Depending on the bank, they may charge a disposal fee at the end of the lease (try and get rid of this) they may charge insurances (Gap or otherwise... some banks try to charge their residual insurance off to you... usuall they're not much, though, and I wouldn't ever forgo gap insurance on a lease, you're asking for trouble) and look at how they charge you for vehicle damage at the end of the lease.

Taxes vary from state to state. Here in NJ, you don't have a choice -- the lease payment is taxed each month, 7% of the payment. Other states let you either pay it up front or roll it in.

Paying taxes up front is cheaper, if you can afford it -- the only thing worse than paying tax is paying INTEREST on tax.....

Also, note that dealer add ons, such as wheels, cargo nets, spoilers, body kits, wood wheels, etc. do NOT generally go into your residual, so you're just going to be paying for them, with interest, throughout the lease (they raise your cap cost but don't raise your residual....) Also note that right now, while the RL is averaging about 46% as a residual (3/36) the RL with Tech is at 42%.... which makes the tech package VERY expensive to lease.... essentially, it's not being residualized at all and is treated like a dealer-installed option. Ugh.

 

Ok so Acura of Bellevue called and offered me the RL over the phone for just about $41,900, I dont think thats a bad deal. I would like to lease it though, especially because the way its not holding its value on the after market. I like the deal they are offering for $5pp a month leave, but ahts on the full price, just wondering if they can give me a btter deal, but I doubt it. I have leased before and it was for less money, yet the payment wasnt all that much less.

 

Probably at least $1000 to work with there...and another $800 if they want to just get rid of it. Selling for $40,900 in San Antonio, fixed price - no haggling, and a couple of other lower prices have been seen in various forums.

 

wow.. that's surprising. When I was over there a couple of months ago trying to buy an RL they wouldn't go that low. So I went to a different dealer whom I negotiated to around 42K. $41.9K is the lowest you can go around the Puget Sound area. I guess maybe they want to get rid of the 06's before the 07s are out. Good luck

 

What? I'm not sure what dealers you've been talking to, but my good friend just leased an 2007 530i Sport w/nav for $635/mo (about $2K total drive-off). Just going on bmwusa.com or mbusa.com, you'll see 325i for $369/mo ($3269 drive-off) or the MB E350 Premium advertised at $569/mo ($4214 drive-off). Yes the drive-offs are high, but obviously are negotiable with terms and monthly payment options.

The RL is a unique sell because the $40 - 50K price range is ultra-competitive. People who drive vehicles for status will probably opt for a MB, BMW, Audi, or Lexus. Maybe even an Infiniti over an Acura. Those wanting performance will go BMW, Infiniti, or maybe 300C SRT-8 ($40K).

My friend who just leased the 530i traded in his '03 MB E320 and had narrowed down his options to the 530i and the 300C SRT-8. He didn't even consider the RL in his top-5. I asked why and he said not enough performance and boring.

I guess that's why Acura is practically giving these cars away...very nice car, but they attract current Acura owners and that's about it...

 

what are the discounts that lexus is offering?

 

I share your thoughts. I test drove a RL today. Loved the smoothness and quietness; this car does dampen road noises much better than TL. I was a little disappointed with its pickup; not quite as quick as my 6MT 04.
But with the idea of getting one for not more than $41k, do you know how long these deals and incentives from Honda will last?

 

$3000 dealer incentive through 9-4-06 I believe...but could obviously be extended if nationwide volume is still relatively high. 2007 pricing and detailes announced this weekend or mid-month, can't remember which off-hand.

 

Yeah thats what they offered, but I am gonna wait, something tells me after Sep 7th I will be able to get it under 40k. You are right, here in the Puget sound Area noone wants to come down fromt he prices, they say its not them, its Acura. So if you dont mind, would you share where you bought your beautiful new ride?

 

I think you should wait, because I'm thinking that Acura will add ventilated seats (like most competitors) later since it is already available for Canadians. Plus, if you wait, you might be able to get a lower price.

so no loss there.

 

Disagree. In '07 the "base" RL will have an MSRP of around $41K. THat's an RL without the wood dash and Nav. THere hasn't been any mention of ventilated seats.

The current current "base" model (w/nave will be around mid-to upper $40Ks, and the what is not the Tech package will go for over $50K.

 

Hmm, if you go to the LeaseCompare website, www.leasecompare.com, and plug in a strippo 530i automatic, a 36 mo lease comes out at $846. Add all the equipment that an RL comes with STANDARD, to the BMW, and you'll end up with a price tag of $57095. The 530i with an equivalent level of equipment to the RL thus leases out at $1026/mo on a 36 mo lease. BTW, the BMW quoted is the 2wd, not the 4wd version, which would be more $$ even.

