Car Lease

It does not matter whether you lease or buy the car, it still depreciates the same 50% in 36 months.

What Car Leasing Means
Instead of buying a new car with a bank loan, you rent or lease the car for 3 or more years then give it back to the leasing company at the end, with a residual value of about 50% of when the car was new. Auto leasing is a way to drive more car than you can afford and change cars every 3 years without hassles or trading in. If you understand all the terms as I explain them, and study the sample exercises in this article, you will be poised to negotiate a value added lease. But overlook one detail or forget to check their math, you'll lose your shirt. I'll show you how to be a proactive deal maker and level the car leasing playing field. When you lease a car, the dealer sells the car to the leasing company who leases you their car for 36, 48 or more months. The dealer handles all the financing paperwork in the lease, you usually don't talk to anyone at the leasing company at all. When we talk about the dealer financing your lease, we are referring to their handling of the paperwork on your behalf, you normally are not leasing a car from the dealer, but from the leasing company via the car dealer.

The biggest complaints we hear about leases
We hear the most complaints from our visitors who have a hard time getting the dealer to reveal to them, what money factor/APR interest rate they are charging them for the lease. The money factor is APR/2400. The dealers often tell them arrogantly "Regulation M does not require us to reveal this, so we don't". This shocking cash flow shell game borders on poor ethics because as a consumer, you have the right to know how much interest rate you are paying, not just the resulting amount known as rent charge. The other common complaint we get is the dealer sells them the car at full sticker price instead of haggling the price down before calculating lease payments. The Federal Reserve Board, who created Regulation M really dropped the ball here because the law only specifies they have to mention lease payments, and does not explicitly call out itemizing the money factor. If a car dealer refuses to reveal to you in writing the money factor or equivalent APR, then get out of there immediately, and never look back.

The leasing company can be a bank, the car dealer, or a car manufacturer like Ford Motor Credit, Honda Credit, or Toyota Credit. The selling price to the leasing company is often called Capitalized Value, or Gross Cap Cost. You can reduce your monthly lease payments by reducing the cap cost. This is called cap cost reduction, and can be accomplished by haggling a lower selling price, and by putting down cash to reduce the cap cost. Your monthly lease payments when leasing are lower than your car loan payments would be when buying the car, because you are paying for the 50% loss of the car's value on a lease, but you pay off 100% of the car's value on a car loan. In an auto lease you are only paying for approximately 50% depreciation + interest, but at the end of a 36 month lease you have no equity in the car, you've paid hundreds in useless fees such as dealer acquisition and disposition fees, and now you have to do it all over again on your next lease. Had you bought the car with a 36 month loan, then after 36 months at least you'll have $15,000 equity in a $30,000 car, but now you have a used car that you need to sell or trade in order to buy another car. A Vehicle depreciates the same 50% over 3 years whether you buy it or lease it.

The fact that your monthly payments are lower with a lease does NOT mean you are getting a better deal than buying!

Empower yourself with lease payment quotes, don't be a victim of your next auto lease
Don't be misled by services that claim to provide you with comparative quotes. Look closely. Do you see a list of lenders? Probably not. Do you see a credit application? Probably so because the same service that is giving you a quote is trying to lease you a vehicle! That means the quotes you see represent the terms on which THEY will lease you a car, and NOT necessarily what the most competitive lenders in the market are offering through most any dealership.

How to use CarWoo to lease a new car:

You remain anonymous while dealers bid down the selling price.

Think of this as a "reverse eBay auction" type of new car buying service with over 4500 car dealers in their network. You remain anonymous as several dealers compete for your business by bidding the selling price of the new car down, instead of haggling the price upward, as you would do by walking into a dealer to negotiate. This is like a reverse auction, because instead of the dealer haggling the selling price upward against you in a grueling day long marathon session until you wear down, they are very happily bidding your purchase price down. We love this unique method that goes against the grain of old school car buying methods that too many shoppers still use.

