New member and first time poster. I was directed to this site and very grateful for the weatlh of knowledge that appears to be here. I have about 9 months left on my lease and I want to get started so I can secure a good deal this time (currently overpaying).
Personal info:
I live in Northern New Jersey and I drive approx 15-17k miles per year. I’m currently leasing a Ford C-Max Hybrid with a 39 month, 19,500 miles/year lease. I put $0 down and paid $500 at signing.
I’m open to a hatchback, sedan, or SUV. I’m 6’0" so can’t be too tiny on the inside, although smaller cars are nice for parking in the city. Comfortable & supportive seats are a must. Heated seats and remote start are a must, heated steering wheel and AC seats are a plus. Last, a good warranty since I typically blow through the standard warranty in 2 years.
My goal is to spend less that $4,000 per year on my lease, so approx $320 a month.
What is the appropriate starting point? I have checked out many cars on the manufacturers websites, but of course, I don’t see good lease deals that I’m seeing here. Do I start with the budget and work with a dealer to see what fits? Or do I find a car I like and try to make it fit the budget?
I’m not sure what is most appropriate for me, to lease or to buy pre-owned. But I haven’t found any pre-owned cars that seem to fit the bill or are attractive to me. Sooo, I’m fairly lost and trying to narrow my scope.
I would be grateful for your feedback and suggestions. Thank you!
There’s really two ways to go about this. You can either shop the deal to try to get the best car for your money, or you can shop the car you want to get the best deal on that car. It’s not all that often that those two overlap.
At 9 months out, you’re probably too early to really be looking at what the good deals are going to be, as it varies depending on manufacturer programs, etc.
You’ll never see deals like what you find here advertised by a dealer or a manufacturer. They take effort to get (unless you work with a broker). You never want to go to a dealer and say "I’ve got $320 a month, what can I get.
Spend the next few months really learning what makes a lease work. Spend time here going through the math and see what is leasing well. In 6 months or so, start narrowing it down to what works for you.
I guess I’ll go poke around some dealerships and see what brands offer what options, just to update myself with what the market has to offer. I guess I can take this opportunity to see which brokers are reputable in my area to be better prepared when I’m closer to lease end.
I drive quite a bit so I need a higher mileage lease when the time comes. I wouldn’t feel comfortable under 15k miles per year. All of the deals I see here tend to be 10-12k/year.
What are the best ways to get a good high mileage lease? Is a shorter lease term something that would be beneficial?
So do a 15k lease if you want 15k. Yah, it’ll cost a little more, but less than doing a 10k to get a lower monthly and then having a bunch of mileage overage fees at the end.
