise a monthly that includes all taxes and fees because those vary by state. What is $0 DAS and $499/mo in NJ could be $529/mo in NY thanks to taxes. So the only way to level the playing field is to give a monthly PLUS taxes and fees DAS.

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10

When you do this for long enough, you find that people will put down money to see a certain payment regardless of the advise you give them.

I find a middle ground and post as such.

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11

Let them find that middle ground in the calculator. I agree with @Qbrozen - monthly + tax + dealer & reg fees. One can hide a lot of crap in DAS.

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12

My middle ground has worked for us just fine. Again. I don’t hide anything and am happy to show my work and do whatever structure the client wants as long as it conforms with my selling stores’ policy.

13

I don’t think anybody is trying to hide anything, everybody makes payment structuring decisions for different reasons, doesn’t make those reasons wrong. Ultimately, it’s not that hard to convert DAS into an effective payment and anybody with leasing experience has pretty much figured out how to normalize terms.

14

For you, a broker. Not for a generic consumer.

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15

I suppose that’s a fair barb. I make it a point to be sure our clients understand every aspect of our offerings.

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Not about how you present your deals. Just a general structure.

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17

Yeah I always request quotes with $0 DAS (and generally don’t pay anything at signing) when I’m deal hunting. It’s the only way to do apples to apples comparisons when working out a deal.

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18

Just good ole marketing to snag the noobs…

$399 + taxes and inceptions sounds much better than $550 per month.

Love how the word “inceptions” is used so often by the brokers here LoL

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19

Depends on the broker, many here are posting otd price plus tax

20

you didn’t rebut the premise, just quibbled that the math isn’t always the same for a total loss scenario. which, okay, maybe there’s some variations. would you put $5K down on your next lease? i’d bet 5K that you don’t. because it’s bad finance. hence, my post.

the premise, fyi, is that hiding money with DAS cost is bullshit that dealers and brokers use with the general public, but here on lease hacker we know better, and thus listings on this site should be structured in accordance.