You can lease a new car using CarWoo in 3 simple steps:

1) You go to CarWoo's web site and start the process by choosing the car you want with options. You are anonymous, so dealers cannot play any sales scams on you or trick you into a higher selling price, they only know they have a buyer ready to lease right now. You are insulated and protected from dealer scams with this strategy.

2) CarWoo system automatically contacts dealers who begin to offer you their lowest lease price on your new leased car. You can view the progress online of incoming offers and see who has the lowest lease payments at any time. There is no pressure or obligation and dealers have no idea who you are. They just know they have a hot customer ready to lease now. All they know is "Customer X is waiting for my lowest offer", with no games being played. Next the CarWoo system shows you all your offers side by side as they come in from the dealers. Click on screen shot at the left to see full size as we describe here how it works for you, and how this helps you. The system shows you the window sticker price, the dealer's offer, rebates, incentives, new car prices, how much your savings would be and how long you have to accept the offer. My favorite part of this system is that they show you the money factor or APR that other dealers might arrogantly avoid disclosing to you. These are honest dealers who cheerfully show you the money factor. You will see real live offers within 24-48 hours.

3) You can also anonymously ask the dealer questions, or you can simply click on their "Accept This Offer" button to get the ball rolling on your deal. One of my favorite parts is you can make a counter offer as well.

Should you buy your leased car at the end of the lease or should you dump it?
Many people ask me if they should buy the car at the end of the lease. Usually the end of lease purchase price, known as "Residual Value" is $3k -$4k more than actual market value of the car. Smart shoppers know the buyout price is thousands over market value, and will turn in their leased cars to the leasing companies instead of buying. That caused used car values to tank unexpectedly in 2001-2003. Many people forget there is also a $300-$400 non-negotiable "purchase option fee" buried in your lease contract if you buy the car at the end of the lease. Check the current value of your car on eBay and look for completed items to get the best gauge of what your car is worth now and decide whether to buy it or return it.

Your strategy: I would wait until the end of your auto lease and ask the leasing company if they will sell the car for less. Offer less than market value for the car. Many leasing companies are arrogant and still play hardball. If you leased and took it on the chin going into your lease or if your gross cap cost was MSRP, don't give them one cent more of profit. Just dump the car back on them and walk away. If they don't budge on the buyout price, exact your revenge on them by dumping another used car on them where they will lose $2000-$4000. Don't let them scare you with threats of over mileage penalties, or non-matching tire fees, it still beats paying $4000 over market price for a car. They'll call you in advance to pressure you to buy the car at lease end. Research the value, dodge their calls, and show up at lease termination with a check in the amount you want to pay. Haggle smartly, telling them you know used cars are worth a lot less now. With no sale they have to dump the vehicle at auction. Don't pay them until they sign a buyer's order first! If they reject your offer, walk away, game over. Now they have no time to strategize, the deal is over and you pinned them against the wall. Maybe they'll chase after you before you drive out to give you the lower price, but if not, just keep on driving with a grin on your face.

Watch out for mileage limits!
Most leases crossing my desk sent in by our visitors limit you to 12000 miles/year, I am seeing too many leases with unsustainably low 10,000 mile limits. Many people end up owing thousands in mileage penalties at the end. The better car leases will allow you 15,000 miles per year. Some dealers arrogantly email me what an idiot I am for pointing this out, and they try to Jedi mind trick you into buying your excess mileage ahead of time to protect yourself from over mileage penalties. But the this is an icing on the cake scam, because if you don't use those extra miles that you paid extra for up front, you don't get your money back for them. So forget about falling for their tricks and "buying your miles up front". If you see any lease with a 10,000 mileage limit then leave and don't sign. If enough car buyers do this, they will get the hint.

With so many confusing terms and variables, leasing provides an unscrupulous dealer with a target rich environment of ways to sucker you out of your money. Analyze the numbers on one of your old leases with a car lease payment calculator, you'll find you should not have signed that lease. Your jaw will hit the floor when you find out how badly you were taken. Don't sweat it, after today it will never happen to you again.

