"Money Hustard" (moneyhustard)
04/08/2015 at 21:58 • Filed to: Car Buying, Leasing | 3 | 12 |
My wife and I bought a new 2011 Outback in 2011 with the MSRP (got it for a little less) of about $26,626 to replace her Accord. The following year we replaced my Aurora with a leased 2012 Nissan Maxima with an MSRP of $41,650.
Now, all said and done, the total cost for leasing my Maxima for 39 months will end up being $19,907. I'm almost done with the lease and I've actually been reasonably pleased with the car which is just very recently starting to feel "un-new." It's going to have about 34K on the odmeter when I trade it in. This is the absolute longest I've driven a single car, so I'm definitely ready to get into the next car.
IF I traded them both in today, the Outback with just under 40K miles, would be worth just $1,410 less than the Maxima which didn't do very many more miles per month than the Outback.
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! $17,899
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! $16,489
A few notes:
DAMN! Subarus really do hold their value.
I saved a bunch of money leasing this Maxima instead of buying it.
My payments were considerably lower per month than even if I did a 72-month loan with 0% APR on it.
I now get to hop into another lease in a few months (I'm leaning towards a 2015-2016 VW Golf GTI or R, they fit my 6'7" ass surprisingly).
This information only really helps people buying new cars.
BUT I can't advocate enough how wonderful it is to own a car from the start. The only trouble car I've had out of 8 non-classic cars I've had was the only certified pre-owned I bought or leased, the rest were new.
Like everything in life, there are no absolutes. If I had leased the Outback and bought the Maxima, I'd have lost out on a lot of money. The fact about buying versus leasing is there are no hard and fast rules. You have to thoroughly negotiate and understand lease offers and have a good idea of how fast a car is going to depreciate to make the right choice, sometimes.
OK, now back to endlessly researching the Golf, Charger R/T, and 2016 Maxima.
Vicente Esteve
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 22:10 | 0 |
Again, I recommend the Golf endlessly.
Money Hustard
> Vicente Esteve
04/08/2015 at 22:12 | 0 |
You and every other auto journalist and publication, apparently. I've only been on a too-short test drive, but from what I experienced it really is a special car.
Vicente Esteve
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 22:16 | 0 |
Test drive your options for quite a while. I test drove several cars when choosing and I have to say, a 15 minute drive is not enough. I didn't even drive the Golf though so it was a bit of a gamble. Thankfully, it was the best bet.
E92M3
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 22:30 | 1 |
The GTI is an awesome car. That said I would only lease one. Not a car I want own without a warranty.
AthomSfere
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 22:35 | 0 |
Of your choices on a replacement, I like none.
Sad I am... Sad. And the VWs depreciate far too fast, if I had to choose: Charger. Although the Chevy SS would win for me because it comes with the right transmission (finally).
Money Hustard
> AthomSfere
04/08/2015 at 22:38 | 1 |
When you're 6'7" 360 lbs, the car buying world is very small for you.
AthomSfere
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 22:43 | 0 |
I imagine the SS works though? Should fit anyone a Charger can.
But alas, I am not 6'7" and 360lbs. 6' and 200 after a bulking cycle. I can't imagine my FR-s is good after about 6'4" for example.
Money Hustard
> AthomSfere
04/08/2015 at 22:59 | 0 |
I'd definitely be in something like an FR-S if I could come close to fitting, or an older Porsche.
The SS isn't too bad on legroom, but the shape of that legroom really doesn't work for me on the SS. Even if it was a good fit though, I'll be leasing this car. The SS would no doubt be the better long-term investment, but for the 3 years I'd be thrashing it under warranty, I really think the Charger is a better value. Especially since you can get an SRT 392 or at the very least a 392 Scat Pack for the same price as an SS.
The SS is an admirable car, but compared to this? I don't know:
485 bhp
415 bhp
I've driven both and I was very pleasantly surprised by the new Chargers. They finally got that car right.
Viggen9er3
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 23:04 | 0 |
I feel your pain, 6'5, 200. How is the seat in the Outback, as I'm in the same boat about to buy a 2011 of all things....... Crazy.
Money Hustard
> Viggen9er3
04/08/2015 at 23:16 | 0 |
You should be just fine. The legroom is superb, I can even straighten my legs if I tuck them in between the pedal, which is pretty rare and very nice on long road trips.
The 2011 is Outback is a great car. There's a lot of things I could say to throw shade on it. It's got the old EJ25 engine in which I believe was replaced in 2012 or 2013. There's some questionable material choices and you're going to have brake issues (warped rotors mostly).
But it's got that thing that cars don't always have. It's got real personality. My wife won't let me fix a fist sized dent in the front fender because she says it makes the car look "more like it should." I love the damn thing, honestly.
Yeah, they don't make Subies like they used to, but they still make them damn close. You can take this CUV to the limit and actually feel where it is. I've also taken it off payment, a lot. It's exquisite on gravel, it's invincible on sand.
Get one with a Harmon Kardon sound system if possible, the base sound is real and actual shit. You also can't get a backup cam unless you also get a sunroof. Yes you are adding weight, but it's really quite nice on a car with slightly compromised rear visibility.
I have none of those things and still love the car though. I don't fall easy either, trust me.
Textured Soy Protein
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 23:24 | 0 |
I'm leasing my 135is and my gf is leasing her Civic. We're very happy with the lease deals on both cars.
In her case, she had an '08 very base model Nissan Sentra that didn't even have cruise control that she had bought used and was paying $205/month for. She had changed jobs and took a bit of a pay cut so was looking to save money. She ended up trading it in for a '13 Civic LX lease, which was also the base model, but at least has cruise, an aux jack, a backup camera, and is a good bit nicer than her Sentra was. After paying off the loan on the Sentra, she had enough to do the $2k down payment, all the taxes and other fees, and get a $1300 check back from the dealer. Her payments are $160/month for 36 months, 36k miles limit on the lease.
In my case, I had an '06 Mazdaspeed 6 that with a preponderance of rust problems, driveline leaks, and interior rattles. I wanted to get out from under it before it would cost me any more money, and I wanted something that was brand new with a warranty, and at least as fast as the MS6. My trade was able to cover the payoff on the loan and the $4500ish down payment, and I'm paying $447/month, also 36 months and 36k miles. This is on a car with a nearly $50k sticker price. The only thing I would've done differently is go for a lower mileage limit on the 135is. At the time I was thinking I'd drive it year-round and buy snow tires and wheels for it. Instead I ended up buying a Grand Cherokee to drive in winter. So now 21 months into the lease and I'm just hitting 10k miles.
For her next car, we're very likely to do another lease. For me, since I've got the Jeep, I'm going to just turn in the 135is and drive only the Jeep for a while. I like to tinker with cars so I may buy another fun used car that's been nicely depreciated. Just one that hopefully is less of a money pit than that MS6 turned in to.
But if you want to buy a new car and not keep it for a particularly long time, leasing is generally a great way to go as long as you structure the lease well.
AthomSfere
> Money Hustard
04/08/2015 at 23:47 | 0 |
If the Charger came with a manual, I'd buy it for sure. It really is perfect (enough) in every other way, I just can't ever own another auto. I thought I could once (3 cars ago now) and hated every day of owning that car and driving an auto for work. It just never felt right.
Although, perhaps in defense of going Charger... The Challenger's manual was OK, but not nearly as good as say my Si or Fr-s. Not sure how good the SS manual is.