This friend of yours who is paying $635/mo, how long is his lease for? Is it 36 mo? Do you know that one way to make the lease payments lower is to lease the vehicle for a longer period? That $1026 BMW lease payment for 36 months, suddenly drops to $837/mo if you stretch it out to a 60 month lease. So that number that you came up with, is meaningless unless you spell out the terms of the lease.

The Acura RL 36 mo lease is a factory AHFC lease program. This factory lease calls for a cap reduction of approximately $1500. You can negotiate out the cap reduction thereby making the drive off fee just the title, registration, doc, and aquisition fees.

As for whether the RL is more or less fun or prestigious than the 530i or E350, let me say that I've been there done that. I'm used to driving high end vehicles. I've had an E class and SL class Benz for many years. Porsche? Been there done that. BMW? I must confess to never having owned one, but my sister does. It's nice. But I don't like the way it looks and the interior is sterile.

I'm not trying to defend my aquisition of the RL. My point is that I've had any number of really expensive automobiles, and so far, this RL is the most satisfying vehicle I've had the opportunity to spend time with. This car actually handles quite well, and it's plenty fast. It's got all the toys I want in a car. And if it flies under the nose of the "notice me please because I drive a bad ass expensive Euro Ubermobile" crowd, then that suits me just fine.

 

Perhaps the difference is in the zip code (I'm in Orange County, CA), but I just went on www.leasecompare.com and the 39-month "Special" lease (my friend's is 39-months) is $717/mo, that's a money factor of .00241 and $2000 down (I originally said $2k drive-off, he paid $2K+ tax/license/1st-month).

His payment is $687.39 a month ($635 + 8.25% tax = $687.39). He's leasing through an LA dealer, I believe it's Nick Alexander BMW, but I don't like asking about friend's finances so this is the info he gave me through conversation.

I usually go through Dealerspace and consistently beat published lease quotes. I find leasecompare.com to be inflated most of the time. I know he also negotiates through email then walks in, but I'm not certain if he used Dealerspace on this one. He's one of my best friends, but like I said, if the info is not provided to me, it's none of my business to ask.

 

I drive too much to lease, so none of these deals are helpful. I usually finance and if I do this, I'll be counting on the high resale value of my TL to generate much of my down payment. Still strongly tempted. I have an apointment with my salesman for a test drive this week.

 

First time poster here. I was on the same boat until last weekend, when I traded my 05 TL anthracite/ebony for a gorgeous celestial silver/ebony non-tech. My eternal gratitude to all those that love to bash the RL (lots of them without even ever driven it) for allowing the prices to go so low that I could finally afford it.

Don't even ask for a comparison between the TL and the RL. They are completely different animals. The refinement in the RL is amazing. Unassumingly rich and bold. The handling is to die for. The quietness of the cabin lets you look out the window without letting the outside world get in your space. I keep on running my hands over the leather surfaces.

Of course, my favorite past time now is to accelerate through curves (always at reasonable speeds, of course). Always gotta look back to make sure the car wasn't riding on rails. Then I come to a stop and it's like descending from an air trip. No jiggling, no swaying. The car gives you enough feedback from the road, but it does it like whispering to your ear, as to not to disturb your passengers. The road is a matter between you and the car, not them.

Amazing sound system. Awesome navigation. Beautiful taillights.

Can you tell I'm in love with my car?

 

Congrats and welcome to the club!

 

I am too leaning towards trading in my 04 mt. A San Diego dealer accepted my 39.9k offer but they lowballed me on my trade-in. My car has 21k with nav; they would purchase same for 22k--too low for me. What did you receive in your trade-in?

 

I'm in San Diego too, but got it from a dealer in the LA area. As I was driving there, I stopped by a carmax to have my TL appraised. They came very close to what KBB was giving me (KBB=25,750, carmax=25,500). This is for a 05 TL non-navi. The dealer started offering 24,500, but I made it very clear I wouldn't take less that 25,500, which is what they finally gave me.

 

which carmax did you sell to? and how many miles at time of trade?
So what are your thoughts on the RL?

 

Look up a few posts. He provided great detail.

 

I didn't sell it to Carmax, I just went there to have it appraised and have some support for negotiation with the dealer (I am not sure if you are familiar with Carmax, but basically they give you a quote that is valid for 7 days/300 miles). But in any case, the Carmax I went to is in Buena Park, CA. Great service at that place, if you ask me. In the end, the dealer agreed to give me the same amount of money for the TL that Carmax offered. The TL had just 12,000 miles, with 14 months of ownership.

About my thoughts on the RL, I can't be any more explicit than in my previous post, out of respect for the decency rules of this forum

 

I thought navi was a standard on the RL, is it an option?

 

Can you tell us what you paid for the RL?

 

South Center it is!

 

The upcoming 07 models (read- not out yet) will offer a base RL without Navi, wood, and I think the auto turn headlights. This is to lower the price of admission to an RL. There will the 3 levels of RL. from $41k base to $53k? for the Tech loaded version.

 

Thats where I bought my 05 TL