Use proper car lease payment calculator tools to plan your lease
You should not lease a car without using lease software to help you make smarter decisions, or you are setting yourself up for a big loss. You'll know the lease better than the dealer so they can't outsmart you. I'll tell you where to find ALG Lease residual Values, and how to use them. View our Review Of Leasing Software that you can use to catch dealers padding your monthly payments. We review car leasing calculator software from Expert Lease Pro. I'll give examples of common leasing dilemmas like excess mileage, losing your job, early termination, and moving out of state. You can also download my awesome free car lease payment calculator spreadsheet.

Back To Back Leases Cost you More in The Long Run
This is because you suffer 50% depreciation on a new leased car every 3 years. At lease end, bring the car back and buy it or lease another. It's similar to renting apartments where you have no equity instead of owning a house where you do have equity. Remember, a car is a depreciating asset whether you own it or you lease it. You still pay for depreciation whether you own it or lease it. Dealers trick you by stating leasing is a better investment than buying. No car is an investment, but I'd rather have 100% equity in a car after 3 years, than 0%. One of the biggest complaints I receive from readers is the car dealer pulls the old Jedi mind trick on you and says "the selling price of the car on a lease is not important". If they tell you that, they are lying. The selling price is the gross cap cost, and the higher the gross cap cost, the higher your monthly payment. Don't believe that the selling price (gross cap cost) of a lease does not matter. You MUST negotiate a lower selling price on a lease, so that this lower number gets fed into the monthly payment formulas, and makes your payment lower, just like you would if you are buying the car. Do not fall for this scam.

Your Goal When Leasing A Vehicle

• Get as low a capitalized value as possible
• Get as high a residual value as possible (If you're not buying the car at the end)
• Get as low a money factor as possible
• Pay $0 down, $0 security deposit, $0 bank fees, $0 dealer fees

Depreciation In A Lease
Depreciation is how much market value your car loses during the lease. It's the difference between the "capitalized value" (selling price) and the residual value (predicted value at lease end), supplied by the Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG) or equivalent. It does not matter then if you lease or buy your car, it still depreciates an average of about 50% in 36 months. So when a salesman tries to tell you that buying is a bad investment, he's forgetting that leasing is a bad investment too, because either way you pay the price of depreciation. Ignore those Jedi Mind Tricks. If you lease a $20,000 car and it's worth $11,000 after 36 months, you pay for the $9000 depreciation, plus interest. You want depreciation at a minimum, and thus your monthly payments at a minimum.

Leases don't have interest rates, they have a confusing form of interest called "money factor". Some unscrupulous dealers avoid telling you the actual selling price of the car, quoting only the monthly payments, so how do you know what kind of deal you're signing up to? Yes there are laws against this, but guess what, there are laws against bank robbery too, and look how many banks get robbed every year. Salespeople sometimes email me to tell me how stupid I am, that there's all these laws to protect you, but they are like ostriches with their heads in the sand. Dealers skirt the law all the time. This is why dealers push leasing so hard. It's easy for them to hide the fact that they gave you nothing for your trade-in after you spent an hour negotiating top dollar for it. Many people think the heck with it, their company is paying why should they have to negotiate? Why should your company have to give the dealer full MSRP if there is haggle room in the price? Why should you have to sit there and listen to a salesman saying "come on, your company is paying for it, what does it matter?" Don't tell the dealer you are leasing until you agree on a selling price to keep them away from haggling in monthly payment terms. Negotiate the car down to a good selling price as though you're buying it cash. Then if you want to lease, the purchase price becomes the gross cap cost for the lease. Higher residual values mean lower lease payments.

