Is the PPM something that’s required or is it optional? What happens if I don’t take it? Am I required to get maintenance on the vehicle? What happens if i don’t do any of the maintenance during the lease of the car? Any experience with this either way? Adds more money to the monthly that I’m not thrilled about paying.
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You don’t need to get it but you have to maintain the car. You can’t just trash it. However I don’t think they check that you did the maintenance but still.
The maintenance is negotiable and residualized so it becomes about $10 per month.
Is there anything at the end of the lease that if I don’t do any of the maintenance they can charge me?
Yes. The expectation is that you maintain the car as suggested my the manufacturer. I don’t know what the penalty is but they can certainly penalize.
Maybe get a car you can better afford?
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Bet ya they ask for receipts when you return it. 
Cars need to be maintained. If you can afford the payment and insurance for a Mercedes, then you can afford regular maintenance. No oil changes leads to suggest buildup which can destroy the engine
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And to piggyback, if you can’t afford the required maintenance, you should be looking at a Chevy, not a Merc.
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All good points. Definitely something to think about. It’s just that I love the car. And to be clear this is for a loaner.
But if not this what sedan would you get for under $350/month?
You don’t have to take it to the dealer for maintenance if you know a good Indy mechanic that works on German cars. Find out what they would charge you for the maintenance for the duration of the lease before saying no.
Unless, you opt for PPM. Then you’d have to go to the dealer
Loaner or not makes no difference. Plenty of good cars for 350.
Having trouble believing that. The only car that has everything I want/need is a Jetta. And I hate the new design.
What else is there? Camry/Accord? Can’t deal with the lack of power in a Legacy. Would love an A4, but that’s too expensive. Would love an S60, but the new design is coming in the fall.
Sigh.
Allot the maintenance is a scam though, especially on Mercedes, BMW and Audi, because it’s a premium car, they think you should pay a premium price. Go through the service book for these cars and see what some of these services entail, they like you to charge you allot for inspecting things and checking the blinker fluid. I get tired of the argument that oh if you can afford the payment you should be able to pay for overpriced service. Let’s face it, these dealers are just making allot of money.
Then service the car else her but it still needs to be serviced. And honestly $10 a month isn’t that much.
$10/mo is cheap, especially if it covers everything that MB requires.
Yes, I think Audi Care is definitely a ripoff but I got it because I was squeamish as it being my first luxury car. Won’t make that mistake next time.
We pay about $10 a month for the maintenance package. The package can be discounted and it is also residualized.
I owned four MBZ and leased two but never paid for the Maint package. But after $300 oil changes it maked me think I should of if the price was right. But both my leases where 24 months and all I had to do is two oil changes and that was it (I found coupons which lowered the price of the A and B maint). The tires past and mechanically problems fell under the warranty. In fact, turning in both MBZ E-classes where error free and only took about 15 minutes. I was never charged for anything after turn in. Even the rim rash and scratches that did not exceed credit card length past the inspections. So you should ask yourself, do you anticipate on trashing the car above normal wear and tear? If the answer is yes then shop around and find the best deal on maint packages (you have the whole time during the lease period to purchase). If NOT then save your money. MBZ is more forgiving than Audi by far.
then get the old one, SEL loaded jettas are heavily discounted if you can still find them
I agree 
️ MB lease turn in is a breeze. I didn’t buy the maintence because I actually purchased an oil evacuator (same method used at the dealer, about $100 I believe) and I did the oil changes myself. Only other maintence will be the filter in the passenger kick panel, quick YouTube search shows you how. If not mechanically inclined then I’d most def purchase the plan as it’s only around $10 a month. Good luck!
If $10/mo extra is something that bothers you, then you’re clearly leasing outside your comfort zone and should look for something cheaper.
Have you looked at what runflat tires cost compared to regular tires? That’s something almost nobody things about and that’s an easy $1000 right there. You will need new tires especially if your loaner already had miles on it.
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