Just to close out on this: the merits of leasing on a Visa (H1B, TN, and others) is discussed in those posts: you aren’t getting Tier 1 (the lowest possible financing) without credit history, except on a 1-pay lease. You might also check out
Lots also discussed on a 24 month leases, with rare exception you will pay more for 2 years vs 3, so plus plus excellent established credit history for 3 years.
This is going to be your best bet, with more flexibility on financing, with the only downside that right now used cars cost more. Your read time is currently 1h, I suspect before this is done you’ll have spend many times that researching.
Hah, my classmate has a golf wagon, got the pano roof leak problem.
Op question wise, do you have an Amex card? I recall a Canadian friend’s parents moved down to the states and they used that program to translate their history into a US equivalent.
Volvo has one too, it’s just a question of, is it more practical than cash buying a new car for 2 years or a used one for the same time, nonetheless with the current market on lsd.
Actually I do have an AMEX card. That is a good idea. I will try to work something with them. Hadve the card for more than a decade now so it might be worth a shot.
I already have spend many times that researching time since I only registered to post the question after I did all the reading.
I have to say I am overwhelmed with alle the helpful comments. This is a really nice and helpful community. Vey glad I found this.
Thank you. I guess I will be doing that then if the VW numbers are as bad as expected. So Subaru is the go to brand when it comes to value holding, right? And you would recommend buying a new one right now over a young used one because the used ones are relatively expensive.
Are there any alternatives to Subaru you would recommend?
New or used Subarus/Toyotas/Hondas hold their value. Off the top of my head I don’t recall if Honda/Toyota have any AWD sedans, but the AWD SUVs and trucks sell pretty well (fewer deals/less inventory). And at some point if you haven’t you need to test drive because there are 100 ways you could hate something and be miserable driving it for the next 2 years.
Is there a hypothetical budget? The only European brand that seems to consistently holds its value is Porsche. You could also buy a certified pre-owned European lux which will at least have a warranty.
Actually the warranty is very important to me. I do not want to deal with big repairs in the next two years and pay for them out of pocket. That was the main reason why I thought about leasing a vehicle in the first place.
I do not want it to cost more than 40k since I can think of better ways to employ my money than to have it sit in the garage. It does not has to be an European brand. I drove them all my life and probably will drive them in the future, so I am totally open to something different.
I definitely want a SUV or a “Kombi”. I do not like sedans. Just checked out Subaru. The Outback or the Ascent would be the cars of choice.
It’s interesting how Honda, Toyota and Subaru are very low profile brands in Europe but are seen as value brands here in the States. Toyota is pretty pricey even. The 4Runner, which I like, seems to be rather expensive…
If you can find a leftover/new 2019 Outback to buy, that would be a solid choice that checks all the boxes. Less discount on 2020 but also good.
The 4Runner is very nice but doesn’t lease well, not sure how they are discounted for purchase in current environment. Honda Pilot and Acura MDX might also be worth looking at (the less popular trims).
The Japanese brands came in the late 70s and early 80s and the quality won a lot of Americans over. Even though certain Hondas and Toyotas are less reliable than models from other parts of the world, that sentiment has stuck around.
That would be a practical choice, but the Golf is probably the most boring car a German can think of. That’s why I was looking at the Atlas in the first place. It’s a rather big, “American” car, that is not sold in Europe. I was hoping to get one of these big SUVs for a change.
Without sounding too obvious, maybe watch a few reviews on some of the SUVs and then try slate it longer term test drives. If you find VWs boring, you could find quite a few of the value SUVs are similarly boring. I find Savage Geese’s reviews on YouTube pretty honest. Here’s one he did on the 2019 Subaru Forester (https://youtu.be/YVhuYUD5-rU)
Were I the OP, I’d be at your dealership getting a Bolt AND a Soul for when the Bolt prefers to stay home. But I’m not a German emigrant trying to live the American SUV dream (I would also get truck were I OP) in a state with worse winters than the one I ran away from at 19 (NY).
Edit: not a Soul, definitely a LOADED Sportagé Turbo
were I OP) in a state with worse winters than the one I ran away from at 19 (NY).