MSRP - Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price

While many salespeople are good, some live by this principle:

"It is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money."
Thanks to tricky lease terminology, dealers can agree to all your demands, then steal it right back. You negotiate the price of a $25,000 car down to $22,000. Now you think you are getting a great deal. The only problem is some dealers still skirt the law and fail to disclose this $22,000 "cap cost" (selling price) on the lease papers. Instead they use the $25,000 MSRP as the "cap cost" for their formula then show you only what your monthly payment will be, and not the selling price. Since lease payments are less than a loan to begin with, the payments are low and you are happy. On a 48 month lease, they packed your payment by $62 per month. If you speak up they make you feel guilty saying "We're saving you money here, you're paying less than you would on a loan. They just stole $3000 from you but you don't notice because it's spread out over 48 months.

Advantages Of A Car Lease

• Lower Monthly Payments from a cash flow standpoint. You only pay for depreciation during the term, monthly payments are 30%-60% lower than equivalent car loans
• Easy Software Tools Help You Lease Smarter. Expert Lease Pro help you make smart car leasing decisions
• Great way to establish credit. If you are a first time buyer or have bad credit, sometimes auto leasing is the only way a dealer can get you financing
• More Car, More Often. With lower payments, car leases allow you to get more car for your money and drive a new car every three years
• Fewer Maintenance Headaches. If your lease term coincides with the manufacturer's warranty, major repairs are covered by the warranty
• Lower Up-Front Cash Outlay. Supposedly. Car leases should require little or no down payment, but some dealers require $2000-$7000 down. You can walk out if you don't like it
• Just walk away at the end! Closed end leases have no hassle at the end. You turn in the car, pay an end of lease disposition fee, and walk away

Disadvantages Of A Car Lease

• Selling price is often full MSRP. Some dealers try to hide this value from you during haggling or speed signing, diverting your attention to low monthly payments
• Confusing finance Charges. Dealers sometimes refuse to disclose the money factor/APR to you or even lie to you about the interest rate
• Misleading radio ads like this one: "We'll get you out of your lease no matter how much you still owe!"
• Mileage limits at 10,000 that are too constricting, unrealistic, and not sustainable by most people
• Fees to get in, fees to get out. Nearly all leases have $500-$700 Dealer Acquisition fees (leasing company fees) plus $400 disposition fees at end of the car lease
• Some dealers refuse to itemize your trade-in. Dealers are not required to itemize trade-ins, buyers who trade in, may not get credit for it, get ripped off
• High insurance costs. Leasing companies usually require you to purchase minimum insurance policies of $300,000, more than most people normally buy
• If you lease the car you may not get the rebate. Some unrepeatable dealers weasel out your rebate, increasing your cost $500-$1500, or $13-$42 monthly, make sure you get it
• Misleading dealer lease ads. See that $275 per month BMW ad? There's a tiny stock number of the only car there at that price. Gone by time you get there
• Long-term cost of leasing is more than the cost of buying: Back to back leasing always costs more than buying because of all the fees
• Misleading car lease sales tactics. Some dealers perform an "analysis" of Buy vs. Lease, always showing leasing as cheaper, not apples to apples comparison. Always check their numbers
• Those Nasty Mileage limits! Most leases we see limit you to 12000 miles/year. Many people email me of their woes as they end up owing thousands in mileage penalties at the end
• You are responsible for program maintenance. Keep good records of oil changes, tune ups, etc. and do them per schedule or you'll pay excess wear & tear
• Some car leases have large up front fees: Even ads touting $0 down have some fees up front. Down payments create the illusion of lower monthly payments
• All 4 tires must match at the end! This is in every car lease contract. Car leasing companies charge you for mismatched tires, full MSRP, but you can get it cheaper in tire shops
• Excess wear and tear clauses: They often nit pick when you bring the car back, finding ways to keep your "refundable security deposit" for excess wear and tear
• Accidents may trigger early termination: Your lease is "terminated," and you're obligated to pay off the lease. Insurance covers damages, but not lease payoff

People often want to get out of their car lease early
Dealers pay off your existing car lease plus lease termination penalties to buy you out of your current lease, then finance all that extra debt into your new car lease. You think the dealer is giving you something for a car you don't even own. They dipped you from one lease into another, now you are paying off 2 leases. This puts you in a far worse position than you were in before, even if your monthly payments drop, you will pay more in the long run. They to release yourself from the debt of a car lease is not by trading in the car for a new car, but by using Use sites like Swapalease.com and LeaseTrader.com to transfer your car lease to another car buyer. Then you are truly out of that lease.

