go here and request the money factor, residual and any lease incentives - 2025 Mercedes CLA-Class Lease Deals, Incentives, Rebates, and Prices — Car Forums at Edmunds.com
depending on your market i looked briefly in my area and it was showing about 11% off MSRP
EV isn’t a way I’d like to go right now the infrastructure around me just isn’t there to support it tbh. My last one was an Acura integra. I looked ant bmw and Audi as well but those don’t make me as happy as this one did.
I also suggest Mihir sign up as a LH Super Supporter so he can get the lease info and put together a strong (and fair) counteroffer on his next car.
Ok then, if we stick with the CLA (and you don’t have lease loyalty) - just remember the result is going to be a much better lease, but still a lease that most of LH will dunk on. Maryland has the terrible tax situation where they tax the whole price of the car. Sad.
Also, having dealer flexibility is important… if you can’t walk away from your dealer to explore a stock unit at another dealer; your negotiating power is severely compromised. Maybe you just rent/borrow a beater for a week while you try to find another car.
In the meantime take in some of the advice here (knowing people here will continue to try and push you out of the CLA and into a different car). But with respect to the CLA itself, once you are a LH Super Supporter, you can structure a lease proposal that makes sense.
At the end of the day if the car makes you happy (and the price is the best we can get), that’s the right lease for you. Looks like the CLA’s sweet-spot lease this month is 39. They are giving the same residual at 39 as they would 36.
Let’s pick a random VIN in VA…
W1K5J4HB1SN486202
$59,010 MSRP (without any dealer add-ons).
Shoot for 12% off and the buy rate money factor on a 39 month 7.5k per annum miles lease. If you are a LH super supporter you’ll be able to find all these things and can run alternate scenarios in the Rate Findr tool.
Here’s the resulting calc after 6% sales tax. Notice the up front $5k is the same; and the monthly payment is about the same as your starting post. But in this case, my example car is an absolutely loaded CLA250 instead of the somewhat base unit you’re looking at. If you were always looking to spend on this, at least get your money’s worth.
TLDR, get the dealer to strip out the dumb add ons, shoot for 12% off MSRP on a CLA, and get the buy rate money factor. The resulting CLA lease will still be “expensive” by LH standards… so if you really want to save money then get a lower optioned CLA or find a different car all together that is more hackable. There’s no point to buy vs lease when the money factor is this low.
If you buy the car your monthly payments go up, and your opportunity cost of capital wipes out the benefit of buying.
Have you run the numbers for leasing vs owning for the same time period (4 years)?
Than you guys for all the advice. I think you guys have talked some sense into me. I am gonna decline this deal. And just get a beater for a bit while I look for a new deal. Any suggestions?
Yes but I don’t want to buy this one which is why I’m thinking that I shouldn’t go into this deal.
Keep checking the Marketplace
There have been deals for MB C300 and Genesis G70 (the two closest CLA comps I can think of with decent deals)
Ofc VA taxes are higher on leases than most states but if you find a deal that’s good enough it could be worth it.
Important to remember that the down payment is very much part of your monthly.
thats a horrible deal
Yep I decided not to go for it. Had to pay off 400 to cancel it but honestly feel happier to get rid of it. Lesson learned I guess.
Why did you have to?
Contract was already signed technically so I had to pay a fee to break that.
I don’t know what dealer you were planning to use, but the Ownings Mills folks have a loaner/demo C43 C-class that should have way deeper to go than 12% off. The car shows “1 owner” on the carfax, but it doesn’t appear to have been titled for personal use. Maybe the sale fell through? It’s tough to tell if this is leasable, but it’s worth a shot to lease. Hit them up and use your LH super supporter skills to come up with a super bomb discount (at buy rate money factor and no add-ons!).
The money factor on C43 is worse than the money factor on the CLA though. So with the nasty lease sales taxes in Maryland, you may want to buy this one instead of lease. Either way, get a big discount and don’t tolerate any add-ons. Cut deep into this one… don’t settle for only 12% off.
W1KAF8HB7SR246135
If you want to be talked into a C43, please contact @jsingh5292 . Today is his Cake Day!
You have no idea about the self-confidence I gained from reading and being tagged in your comment. I feel like…I made i just graduated into another realm of leasehackr 
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@anon80906024 I was able to get 15% off before the 7k rebaite-my vehicle MSRP was 65k. It was a loaner with 3.4kish miles Of course programs have changed but I agree with @holeydonut about pushing for a deeper discount.
Glad to hear that. I just hope I learn from this one and do better next time. But I’m gonna hold off on a car for now due to some unforeseen circumstances. I being impulsive already sold my older car so I gotta figure that stuff out. Any advice there is appreciated as well.
To clarify, you don’t need a car in the meantime? Or you need something that isn’t a large investment or commitment?
Something which isn’t a large commitment or investment. I do need one in the mean time
have you looked into getting a used car? whats your budget?
I’m looking at super cheap used cars right now around 5000.