In some of the recent ‘great’ deals, I noticed the acquisition fees/dealer fees/ govt fees to be minimal and in most cases it was due to the fact the loaner was already registered with dealer and hence the lower costs.
How do we find loaner cars (BMW or others) where they are already registered with dealer and just transfer while leasing so it save dealer fees and may be acquisition cost.
There is no way to avoid paying the acquisition fee. Not sure where you came up with that concept. There is an acquisition fee waiver that raises the MF, but that has NOTHING to do with being a loaner.
Reg fees are what they are. Doc fees, the same however vary by dealer which is often a result of regulation in that state.
Acquisition fees can sometimes be waived in exchange of a higher interest rate but only makes sense when an extraordinarily deep discount is negotiated.
No. Destination fee is included in MSRP and is the cost the manufacturer charges to ship the car from factory to dealer. Acquisition fee is a lease specific fee for starting a lease
In California, some loaners already have plates and therefore the registration fee has already been paid. You pay a ~$20 transfer fee as part of the drive-off instead of the full registration fee.
Depending on the length of the lease, and when registration is due (e.g., annually, biennially, etc.), it might not make a difference. Here’s a hypothetical example in CA, where vehicle registration is paid annually and is not pro-rated:
January 2019: Vehicle registered to dealer as a loaner (registration paid by dealer)
June 2019: Loaner leased to customer, 24-month lease begins
January 2020: Registration due (paid by lessee)
January 2021: Registration due (paid by lessee)
June 2021: Lease ends, vehicle returned
In the example above, you’d still have to pay for two years of registration for a two-year lease. Extending the lease until January 2022 could be a good option, if the bank allows it, since the registration is valid until then and has been paid for.
I just purchased a loaner in California and the dealer had me pay full registration costs. They stuck on temp plates and left 1 plate in the glove box. Last week I received a registration card from the dealer showing its good 06/20 to 06/21. Still haven’t received anything from the state and the plate and registration don’t have the stickers.
Do they re-register the car and send new plates?
To add to the above, documents show I paid $535 in registration and license fees and $30 transfer fee. Can the dealer legally charge me for the registration cost after it is already paid by them?
The registration card they sent me was the transfered one into our names, which was $23 to do.
Like @Jon said, the dealer’s DMV contractor will send you a check refunding you the registration fee paid at signing. Just be sure you have both plates — you mentioned only one plate in the glovebox.
So I finally got ahold of someone and they said they should send me a replacement plate with stickers, which I don’t believe as that plate should have never left the car to begin with. Trying to contact the Dmv to see if they requested new plates.