youngTL

SakiGT

Leasing isnt necessarily a mistake if you are attracted to the newest model and switch cars every 3-4 years. If youve kept your vehicles for longer than that in the past, then youre right. A lease isnt a good idea.

MattT516

I've honestly seen you praise the E-Class in threads at least 15 times in the past four months. Did you quit at Honda, move to Stuttgart, and now work as an associate for Mercedes Benz? My sister has an E320 and it's the biggest piece of shit I've ever seen. You turn the defroster on, and the radio shuts off. Lovely German engineering.

Chief, the 5-speed transmission on the M is pretty brilliant, even though I hardly ever drive in manual mode. It's great at rev-matching, and it'll usually correct your mistakes if you're an absolute tool that doesn't know how to drive a manual. For instance, I tried to downshift too early on several occasions and it wouldn't hit until it was the right time. Deeno is pretty correct with the similarities to the TL-S, even though the M's tranny offers you a little more freedom to drive the car without the stupid automatic 1-2 shift in the TL-S and whatnot.

cob3683

This might be the first time I agree with you Water. Even though the E550 will be about $10,000 more than the M45, it is going to be absolutely awesome.

F23A4

Although I am a Nissan fan, I think the 550i is the best of the bunch......even though the price of a loaded is ~$77k.

Beltfed

The benefit of leasing pays off with certain cars obviously.

I'm sure the M35X leases out like a champ, I know the M45 did for awhile. Had a great rate and a strong residual, combined with healthy discounts. Obviously you shop price on a lease or a finance.

Now with the GC SRT-8 that I want, you just have to buy it........simple as that.

Beltfed

Here are the current Infiniti rates........residual isn't great across the board but the rates are awesome. You can offset the residual by just negotiating a good discount off the car. The 24month program looks like the best situation, just by doing a visual. The residual really takes a shit after that and the rates go slightly up.

INFINITI Captive Lease Rates & Residuals – Effective 7/7/06

These lease rates are for reference only and may vary by region. The dealer does not have to offer you these rates. It’s always best to compare other lease programs through other sources such as LeaseCompare.com.

2006 Infiniti M35 4dr Sedan AWD / Compare Instant Lease Quotes (7)

24 mo/15k mi – Residual Value 65% of MSRP – .00044 Base Money Factor Rate
36 mo/15k mi – Residual Value 53% of MSRP – .00106 Base Money Factor Rate
48 mo/15k mi – Residual Value 38% of MSRP – .00142 Base Money Factor Rate
60 mo/15k mi – Residual Value 30% of MSRP – .00225 Base Money Factor Rate

24 mo/12k mi – Residual Value 67% of MSRP – .00070 Base Money Factor Rate
36 mo/12k mi – Residual Value 56% of MSRP – .00122 Base Money Factor Rate
48 mo/12k mi – Residual Value 41% of MSRP – .00142 Base Money Factor Rate
60 mo/12k mi – Residual Value 32% of MSRP – .00205 Base Money Factor Rate

Water-S

yes I like Benzs and BMWs. every car has has their issues. for example hondas/acuras are known for shitty trannys. German usually have electrical/wiring issues. it's about impossible to mass produce cars that everything is perfect for 200-300 k miles.

Chief F1 Fan

I drive too many miles/year for a lease to be beneficial and would not get the write-off as I'm paid mileage (I get more that way). The only point I don't agree w/ you on your eval zamo is leasing a veh. then paying for it afterwards. You pay more for a car that way. My wife spent nearly 4K more doing that w/ a 330xi.

youngTL

I thoght the M's manual was 6 gears?

kurt_bradley

Man, those residuals are aweful. I'd hate to be one that purchased it on a conventional loan. No offense to anyone that did, but that's not a pleasing sight.

West6MT

Well, I have to keep practicality in mind,..........................so I say go with the M35x.

Reasons:
- You live in/near Buffalo, so I understand the weather situation and appeal of awd
- You can get a good deal on the M because of your friend
- The M is a sweet car
- Although the A8 is sweet, I dont trust Audi reliability enough
- you still have the Z for "fun" car purposes

mrdeeno

M has no manual.

zamo

Assuming miles are not an issue:

At the end of the term you need to evaluate the situation.
If the residual is higher than the market value, of course it's a no brainer to just dispose off the car.
If the residual is lower than market value then it makes sense to purchase it.

A high residual (higher than ALG) and a low purchase price makes a lease payment very atractive, but a bad decision if you would like to purchase (as stated above).

I would assume your wife went over her miles in a lease with a high residual, and thus she lost on that transaction.

zamo

For 24 ~ 36 months they are not that bad. The best residual are around 60% for 36 months and near 70% for 24 months, so they are not that far away.

You might wanna take a look at the residuals of the american cars and just get a heart attack.

http://www.cars.com/carsapp/national...04&x=9&y=8&mr=

mattg

my parents just picked an '05 A8L w/ ~ 10k miles for $56K. pretty sweet car, and unbelievable leg room.

It's too big and not enough power for me though. If you keep the Z an A8 would probably be fine. If you don't keep the Z I would recommend getting an S8.

03TL-S

The M is a beautiful car inside and out. It is especially stunning in black with the blacked out headlights of the sport model. The M has received the highest rankings in its class. Id get one if i wanted a sedan thats for sure

Water-S

if he's going for an AWD lux. sedan he should check out the 530XI or E class 4-matic.

