2 things to consider who is your bank… and if the damage is not bigger than the size of a credit card
To be clear: current/future lease is FCA, no pull-ahead, they are taking it on trade?
Less than the size of a credit card I’d say. There’s a bit of a dent too.
Future lease is FCA, not sure if it’s Chrysler capital or Ally, but I currently have Chrysler capital.
Im pretty sure you would be fine i have returned lease with dent with scratch as well but it was smaller than credit card and I didn’t get charged
I’m assuming this, seems meh
Personally I’d wait it out unless you’re over miles @MJA
If those payments are just rolled in, it’s killing the deal
@joeblogs They’re running out of 2019s to deal on unfortunately and I really haven’t seen any 2020s going for these amounts. Have you? I’m looking into a 330i as well but it seems like you get more bang for your buck with the Alfa, not to mention I’ve always liked Alfa Romeo and since I was a teenager I’ve been waiting for them to come to the states again.
I’m unsure of what to do, I like the car and I got one dealer down to 518 a month, fees of 495 plus first month due at signing, for a 12/36 lease. This was on a 52k MSRP car with 6,500 in rebates, and over $7,500 in discounts, 1500 in payments eaten and no disposition fee.
You think I can do better than that on a 2020 or a 330i if I wait it out to maturity? I’m not sure if the 2021 330is are coming anytime soon, and if that would discount the remaining 2020s in inventory.
Personally I’d wait and grab a 330(or a 340 for the payments you’re getting quoted on the alfa) deal and skip the fca experience, alfa might not be around for the lease turn in. You’ll probably be turning it in at a jeep dealer, calling all around town finding out which one will take it
1 Like
This will be up to whoever is apprising it and how nice they feel. Tough to say exactly how big the damage is, but how far it goes into the paint concerns me. Here is the guidelines from Chrysler:
CRACKS, SCRAPES, SCRATCHES, DINGS, DENTS, RUST/CORROSION AND SUB-PAR REPAIRS
- One or more occurrences of body, bumper or molding damage greater than two inches in size
- Punctures or cracks to painted surfaces that will exceed $100 to repair
- Any defect that reduces market appeal or impairs vehicle appearance
This is normal wear and tear:
CRACKS, SCRAPES, SCRATCHES, DINGS, DENTS, RUST/CORROSION AND SUB-PAR REPAIRS
- Individual instances of damage over two inches if the cost to repair does not exceed $100
- Scratches that can be buffed out during reconditioning
- Single instances of damage two inches or less in diameter, excluding hail damage and punctures
I will say looking at it, it is bigger than 2 inches - Probably Yes. It is on more than 1 panel - Yes. Will it cost more than $100 to fix - Yes. Does it reduce market appeal - Yes. Can it be buffed - No.
1 Like
Personally, I don’t think the damage looks bad. It’s a little deep but seems fairly small. I had way worse damage on my Genesis when I turned it in last year and AIM only charged me $150. Not sure how strict FCA will be, though.
1 Like
@joeblogs that’s sad to hear. You really think they won’t be around in 3 years? They’re investing significant money here in the networks.
I haven’t really tried hard but I spoke with one dealer about a $47k 3 series and was in the 550 range without any payments being eaten, plus id still be having to pay a disposition fee. I’m hoping in July or August I could find some better deals on the 330i. I can’t imagine a 340 going for that money around here. Maybe hiring a broker can help.
I do agree with the FCA experience, they’re building a new service center by me which should reduce some of the backlog. I feel like at this point I’m a bit scared about the horror stories I read about Alfas, and feel like a 330i is a better choice.
I hope Alfa stays around in the states since they make beautiful cars. If they can solve the Italian/FCA reliability problems and build quality plus introduce a few more models, they can become a more serious player. Right now they are just another Maserati situation.
Ha, good luck with that. FCA already problematic, then add Fix it Again Tony…lol
2 Likes
Surprisingly I have not heard that. My favorite is Lotus. Lots of Trouble Usually Serious.
I can’t imagine it being more than a couple hundred dollars, I could probably just get it fixed now through my insurance if I don’t end up taking the Alfa deal.
You’re in NY no? You can get an X4 3.0 for less than 500. It is a demo, but without MSDs NY makes things a tad harder. If you’re set on a 3 series, brokers have a ton for less than what you said.
2 cents, as Joe said, Alfa might not survive this, is like what, 3 cars, all priced moderately to highly in the middle of potentially the biggest depression we’ve ever seen with poor reliability. The idea of Jaguar being bankrupt, AM until the recent cash infusion, infiniti, etc have all been floated.
I highly recommend demos. 5k miles isn’t really that big of a factor, and they often recondition the cars. We got a 6k full term Volvo loaner and it was immaculate, no scratches inside and was well taken care of.
1 Like
@HersheySweet I don’t think I really want a demo, honestly. But yes may be worth checking out a broker deal on a 330i.
Ha, fart cars are the only way to go!
1 Like
When you’re at the dealer, see if you can check out a loaner car. I promise you, it probably is in better condition wise than this Alfa.
1 Like