Car leasing is a taxing issue!
Most states tax only your your monthly payment. But some states tax the full amount of the car even though you are only using up just 50% of the value before you return the car. Even worse, if you buy the car at the end of the lease, you again pay sales tax on that residual amount! While Texas does levy taxes on the FULL VALUE of leased vehicles a law EXEMPTS owners of these vehicles from paying taxes if they are primarily (more than 50%) a "personal use" (not used in the production of income) vehicle. Here is the link to the Texas tax code concerning property taxes.

The "purchase price" of your leased vehicle is critical! The higher it is, the higher your lease payments and the dealer makes more profit.

A large cap cost reduction (down payment) hides a bad lease.
Many dealers require huge down payments at inception. The fine print in a BMW ad listed fees and down payments totaling $5289! I thought the idea of auto leasing is little or no down payment. On the BMW lease ad, they divert your attention to the low monthly payment of $275, but let's add up how much the entire lease is costing us. You must amortize the $5289 down payment into the 30 months of the lease. This means your effective average monthly payments during the 30 month lease will be $275 + $5289/30 = $451 See what I mean? They mislead you with monthly payments of only $275, but it's actually costing you $451 because you are only focused on the low monthly payment.

Zero Down does not mean you owe "zero". It just means you don't have to put money down up front.
Some dealers mislead you "$0 down payment" ads. Your brain makes you think you don't have to put any money at all down, when in reality, it means the down payment part of your inception costs is $0. Confused? Remember, their definition of down payment is cap cost reduction. The other fees due at closing (i.e. dealer fees, acquisition fees, bank fees, can add up to over $1000. So "0 Down" does not mean zero down. They can shift fees to the end of the lease in the form of disposition or termination fees, or into the cap cost. Closing costs should always be used in the calculations to tell you how much the entire lease will cost you.

If you cannot fulfill every single payment of a lease, you should NOT be leasing.

Before signing a lease, be sure you are doing the right thing. Are you going to have kids next year and need a different car? A lease is a contract and if you break this contract, the penalties are stiff. You can have your credit rating tainted, meaning you'll pay more for your future cars, and higher interest. The lessor can sue you for breach of contract. Usually they just quote you the early termination penalty, which you are stuck with. There have been successful lawsuits against lessors accused of padding the early termination penalty, because you can't verify if the penalty is correct.

Let's Talk Finance

What A Low Credit Score Means To You
Your credit score is the single most important factor determining whether you'll get approved for a car loan or lease, and what your money factor or APR will be. If your score is low, you'll pay extremely high interest rates on a car loan, up to 23%. Most people are also unaware that their credit score also affects how much you'll pay for car insurance rates too. Maintaining your high credit score should be an ongoing process, not a task you rush into when buying a car. In fact, that's the worst time. The reason is banks will reject you if you have disputed any item on your credit report, until it resolves in 30 days. It can take 60 days to clean up your credit score, so don't apply for any new credit until all disputes are resolved and you verified the FICO Score. You have been warned! I have seen people get rejected for applying while closing accounts. Right now, you should be asking yourself "How good is my credit score?"

