I feel like I have a mental block about these car prices. When they Advertise this super low price the idea that I should pay more than that just gets under my skin.
Youâre in the right place then!
If the ad looks like you will need a degree in rocket science to figure out, thereâs a good chance itâs bullshit.
There are plenty of cars to be had in the $125-$175 range with no money out of pocket. If you are not in a hurry, just follow the marketplace, and keep an eye out for the deals. They are straight forward, and can be figured out with basic addition 
Well, thatâs gonna happen every time with advertised deals. You never will just walk out of there with the advertised payment. If youâre looking for a super cheap lease, have you considered buying a good reliable used car instead?
so give up? 
The deal is something theyâre supposed to honor if you come in on it, but Iâd expect them to fight you on it, as they donât want to do the deal.
If you take a 2 year lease, a big down payment will drive down the payment faster than on a 3 year lease. Letâs say the payment drops $30/mo per $1,000 additional drive-off. Thatâs typical. They tend to drop $45/mo per $1,000 on a 2 year lease, because your $1,000 is being divided 24 ways instead of 36. 1,000/24 = 41.67. 1,000/36 = 27.78. Your $1,000 has more impact on a 2 year lease vs a 3 year lease, but it only lasts 2 years vs 3 years. As Eldon Tyrell said in Blade Runner âthe candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long.â
Boch had $1,000 down from the customer, $750 rebate (just like down) from Toyota, and the $650 acquisition fee (usually financed) up front on top of a big discount of their own. I showed above how they structured their quote and a couple of steps towards a ânormalâ lease structure, yielding a payment of $169/mo including tax with $878 estimated due at signing. A really nice deal by any standard, let alone a 2 year lease instead of a 3 year lease.
Tell the sales manager youâll come in on that deal (or something else we can help you structure here) and you donât want to get hammered for anything else. If they say no, tell them youâll consult with the local authorities re: false advertising and bait and switch.
The ads are a good indicator of what cars have good lease deals. I never ask about the ad car, I just tell them what Iâm looking for and get a quote, then just start working 4 or 5 dealers and grind them down. Nobody likes the ad, the sales people hate them too because theyâre usually a pain to explain and over come objections to.
I agree with Joeblogs, Iâd recommend making up the car you want in the Toyota configurator. Get the MSRP of the vehicle you want. Letâs say its $18k- add about 1k, because the dealer always adds locking hubcaps and pinstriping- and other bs.
Take that number to the Lease calculator, get you MF, Residual and Discounts from Edmunds or other sites, AND figure out what the payment should be with no discounts. This is the WORST you should pay.
Based on the discussions here, you can find out what discounts are current and figure out a best case scenario. Ultimately work to wind up in the middle. Just remember that every $1k upfront is $30/month.
Make your pitch for a specific car and negotiate on that car- not an ad or vague car type.
No pointing on negotiating on a car the dealer doesnât have. You need to pick from the dealer inventory.
I donât think anyone here pays for that stuff
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No one else seems to have said this but NEVER EVER EVER fill out a credit application and leave it there!
The only time you should ever fill out an app is when you have a number you like and a deal is set. I.e., I had the number I wanted and the car I wanted on my current car, but we were waiting until the last day of the month for me to pick up my car, because I had a lease swap and had to make sure the paperwork was 100% through (it was 99.999% through) on that. Plus, the dealer was 35 miles away, and traffic on Long IslandâŚbut ONLY in that type of situation should you ever do that.
This is especially true because you donât want your social security number floating around.
Finally, for those who asked about tax, MA assesses a 6.25% (regular sales rate) tax on the payments. You will also have to pay excise tax, based on the value and weight of the car. Some companies roll it into the payment, such as Ford, and then you donât have to make the excise payments (usually quarterly). You have to think about this though, because it can tack on about $35 per month on a $35,000 car, and if you move out of state (even if you donât intend on doing so), it may be nearly impossible to untangle from your lease. This happened to me, and I fought because I wasnât using the car in Massachusetts, and thatâs what the excise tax is.
You can report it to the relevant state agencyâŚ
In the meantime you need to get past this mental block. And look at realistic pricing. One of the cheaper cars you can get right now is the 2018 Jetta and thatâs going for an effective monthly of around 180+ TTL
If you drive only 3-4K miles a year, you are still better off buying and holding long term.
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I also saw base Impreza (MT) for $169/mo with $1,999 DAS + âmonthly payment excludes tax, license, title, registration, retailer fees, options, insurance & the likeâ. I guess with CVT and about 14% discount it should be in the same ballpark as Jetta. Or notâŚ
That (~$225 effectively before Doc and TTL) sounds kinda expensive for an MT, which probably doesnât sell well and ought to be heavily discounted. I bet they offer a smaller discount for an CVT.
I know in June multiple Subaru dealers in Mass were offering small variations of the following deal for a base Impreza sedan CVT purchase:
Low 18s selling price
$300-499 doc fee
6.25% tax
$170 plates & sticker
Based on MSRP or with little discount sales price. Includes acquisition, though.
Ok, I am getting close to peak frustration. I emailed Leasard and they responded with 199 per month, just 199 due at signing. Ok, but not sure. This morning they are advertising 189 per month all in, but when I reach out, they say no itâs a mistake.
I found a fit lease for 119 per month, but I canât get the details from the sales person.
If you are really that bent out of shape over looking for a deal, you should seriously bite the bullet and hire a broker. @Benedetto is one on here that is well reviewed and works nationally. @nyclife is also well reviewed, but I donât think he works north of CT, unless youâd be willing to take a couple hour drive.
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I ditto this comment, if you canât call around and get some online quotes with details, you might not be cut out to deal with car dealers. Save yourself some hassle and pay a few hundred for a broker. If your not firm with car dealers, theyâll walk all over you.
Yes I think that is right. I seemed to exasperated lessard though
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I too am a newbie to the leasing process. My issue with these dealers is that no one will give you a paper copy of the price breakdown. So if I go from dealer to dealer they wonât let me haggle unless I show them what a different dealer gave me. Word of mouth is useless. I have called many dealers and spoken with them but the price they give me over the phone is vastly different than the one at the dealership-- and by vastly it is about 3k more expensive. How do you circumvent this?
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In my experience, Iâve always emailed the dealerships - that way, it has to be in writing. I personally didnât step foot in the dealership I got my recent lease from until I had my price agreed up on via email - I never even had to speak to my salesperson via phone. I was ready to walk if they didnât honor it when I got there.
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