The money factor is significantly lower than BMW, and dealers are willing to discount more (I got 13% off mine including conquest). I was originally looking at M4s but it was something like $300 more/month. Objectively the BMW is faster and has sharper handling, but practically I do a ton of highway driving so I appreciate the softer suspension and 460 horses is enough to get in trouble with. Also I believe the 53 has a louder exhaust. Take one for a test drive and see if it’s a good fit.
I was turned off to Mercedes when they dropped the V8. I do however, enjoy driving my wife’s 450. i will lookup the conquest for the cle53 it may be an option, $1500 for a M4 doesn’t sit right. Thank you for the suggestion 
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But your lease is for 48 months and cannot be transferred. OP is looking for a much earlier exit
48 months does decrease the payment HOWEVER, 44% residual is not at all realistic particularly when looking at E53 cabs. There’s going to be some equity in it if I take it to term or easy exit in 36 months.
Are you saying Mercedes only does 48 month leases? I just leased a 450 for 24 months.
No, only that his lease for was 48m (obv 36m or shorter term was higher)
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There are only 2 2026 no 25’s CLE53 in my area and they are 100k msrp each. What kind of discount should I ask for on top of the conquest.
There are couple of good CLE53 threads. Search and you will find them.
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He got $15k off including all rebates. I didn’t want to rain on his parade but once he started insisting it was a good deal you should replicate: let’s be honest, it wasn’t a good deal. It’s $1240/month w/ $3.4k DAS for 48/12K for a car selling for 85k
“Good deal” is relative, but show me a new German convertible with 400+ horses and a useable back seat with a lower payment. Just like new 911s, Range Rovers, and M4s, these are pay to play. There is only so much a dealer can discount and there is no real lease support as these are low production specialty vehicles. If you want a great deal, there are some demos out there that are discounted even more aggressively.
Ofc niche cars are often “pay to play.” Why do people use this phrase to justify choosing the wrong strategy? You could have just bought it instead, couldn’t you? That’s what I did on my poorly leasing cars including a 911 and a RR.
I would never pay ~72% of the car’s selling price to lease it but you do you.
Eh cle53 is like an M light comparable car. Like a 340 or 550. M4 is a desirable level beyond that and 911 another step further. So ya it’s not surprising you the deals get worse as you ascend
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This makes sense! I just test drove the cle53 beautiful car however it is doggie compared to the M4. The comfort level is unmatched though.
You do realize that sales tax and interest are a thing right? The lease rate is 4.2% Apr vs 5% finance. Why would I float a $1700 payment to get to a worse result?
Well it depends on how the car holds value. With leasing you give the car back at the end. With financing you can either sell the car or keep it
I used the 44% residual from the lease in the finance calculation to get to the effective monthly under the same term. AFAIK you can still sell your lease back to the Mercedes dealership so that is a moot point. Not to mention I am protected from diminished value if I’m ever in an accident.
If you can’t afford to write a check for it, don’t take a shit lease on it. This has “Mr. Urus” vibes all over it so I suspect you’re gonna die on this hill. Enjoy the car, don’t waste your breath trying to convince anyone it was a good deal.
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I will admit that, for a moment, I thought to myself “Who would spend over $1200 a month on a lease? That’s my mortgage payment”
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Pump your brakes Dave Ramsey. Maybe you missed the part where there is a 44% residual on 48 months? What kind of rational adult that has successfully completed Econ 101 freshman year of college would take 100k out of a market that historically returns 7% and park it in a rapidly depreciating asset?
100k? You just need ~20K additional down to reach the same monthly if that’s what you’re targeting and to be honest it would likely make financing cheaper since you’re going to lower the total interest on the loan. But lets assume 3.5k down that still shows roughly the same TCO so it’s just paying for it now vs overtime. You’re trading a lot of flexibility/mileage over a long 4 year period and relying on MB dealers to offer you full equity if you need to sell it at the end. Hopefully you don’t live in a double tax state so you can opt to buyout and sell elsewhere if needed. I would have to agree with others that a lease here is a terrible deal unless you have it under a business.