Common myths about your credit score:
A lot of people think "I've never missed a payment. My credit is perfect, my score must be high!" This could not be more wrong. Many people get upset after their credit score came in low. Paying on time is one of the best things for your FICO score, but it's only one of over 100 variables making up your credit score. But people with good credit tend to have too much credit, and too many old accounts still open that they never use. Lenders view that as a risk. The very first time I got my score it needed improving by closing half a dozen computer store and department store cards I no longer used, they were dragging down my score. Steps you need to take before you apply for a car loan:

• Get your credit score and credit history, not just the free annual credit report you hear about, it does not have your FICO Credit Score
• Close old accounts, they are excess luggage, but keep your oldest account open, as length of credit history is a big component of your score
• Get all credit card and debt balances way below the 30% credit limit mark, down to zero if possible
• Remove address errors or other clerical errors from your credit file
• Try to get "Charge Offs" removed from your credit file by asking your creditors nicely. Sometimes it works
• Wait until your score goes up before applying for a car loan, or lease financing

Credit Unions:
If you're a corporate employee, school district, government agency, college, etc., you probably have a credit union. Credit unions can be easier on you than banks, they'll lend you more money at favorable rates, usually 2% better, but not as good as the car loan sites. Your credit union can approve you over the phone in minutes, printing your credit report during the call. They'll tell you what you qualify for. Some don't require a security deposit, down payment, other fees, and are generous with mileage. If you use a credit union, make sure there is no fine print that says they can put a lien on your home if you default on the car loan. The Postal Service credit union had this lien.

Benefits Of Auto Financing on the web:
Dealers don't finance your car loan, they get a piece of the action from a bank. The higher APR they charge you, the more profit they'll make. Here's the benefits of getting your car loan from an online lender:

• Usually you pay lower APR to online lenders than you would at the dealer. (Check rates at Up2Drive and myAutoloan.com).
• Avoid headaches, scams, and frustration of dealer financing.
• Approvals are usually within an hour during business hours.
• You don't pay hidden fees, points, or prepayment penalties.
• Online lenders FedEx your check the next day after approval.
• When you buy your car, just give the dealer a bank draft from Up2Drive and myAutoloan.com. Apply today and drive off today with Up2Drive and myAutoloan.com.
• Less chance of the dealer calling you up later to tell you the financing fell through.
• You usually have 60 days to use the check, the APR is locked.

Where and when you buy is up to you. Be sure to get your credit report, and be sure it's correct. With your financing done, there's no need to endure the confusion and trickery of car dealer financing. With the check draft in hand, there's no finance scams that a dealer can pull on you as you have eliminated one of the shells in the cash flow shell game.

Are you buying instead of leasing? Use these sites to lookup interest rates and get your loan from the lowest APR site:

Auto Loan and Auto Lease Calculators

Read my online article about using the ALG Residual Values. You'll need this vital data to calculate your lease payments, and look up dealer cost for cars and trucks. Every person who leases should be using the same type of leasing software that the dealers use. Without it you're sailing the ocean of confusion, and they'll swallow you whole. I would never in a million years lease a car without using my lease software first.

TIP: When filling out the forms for your credit report or anything else online, remember to enter your full email address properly! If your email address is user@aol.com, don't just put "user", you must add the full "user@aol.com", or your request will be denied. They need to be able to email your report to you as a backup.

People With Bad Credit Or No Credit
How does bad credit hurt you? Dealers charge you 18% interest or more, while the rest of us enjoy 2% to 8%. Bad credit keeps you from opening a checking account! Banks run a credit check because they know people with bad credit bounce checks. The fact that you shafted all of your creditors is coming back to get you. Most cases of bad debt are from pure ignorance. Don't live beyond your means! Plan your life with a budget that has a reasonable and sustainable car payment built into it. If you have bad credit, please don't email me asking what to do, I am not a credit consultant.

You Cannot Borrow Your Way Out of Debt!

Consolidation loans are DANGEROUS for impulsive people because all you are really doing is shifting all your debt from one place to another, effectively OPENING ANOTHER CHANNEL OF CREDIT, while freeing up your credit cards. Some people then proceed to fill up their credit cards again, now they have double the debt they started with, and they are paying up to 22% on their consolidation loan because they weren't paying attention to the APR when they signed up. Some Loan companies are real unscrupulous and make it look like they are eliminating your debt, or they hide the APR from you.

