Not bad as a point of departure, 339$/month, 4000$ due at signing, 36 months 7,500 miles/year, residual value at $27,255. The closest comparable vehicle per Alex-on-autos youtube channel (and in my general estimate also) is the Volvo XC40 recharge at $589 per month. 36 MO; $4,175 cash due at signing (I would never do that without serious negotiation, but neither Equinox EV nor Chevy Blazer EV are to my liking. I would consider Ford MachE, but the RallyE version is just too expensive.
So here’s my questions, as mentioned, point of departure numbers do not seem that bad:
(1) Does Mini or BMW do one-payment lease and does that improve all-in total price?
(2) Trickier question: is there a way to “nudge” the residual value down to 24,999$? I am asking to see if very last month I could get an extended family member to take over the lease and then buy the vehicle for himself, and take advantage of the 2,500$ used EV tax credit.
Maybe #1 & #2 are mutually exclusive? Under the table “handshake” deal for #2?
Thanks for helping a NOOB on this subject, especially with the somewhat prickly question #2.
OP - If you want a lower RV, increase the mileage/year or duration of the lease
But that’s not really a viable workaround either.
And no, BMWFS does not negotiate lease buyouts or returns.
I’m in Seattle, and having a hell of a time getting the one (1) dealership in the state to even come close to honoring that Countryman EV deal. He’s coming back with $583/mo for a 36month lease and $3,600 due at signing. That’s on a Countryman Signature priced at $48780, plus $595 for dealer-added surface protection, $595 for Lojack, and $595 for “dealer prep.”
He’s also claiming that the WA state sales exemption, which should apply to EVs priced at or below $45k, doesn’t apply. Even though the lease includes the 7500 instant rebate for the federal program, which should put the purchase price below $45k even with the added dealer junk.
I’m curious if you’ve managed to find a MINI dealer offering the MotoTober deal. I’ve tried Seattle, Portland, Murray, Las Vegas, and Santa Clara and none are participating. Please share if you find a good deal–I’m willing to road trip back to SEA.
That’s the thing–they’re not participating in the advertised deal. I showed them the offer at MINI Special Offer Details , and they said “the manufacturer marketing department often writes checks that dealers can’t cash.”
The guy said his “system” doesn’t handle lease taxes well, so he listed sales tax as zero and put what he said was the proper amount in as “SE LEASE TAX ($2,900)” as part of the “Added Equip.”
Another shady thing is that the $7,500 credit is tacked on at the bottom, instead of being deducted above the Subtotal. Which makes me think that he’s calculating tax on a price that should be 7500 lower. And, WA has a tax program that reduces sales taxes for EVs below $45k… a hurdle which the rebate should help this vehicle clear.
Not an expert but I think your main challenges are
You’ve got 1 Mini dealer in all of WA – they probably know they don’t have to play ball. Looking at their website, they’ve got a hilariously high number of inventory for SE (48) but they aren’t aged yet so perhaps they’ll play ball down the road.
Without getting rid of the junk add-ons (2k), there’s no chance of getting it any close to the national offer number. Have you asked?
The national offer is comprised of the 7.5k credit, their residual number looks right at 59%, and can’t confirm money factor on this quote but should be 0.0018, plus requires a dealer contribution of $560. Not a great offer but these are new so wouldn’t expect to see much happening yet. There may be other dealers in the country but leasing across state lines isn’t something that many wants to deal with.
I would try to find a broker but I don’t think many deals with Minis because they’re pretty niche…
I don’t fully understand the nuances of WA tax on lease but you might not be able to get the under 45k, sales tax exemption as reported by someone on the following thread.
Thank you so much for that breakdown. Disappointing about the rebate not counting toward the 45k threshold. That’s aggravating because the cars I’m looking at (Mini Countryman, Mach E, EV6) are tantalizingly close to that magic number.
It seems like patience is warranted. The 2025 Mach E will be thousands less expensive when it arrives this spring, and that should put downward pressure on these prices. It’s just that the right time to get an EV always seems to be “6-10 months from now.”
