This was the second lease I did from start to finish and I learned a few lessons - see them at the bottom.
I always like to see when others come back and post the deal that they finalized. In the end, my friend had a very specific color combination (Black on Black) and had to have the Captain’s Chairs, which are pretty hard to come by in my area.
Here’s where I ended up on with an MSRP of $42,970:
2019 VW Atlas SE 4Motion w/Tech
MSRP: $42,970
Invoice Estimate via costcoauto.com: $40,91X (site wouldn’t let me add the both the $550 Towing Package and the $325 Trailer Hitch Extras, so I had to cobble a few other items on to get as close to the MSRP as possible)
Selling Price: $36,190 - Discount of 15.78% or $6,780 ($2,425 Lease Cash per edmunds 5.64% and $4,355 dealer discount 10.13%)
Monthly Payment: $464 + tax / $490 with tax (5.5%)
Down Payment: $0
Due At Signing:.$695 (1st month $195, doc fee $180, $25 temp. plates and $99 plate transfer). I added the $99 to the fees section of the calculator link below to pay for the plate transfer from the current lease to the new lease.
MSD: N/A
Incentives: See above - $2,425 lease cash per edmunds
Months: 39
Annual Mileage: 15,000
MF: .00138 (Buy Rate per https://forums.edmunds.com/)
Residual: 51%
Free Delivery - roughly 2 hours from Chicago Suburb to Dane County, WI
I had a deal that was a better value in our opinion based on a lower MSRP and fewer options that didn’t add value for us (towing packages, etc.), and a stronger dealer discount, but it was not the first choice of color. This was on an MSRP of $41,395 - $465/month (tax included) and $500 DAS rolling in some of the doc fee and plates into the monthly.
Lessons Learned:
1) Ask them to deliver the vehicle
The dealer with the better offer advertised free delivery within 150 miles of their location on their website. I told the dealer we ended up buying from that another dealer a similar distance away was offering free next day delivery if I took delivery this month…I asked the second dealer to match the free delivery, which he ended up doing.
Getting the vehicle delivered is the way to go! You don’t have to go in and wait to do the paperwork or get nagged for any of the warranties they try to sell you. The big plus is that it keeps them honest - they can’t change terms when you arrive because they’re delivering the paperwork with the vehicle and if the paperwork doesn’t match the agreement that was confirmed by email, you can always refuse delivery.
In the future, even if I end up with a dealer that’s closer or even in town, I will push for free delivery or at a nominal cost just to save time and frustration.
2) Negotiate with the General Manager or a Sales Manager
I ended up doing this on the previous lease I arranged on a Subaru Outback for my parents. Generally, the internet staff at dealerships I’ve contacted aren’t empowered to desk a deal, so it’s easier to negotiate with a General Manager or Sales Manager instead. Some dealerships don’t provide this contact info on their websites, but usually I’ll receive a generic email from the GM or SM saying that you can contact them if you have questions…take advantage of this offer! It will save you time.
3) Ask for the Monroney/Window Sticker on any vehicle you’re really interested in
I came across lots of dealer websites that didn’t have actual photos of the vehicle up, or it wasn’t clear exactly which packages were on the vehicle. I saw several instances where the Trim level or the Interior or Exterior color wasn’t properly listed. The Monroney sticker is the final say regarding the vehicle build. Once I was in touch with an internet person, I asked them for the Monroney/Window sticker. Sometimes they would send me a substitute that didn’t include the packages with their cost, so be sure you get the real Monroney/Window sticker.
Good luck to all the hackrs! I’ll post a photo once it has been delivered!