First Time Buyers And College Students with bad credit
They have no established credit and fear they'll be rejected. Salesman program them by telling them "you'll probably be rejected". They tell you this is a good chance for you to establish credit, but it does not mean you have to pay a high APR. If you are a student working at the university, you may be able to get a loan through the credit union. Try there first, it's a great place for you to establish credit. Some students have their parents just buy the car for cash. This does not establish credit for you. You might be better off having them put down 20%, then you carry the remaining loan balance. Having a credit card under your parents' name does not establish credit for you. Pay down some of your debts and work on cleaning up your credit score before applying for a car loan.

Don't Forget Auto Insurance & Extended Warranties
Don't overlook this important part of car buying, you'll be in for a shock later. Get a quote on the car you want. You'll be surprised how much some new cars cost to insure. Insurers require a garage and alarm for Corvettes. Research your insurance costs before you buy a car, and plan your budget accordingly. This is where people make a big mistake, forgetting to include insurance in their budget. If you're buying a car on the hairy edge of what you can afford, insurance payments will drag you under. Insurance payments are part of your monthly cost of ownership. Read up on how to buy insurance, definitions of coverage, and how to avoid scams in our insurance chapter All About Auto Insurance. Auto insurance sites BestCarInsuranceSite, Allstate, GEICO and LowerMyBills.com give you free online auto insurance quotes, so be sure to get pricing from them too.

Extended Warranties
For extended warranties, try CARCHEX and Warranty Direct. Click on the following link to read my complete article on buying an Extended Warranty where I review both of them. You want to get an online warranty quote before you go to the dealer, so you'll have something to compare the dealer's extended warranty price with. Never show up at a dealer to buy a car without a free quote from an online warranty site.

Know Your Car Before You Go Shopping!
Visit several internet sites and familiarize yourself with the car you want to buy, as well as the options available. I'll provide you with reviews of the free car pricing sites in the next chapter. Sites like CarWoo, Cars.com, Edmunds.com, MyRide.com and CarsDirect provide MSRP pricing of cars, as well as what the dealer paid for the cars, and any known factory-dealer incentives, or factory-consumer rebates. Print out all the MSRP, dealer invoice, and rebate information, to bring with you as you shop around.

Find out if there's a rebate before you go to the dealer!
Most people think that all cars have rebates. You'll only see a rebate on a slow mover where the manufacturer needs to stimulate sales. You'll never see a rebate on a hot selling car, because they don't have to offer one, the car is selling itself. Sometimes you choose a low lease rate in lieu of the rebate. Some dealers may try to tell you there is no rebate so they can steal it for themselves. If you do not verify there's a rebate, the dealer could claim that there is no rebate when there really is one.

Go To Part 2: Leasing Glossary

Jump to any section. I suggest you read each chapter in order.
Part 1: Car Leasing Intro What leasing means, how it works, the advantages and disadvantages of leasing, and how to finance a lease.	Part 2: Leasing Glossary Glossary terms used in leasing, and how they are used against you so you'll be prepared for decisions in leasing your dream car.	Part 3: Lease Examples Real world leases with fees attached. A free Excel spreadsheet to calculate your monthly lease payments. How car dealers calculate lease payments.	Part 4: Web Sites To Use Reviews of discount car buying sites, determine how much dealers pay for cars, how to get ALG lease residual values. How to price your trade-in.
Part 5: Leasing Scams Federal leasing laws, and all the common car dealer leasing scams.	Part 6: Lease Dilemmas Money saving tips, getting out of common leasing dilemmas. What to do when your current lease is due.	ALG Residual Values Reviews of top leasing software and where to get ALG residual values. How to avoid lease payment scams.
CarBuyingTips.com

The information on this site is Copyright © 1996-2012 ConsumerNet, Inc. CarBuyingTips.com is the oldest and most comprehensive car buying guide on the internet. This site is solely for your personal use. You may link to these pages or print them out for your own personal use, but no parts of these pages can be reproduced, sold, or transmitted in any form without explicit written permission.