I’ve been lurking around here for about a month or so and have already learnt a lot.
I do have a question and I’m hoping to get some insights by the gurus here.
I am looking to lease any one of the following vehicles
Mercedes GLC 4Matic/ GLC Coupe
Audi Q5
BMW X4
BMW 5 series Sedan
Audi A5 Sportback(my current fav)
Audi A6
Mercedes E Class (after reading all the loaner deals here)
Lexus RX350 F Sport
I have read all over these forums that Audi doesnt lease well.
Can someone help me decide on the best vehicle to lease from the above list based on RV/MF and based on others experiences here with maintenance, services, etc? My budget is about $650 per month (Need whichever package has the Adaptive Cruise Control feature - P3, Driver Assistance Package, Driver assistance package Plus, etc, etc).
I know Lexus has it standard but I hate the infotainment so much that I’ve put it in the end of the list.
I am making a spreadsheet with all MF/Rvs from the Edmunds forums. But I’d like to know individual thoughts and experiences here.
IMHO, all those adaptive/assistant whatever options are not worth the money. I like to drive myself, not have the car adapt and assist me, lol. But that’s just me. Blind spot is nice to have. The rest, meh.
Maintenance: they’re all expensive. I’ve owned/leased all sorts of MBs, BMWs, Audis and the one common trait they all have is nothing is cheap to fix/maintain on them. That’s why you never want to own one out of warranty.
I drive a lot in bumper to bumper traffic. Almost for an hour everyday. The ACC feature on my current car is a god send where I can afford to be distracted for a second(although I always do focus, but there are times when I dont like song being played or trying to open a bottle cap and so on). It certainly has saved me from a couple potential fender benders.
Also one of the reasons I’d want to lease is not going out of warranty. So I’d like to know your experience with maintenance in the first three years.I know MB sells 2-3-4 year maintenance packages that should take care of the cost a little.
Unless you can get it heavily discounted I’d advise against pre-paid maintenance. There’s the chance you will get out of the lease early then it’s money down the drain. With MB, it’s A/B service that alternates yearly. They can vary wildly between dealers so there’s no “typical” price. I’d call around a couple of local places and ask them what they charge. I’ve seen As cost as little as $150 and as much as $600. So it’s really dependent on where you are and how lucky you are.
Plus you can always pre-pay after the fact at your local dealer if they are willing to discount services in exchange for guaranteed future income.
I agree with you on the ACC…will never buy/lease another car without it. Now they just need to improve the steering control to the point where I can take naps on long trips.
With your budget and the need for ACC and cheap/free maintenance you should seriously consider S90/XC90. Free service for 3 years, loaded with safety features and tons of incentives now.
I consider Infiniti to be part of that crowd. Luxuary enough for the price in my opinion. It’s a tier 2 manufacturer because it doesn’t make a $100k vehicle. Great interest rates with high residuals. Owned 5 or 6 of them with basically no problems. QX70 is pretty nice! Probably doesn’t hold the status of the manufacturers you listed.