CLpower

FUck mercedes

Water-S

yeah right how can you say that when you look at the E55 and it will eat probably 95% of the cars on the road while hauling the driver and 4 of his buddies and a set of golf clubs in the trunk. and they're saying the E63 will be in the low 12's in the 1/4

CLpower

because i've had multiple mercedes in my family, they were all Giant Pieces of Shit. Sure they can make a car fast, but they all handle like complete ass, you don't feel connected to the road at all (something MBZ should take out of the BMW road book), and they overall felt cheap after a year or so (crazy rattles, door handles falling off, etc).


I've driven an E55, and it's a blast don't get me wrong, nothing like taking off the T/C stabbing the peddal and burning rubber till you chicken out and lift off at 80. But no way in hell will I ever own a mercedes. Unfortunately my wife loves them.

cob3683

I guess we have had damn good luck with our MB's then. One problem in 8 MB's is pretty damn good reliability in my book.

I know that you (and most people on this board) take car of your car(s), but I am still convinced that most people in the US do not understand how to drive and take care of theirs.

CLpower

How many of them are post 98? I've found the older ones are fucking built like tanks

cob3683

1989 360 or 460SEL (Can't remember - Maybe SEC)
1992 500SEL
1995 E320 Vert - This was the problem car, but so was everyone elses
1996 SL500
2000 ML430
2003 C32
2003 SL55

It was 7, not 8. I agree 100% about the older MB's being rock solid. When the E320 blew up, they gave us an S600 until the situation was fixed. I honestly believe that you could take a baseball bat to any part of that car and nothing would have happened.

I don't notice the difference in the SL but I do notice it in the S. Before the W221 was built, I could tell a HUGE difference in the quality of the W220 compared to the old W140.

West6MT

, they used to build tanks.

mrdeeno

^^that was back in the day when Compaqs were built like tanks too.

mrdeeno

I just drove my M in manual to remind myself how the throttle blip thing acts...

it's obvious if you're looking for it and it smooths out the transition some, but probably not as effective/smooth as a true manual with someone who can heel-toe well.

But otherwise, my opinion is the same...if you don't know that it does this, you wouldn't think anything special was happening. The only difference between no-throttle downshifts between manual and auto is that the in auto mode the downshifts are much smoother because it'll downshift at much lower engine speeds, similar to most automatics. I don't track the car or anything, but it would potentially be more useful in those situations.

chungkopi

mb's are untouchable.

M is nice, but i hate the rear. it's a fatty.

Beltfed

My oldman had two 03 E500's.......they had their issues but nothing Earth shattering. The sensotronic brakes were annoying as hell. Overall they were good cars.

But my buddy's oldman had an 03 E320 which was a piece of shit.

It was mainly the early W211 cars that had problems. By mid second year of production (04) they got much better.

Also the W220 was MBs attempt at cost cutting. They realized it didn't work and now are producing better product.

The 07 Eclass looks to be a winner with the changes made.

So much that my oldman ordered an E63 (Iridium/Black). I think I'm going to change the color though and not tell him......j/k. I'm making the change though to Flint Gray (I handle the auto affairs), tad more interesting of a color.

cob3683

on the E63. I have yet to see Iridium in person. It's pretty much the same as Brilliant Silver right?

Chief F1 Fan

The 530xi gets its ass kicked by the M in Consumer Reports. In fact, every car in its class and above it gets its ass kicked by the M. If you read the report, its as if Infiniti wrote the article, not a reviewer. The MB E class has an absolutely horrible maintenance history/list of problems that are too overwhelming to overlook. It seems the numbers are so high that it is almost a certainty I would have problems w/ a E class car. Build quality problems drive me around the bend and the Benz dealer is 24 miles away. I don't like the 5 series interior, hate it in fact. The iDrive system would drive me fucking crazy. CLPower is right-Fuck Mercedes. I don't need a manual either (whoever said that). I have my 5 spd Wrangler and 6 spd Z so when winter comes, I don't mind driving an auto tranny at all.

zamo

Just for the looks I would take the 530. The M kicks its ass on everything but 1 thing, "brand equity". Again, the regular joe will be likely to point at the 5 series rather than the M when looking at nice cars.

Chief F1 Fan

Agreed. Every time I see a nice black E500, I can't believe how nice and rich they look. Brand equity on the 5 is just the same. I love the exterior of the 5, just can't stand the interior like I said.

Beltfed

Yeah its plain old silver, not a bad color......I just think its getting a bit old on MBs.

Seriously, if you a buy a newer MB they really don't have that many issues.

MB took enough bad press over the last few years that they have corrected much of what was an issue. Build quality was never an issue, just electronics.

Granted, if you want Japanese reliability go for it.

The 5series shines with the sport package, no other sedan in the same class drives the way they do.

Hugh9269

Good I love the New M45 Sport, just wish it offered a 6MT option... It would be tough to swing $56K....

Paul

I agree. I purchased 2 cars in the past 6 years. Lets just say that its like throwing your money away. Thats why I leased my 3rd car(current one). I do agree that if you keep your car more than 5 yrs, its better to buy it. But if you can't stand having the same car for 3 years like me, then buying is not the right choice.

psteng19

The new M has been pretty reliable, judging by the low number of problem threads in the M boards.

Beltfed

My opinion is that if a car you like leases out well, you can deal with the usual mileage range under term (12k, 15k), and like to ditch out of cars every 2-3 years.

You should definitely lease the vehicle. I wouldn't lease anything longer than 39 months.

But as I've said, some vehicles simply don't lease out well.

Usually, cars that are desirable and or limited production.

zamo

^^ And of course the most likely to get great rates are the high residual ones.

http://www.alg.com/deprratings.aspx

invincible569

i recently drove the 07 M45. Car is identical to 06. Car picks up very well and I love the interior. It was priced at $56K for the M45 Sport. I was also thinking about getting it.