This is all good advice. The best thing you can do for yourself is understand all the contributing factors that make up the lease cost. From there you know what to target in your negotiation. Lease hacking is having that knowledge and using it to score a rock bottom lease.
Never trust a dealer or broker who won’t be transparent with you or tries selling you on the monthly while hiding everything else. Those guys don’t want to work with knowledgeable consumers or lease hackrs because when you know too much, it kills their margins. In fact, there’s a sketchy kid here on the forum — a Subaru sales guy — who has struggled to earn business and earned a terrible reputation because he operates the same way your Fresno sales guy did. Throwing tantrums when people want to understand their contracts is a surefire way to lose business and is a red flag to get out.
In the future, I wouldn’t mention the site cause it’ll make dealers not want to work with you.
I would also add that mentioning the site will kill the deal, not always just because the dealer doesn’t want to deal with a knowledgeable consumer and wants a gullible chump.
It’s also because referring to the website kind of indicates that you’re not really up to speed on the ins and outs of leasing but just want to get the same killer deal another user got without understanding that there are a lot of things specific to certain localities, cars, options and so forth.
So basically, just read up and start emailing. Good luck!
I think I really screwed up that one in Fresno, should I try going back there but with someone else. Or should I drive down south to LA this 4th? I will not be saying anything, I will just have the numbers ready and what I am willing to spend. Thanks everyone.
I’ve had bad experiences in the past where the internet or guy on the phone promised something then when I drove like 200 miles to see them its either a different price or a car altogether.
Which is weird for Volvo since A-Plan is automatic 6% off. Can they seriously not budge another 4%? 30 years ago my dad told me that you always ask for 10% off when buying a car. That’s not some magical internet number.
That sucks. Last car I bought, I agreed to a deal then asked the sales guy to connect me with the finance guy. Did all that business through email/phone so it was a done deal when I walked in. I can see where they could have played games when I arrived in the F&I office to sign, but they were cool.
Get it in writing. As @BigFudge and others have said, it really helps to do it over the phone and via email before you head into the dealership. Being there in person gives the salesman leverage since you drove out to him on a whim to negotiate in store.
Yea it was actually how I kinda got stuck with this Lexus, I drove down to Keyes where I’ve leased at least 2 other mercs and bought another 2 from. Sadly the guy I used to work with Nico no longer works there I think he went to another dealer or found a different profession, sucks because he has always done me right. Got someone else who “claim” to know him well and is willing give me the same deals. Negotiated a GLE350 lease over the phone to a payment and down payment that I can afford. I emphasized certain options that I wanted and he said this car in the color I want and the options I wanted was ready to go I just need to come down and sign the paperwork.
Drove down 200 miles from Fresno, car was gone. He said someone sold it from under him, and the moment I was forced to change cars the price changed as well. I walked out pissed, ended up at a Lexus dealer and got a RX350 instead. TBQH I could have negotiated a better deal with Lexus but its not too bad. One nice thing about Lexus is I only have to take it in for regular maintenance, unlike the last two Mercs I’ve leased.
Unless you have a referral to a salesperson who has given a hackr deal, and they have said they welcome more from the site, I wouldn’t even remotely mention it.
I just mentioned in an email that “I saw other deals on the internet” and they asked about Lease Hackr. That particular price wasn’t from here, but yes, it seems LH is turning into a bit of a red flag on a deal… But tearing up the quote? That’s pretty silly - he’s trying to strongarm/bully you into begging for his deal. Childish tactics if I ever heard 'em. A little like this one local dealer (NorCal) I was emailing back and forth with. After they gave me what appeared to be their best number, and I hadn’t replied in a day or two, a different guy came in with “Honestly, this is a great deal on a great car - I can’t understand why anyone in their right mind wouldn’t take this deal” type of email. Same idea - trying to guilt / bully me into accepting it.
And I TOTALLY get the “too nice” part - I’m often guilty of that too, and my dad was the same way. Overly meek in public, not quite so meek at home so it’s what I learned growing up. I’m working on changing and being more assertive. They’re NOT doing you a favor with a $200/month MORE than someone else got - but they want you to think they are. They’re NOT above using reverse psychology or guilt to get you to say yes…
When i recommend people from this site i just tell my salesman such and such will call you please be reasonable to him/her. Sometimes he can do a deal and sometimes cannot. Last time i was there for service he was cordial when he saw me as he had closed a few deals from me. Then he joked, next car that i get for myself he will make money on it. Man dealers dont care they will still try to milk whatever they can. No point saying i saw this and internet said i can get it. I get the point how stars need to be aligned to get a great deal.
I’m often skeptical of dealerships, but I bet in most of these cases, there’s a good amount of people who don’t learn or research from LH, and just waltz into dealerships and demand leases off the bat for a certain (maybe unrealistic) amount just because they saw a thread on here.
Yea I kinda screwed up, I will admit that. That being said I will probably try again in a dealership down south. Just going to get my numbers ready for the trim I want and a back up i430 lease in case I couldn’t get the Audi. If I can’t get remotely close to the numbers I want for both then I will just walk, no hard feelings no harm done. Tomorrow is going to be a busy and fun day.
Haha, I wasn’t referring to you. You just mentioned it as an aside when you were inquiring about an online ad. I do strongly suggest you do some research on here before leasing, though. You will save a lot of $$$
Thank you for your input everyone so far I’ve been researching the stuff I want, and quite frankly I don’t need the Premium Plus package since I have been using Carplay for everything and I will only need adaptive cruise which is included in the Premium package. I configured what I wanted and put the numbers into the Calculator. Here’s what I want to aim for:
I also made a back up in case I couldn’t get an Audi.
This is a sample email exchange to an internet query with my quote I had, with a specific Vin# …
I’m sorry, I’m going to pass on your invitation to speak in person unless I’ve an agreement beforehand over email. Thank you for your understanding
On Fri, Jun 29, 2018, 3:56 PM <repreplies@> wrote:
Your presence is going to be your best leverage.
Would you be available to meet with my Manager today or tomorrow?
I realize this exchange was kurt and the dealer hasn’t responded as I expected and let me say I’m glad. For those dealers wanting to earn your business will be upfront with the numbers, if not in email but at least on phone. Those asking you to step foot in to negotiate, that is like asking to fall in a booby trap and in last couple of years, that is what I have learned when it comes to car leasing do not go unless there is already an agreement on the numbers if a dealer isn’t agreeing on my quote over the email, then I can’t take a guarantee that s/he will even if I step foot in.
You go into the dealership first without a settled number, you won’t come out as a winner (exceptions may be there and I won’t contest those far and few). That’s been my overall experience so far.
