Point of reference:
Drove from Bergen County NJ to Valenti VW in CT to lease a '21 Tiguan SEL 4-Motion in late February of this year. A dealer in MD wanted 480 with 0 DAS, another one wanted 500 a month, and my local dealer basically called me a liar when I asked to be around 400 a month, and said there was no way any dealer would even get close to that.
I was able to get it at 415 for 39 months, 10K a year, true 0 DAS. $450 a month for a “luxury” SUV is possible, but only if you put $5,000 down
Op you also need to remember with CT, you are essentially adding a minimum of $1200 a year ($100 month) for property taxes. I live in one of the cheapest mill rate towns in the state and my $36k Tacoma is $650 per 6 months.
I didn’t know CT made you pay additional property taxes on a leased car. This is in addition to the 7 and change percent sales tax you pay on the monthly ?
I just leased a car last month in CT and now I understand why they made me fill out some tax forms (CRT form etc ) . I’m in NJ FYI
I think that’s a very good question. The nicest SUV for 450 bucks a month and nothing due at signing would be the 2021 Volvo XC60 t5 momentum FWD. Now, it doesn’t have every possible thing in it but it has a lot of great features. And Volvo does not make a V6 they have various iterations of V4 with turbo and something above that which I can’t remember. But it’s adequate horsepower.
What’s your definition of ‘nicest’, and why is a V6 a hard requirement? Seems like very limited options with traditional luxury badges. You could probably get much better overall packages (options, tech, safety features, etc) and a more realistic shot at your price target with:
Mid-spec Sorento or Santa Fe.
High-spec CX-5
Mid-spec Jeep Grand Cherokee (V6)
Like someone mentioned Toyota Highlander or Venza
Steps down in size, but into near-luxury territory - Acura RDX or Lincoln Corsair - not too many recent leasing data points on the Lincoln though
Whether you lease or own, you have to pay a personal property tax on automobiles. It’s a mill rate based on the car’s value. Each town has a different mill rate. So the tax could be cheaper or more expensive according to which city/town you live in. On the 2 cars I own (2001 Prelude & 2017 Pilot), I get a bill from the city that has to be paid every year by August 1. TFS gets the bill for my leased 2019 Tacoma which they pay on my behalf, then add it to my lease bill the next month.
We also have a luxury tax on cars over a certain price point ($50K or $60K). @Bostoncarconcierge knows the figure. I think he told me it is 1%. So you pay 7.35% instead of 6.35%.
Jim: Infiniti, mah dude
Tim: Nah, brah, can’t live without Apple CarPlay
Jen: Toyota?
Bob: meh
Jack: Hyundai
Julio: had a Pony in 1992, ‘‘twas a lemon
Cesar: Telluride or bust!
Sara: local dealer wants 100k ADM
Tom: Mazda?
Matt: Nope!
Graeme: Nissan
Tim: can anyone hear me?
Jim: Ok how about Audi?
Sam: I wish
BMW?
:cries silently into generic cornflakes:
Jim: Lexus, mah dude
Tim: No badge engineering!
Jen: GMC?
Bob: meh
Jack: Ford
Julio: had a Escort in 1992, ‘‘twas a lemon
Cesar: 4XE or bust!
Sara: local dealer wants 100k ADM
Tom: Mazda?
Matt: Nope!
Graeme: Acura
Tim: can anyone hear me?
Jim: Ok how about a Macan?
Sam: I wish
Mercedes?
:cries silently into ramen:
You can’t get any loaded 6 cylinder for anywhere close to $450/mo with 0 down these days. Besides, seems like every suggestion ignored his 6 cylinder requirement even before he gave you the impression