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Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

16087 messages,  Last post on May 09, 2013 at 9:32 AM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G37, Acura TL, Lexus IS 350, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Cadillac CTS, Volvo S60, Audi A4, Acura TSX, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Messages Page 965 of 1610

#9635 of 16087 Replacement Vehicle... by plekto

Apr 11, 2007 (6:35 pm)

I have the perfect solution.
 
Since a Cayman(which I adore, btw) is a chunk of money, you want to save every penny that you can until then. You are the perfect poster-child for a three year lease.(with one exception - see below)
 
A 2007 Cadillac CTS can be had for $299 a month.
The BMW 328i is ~$399 a month, give or take.(yes both deals are insanely low - someone's losing money somewhere)
You can also get an Audi A4 for $299 a month - or at least that's what the local dealer has on the car window.
 
There are some insane lease deals out there on cars right now.(let alone things like $189 a month on an Accord/WV/etc - all about the same)
 
Go cheap, save your pennies. Then get the Cayman.
 
*The exception is to buy a Mini. It suffers about $1000 a year in depreciation, due to silly pent-up demand and cult-like status. The new one fits 2 kids in the rear well enough(even two car seats!) Of course, buy a base model with little on it to maximize your return/minimize accessory value loss)

#9636 of 16087 Re: Replacement Vehicle... [plekto] by blueguydotcom

Apr 11, 2007 (10:47 pm)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 11, 2007 6:35 pm)
Most of those lease deals require money down to pay down the cap cost. Every $1000 drops the payment by about $15-17.
 
Also most require an acquisiton cost (usually over $495) and a return fee ($250 and up). All the fees add up. Leases can be a good deal but they can also devour you slowly if you're not careful. Most people leasing never bother to learn the lease money factors/residuals or how all of that plays into the lease rate.
 
I know far too many people who lease by asking for "the deal." Break down the numbers on the advertised deal and it's better to just find out the MF and the negotiate your sale price as you would with any car purchase. Even then, it may not be a very good deal.
 
If he has frequent flyer miles, then european delivery on a stripped 328i is about the best deal you can get (you aren't paying for 13-14% of the depreciation) for a lease. Add in the BMWCCA rebate and it gets a tad sweeter. Then again, a 328i via ED purchased = tremendous savings too. Essentially you dodge 50% of the first year of depreciation.

#9637 of 16087 Re: Mazda3 has climate control [louiswei] by kdshapiro

Apr 12, 2007 (6:08 am)

Replying to: louiswei (Apr 11, 2007 3:22 pm)
I am with you, all my cars have Homelink. Goes to show you, one man's must have electronic gadget, is another man's useless toy.

#9638 of 16087 Re: Altima is.. [jblaze13] by kdshapiro

Apr 12, 2007 (6:13 am)

Replying to: jblaze13 (Apr 11, 2007 6:16 pm)
Thanks. In my mind the point is, I use references such as CR/NHTSA/IIHS/the mags as a guide, but I like first hand experiences and test drivers. And this is a first hand experience. In my mind the Altima is a sub-par car to the competition and this only proved it in my mind. Even in it's latest incarnation, it is now where the now outgoing Accord was.
 
It really doesn't matter if I'm "right", I'm not sure there is a "right", but it means Nissan will not get my dollars (not that they care).

#9639 of 16087 Re: Replacement Vehicle... [blueguydotcom] by brightness04

Apr 12, 2007 (8:25 am)

Replying to: blueguydotcom (Apr 11, 2007 10:47 pm)
I totally agree with you on the general sentiment. Lately, however, something very weird is going on. It's as if some of the luxury brands are caught up in some kind of discount selling frenzy. CTS can indeed be had for $299 with no money down (big surprise to me too), and 328i local lease (no ED) is being advertized for $129/mo with $5500 down (which works out to be $360-370/mo or so with no money down). It's getting to the point where ED may not be worth the time unless one is picking up a loaded 335i or higher. For example, one of my local dealers is http://www.herbchambers.com where they are showing both deals mentioned above.
 
It's getting a little out of hand. Perhaps the luxury brands expanded their capacity so much in the past few boom years that they are now having to sell at marginal cost (i.e. at a price point that does not help defraying R&D cost) just to keep the factories going. That's typical of industries that are heavy on capital investment and low on marginal cost; the classic example being the airlines . . . every producer/supplier can lose a boat load of money very quickly in a price war in an industry like that.

#9640 of 16087 Re: well... [plekto] by habitat1

Apr 12, 2007 (1:28 pm)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 10, 2007 1:54 pm)
For less than half the price of an Ariel Atom you can get a high performance motorcycle that will blow it's doors off and be just about as practical to drive.
 
I have a friend in England who had one briefly and it's simply a fun go cart, but nothing more. He was caught a couple of times in rainstorms - not a fun car for that, with its open top.

#9641 of 16087 Lol by plekto

Apr 12, 2007 (2:31 pm)

Well, I didn't say it was practical. But It's as fast as a n Enzo and according to Top Gear, faster around their test track than a CBR600 sportbike by a tiny bit. I'd love a coupe version with a new more amenities here in the U.S.(so it would be street legal)
 
My reaction to the silly lease rates is... who cares? $299 a month with zero down is a steal on a CTS. Drive it and save up for the big toy. This is simmialr to Ford's 0% financing fiasco last year. Don't question it - just smile and let them lose money on the deal. (kind of hoping they do it again, but probably not likely)
 
edit:
Or, get something like a Celica used for about $8K, drive it for three years, and sell it for $5-6K.

#9642 of 16087 Re: Lol [plekto] by brightness04

Apr 12, 2007 (5:38 pm)

Replying to: plekto (Apr 12, 2007 2:31 pm)
just smile and let them lose money on the deal.
 
Yup, that's a right attitude. There's a third way: take the deal, and short their stocks, too! And let the profit from the short pay for the lease! I did that with GM/Saab in the first three years of the millenium. Too bad I don't trade ADR's like BMW because I don't want to deal with the exchange risk when the dollar is dropping like a rock.

#9643 of 16087 335Xi at the dealer by bruceomega

Apr 13, 2007 (8:49 am)

A friend of mine has been visiting some of the local BMW dealers, and he said one in Northern Virginia has a 335Xi in stock. I asked if he was sure it was the Xi model, so he went back and double checked and said yes, it was the 335Xi.
 
If its already at dealers, I wonder when they're going to add it to their web site.
 
Thanks
Bruce

#9644 of 16087 Re: 335Xi at the dealer [bruceomega] by circlew

Apr 13, 2007 (11:30 am)

Replying to: bruceomega (Apr 13, 2007 8:49 am)
Great question. I assume they want to clear out 328xi inventory first.
 
Regards,
OW

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