I have a BMW lease that is up on January 16th, and am looking at getting an Audi A4 as my next car. I have never turned a car in on a lease before, so I’m looking for advice.
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I know I need to do the pre-return inspection, and will do that in the next week or 2.
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What do you suggest for timing as to when I should try to buy the Audi? I know that November will bring Season of Audi deals…but I suppose I have to wait until the end of December or the beginning of January to purchase, correct?
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I have MSDs on the BMW. How and when do I get those back? Do they take the disposition fee out of those? I will be well under the mileage, so I don’t have to worry about that.
Like I said, I have never turned in a lease before, so I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
If you’re under your agreed upon mileage, you may have some lease equity. This depends on what your residual value was agreed upon at the end of the lease and what your car is currently valued at (check KBB).
You can use that as leverage in a negotiation for a new car ahead of the lease end date. You can also double check with Audi if they have a conquest incentive (conquering you away from BMW - these typically range from $500-1000).
Someone else will have to chime in on MSDs. I’m also new to car leasing but this is what I’ve learned from this forum and some google searches. Hope this sort of helps.
Thanks for the info. The RV is about $6000 (or more) than what the market value of the car is. Kind of crazy, but I’m pretty sure that means it was a good car to lease 
I’m still hoping someone can suggest when the “right time” to lease a new vehicle is…is December typically a good month? Or do we wait until January since the lease isn’t up until mid-month?
you should be receiving an MSD check back from BMW a few weeks after you turn in your car. I don’t know how BMW handles the dispo fee, some brands just take it out of the check. You can call BMW financial services and find out.
As for the pre-inspection, I would do it closer to your turn in date. If you do it months ahead and for example your tires were slightly above 4/32 months before turn in, then you might run them below 4/32 from the time of pre-inspection to the time you turn in your car. I would do it 3-4 weeks out so the pre-inspection represents the condition more closely to what the condition will be at the end of the lease. A lot can happen in 3 months.
Historically speaking, the end of December is the time when many dealers are motivated to end the year on a high note and are willing to discount cars to move units. That’s generally speaking and you will have to find a dealer that’s eager to do so. Prob not that easy with Audi as there aren’t that many dealers out there but it’s your best bet. I would also try November, start putting out feelers, you never know. Obviously closer to your lease end would be best so you don’t have to make payment on two cars. You won’t get a deal in January.
Lastly, I just wanted to note that Audi generally doesn’t lease as well as BMW. You’re also grandfathered into BMW MSDs which many wish they were. So being able to do MSDs again is a big plus especially since interest rates have gone up. Also if you’re well under miles, you will get a few hundred bucks towards a new lease depending on how many miles you were under. To find out more, you can also call BMW Financial services. So with all that being said, if you combine that and a good deal and a loyalty rebate and maybe get a loaner, you’re looking at bang for your buck you won’t be able to achieve with Audi. Just something to think about.
Thanks so much! Great info, and I really appreciate it. If only I had found this forum before I leased the car
I get what you are saying about the Audi not leasing nearly as well as the BMW. We are talking about a 60% RV vs. 51%, which makes a big difference. Currently, the incentive is greater on the BMW, and we can probably get a better discount off sticker on the BMW too. The thing is…we’ve had three 3 Series in a row, and are really tired of it. The 2018 3 Series is long in the tooth, and the 2019’s won’t be out for a while.
I guess we will have to see what the terms are like in December. It wouldn’t hurt to price out both cars and see where we end up.
Why do you say he won’t get a deal in January?
The better deals are on later models that the dealer is trying to get off the lot for newer inventory.
There’s little urgency for dealers in mid January to make deals
Try a 4 series or X2 etc to switch it up. Agree with you not wanting another 3 series especially with an updated 2019 model release pending
Very useful!
Thanks!
I am in a similar situation.
BMWs do lease so much better than Audi or Porsche.
Why? Isn’t there always end of month urgency?
My calendar shows January 16 middle of month, not end of month.
