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Does Anyone Lease their Chargers?

3K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  lg68jcu 
#1 ·
Hi Guys and Gals,

I was curious? Does anyone lease their Chargers? I am thinking about leasing but have never done it before.....
Historically I have bought a car new and traded it in within 32-40 months for a new car. (2002 Stratus R/T , 2004 Neon R/T 2006 Mazda 6s to name a few). I was thinking since I always want a newer car why not lease?... My miles are very standard and consistent. My car is basically just a commuter, my payments would drop considerably in compared to my G8. I have been quoted $335 a month after taxes and fees and $1000 down for a 2013 Charger R/T AWD with a spoiler (12,000 miles X 39 months). That seems very reasonable. Any thoughts on this price?
Just curious if anyone has any pointers, things to look out for on a lease etc. I dont plan on modding it since its bloody fast stock and appearance mods are not my bag. I think overall its fits my mold but having never done it I am a little nervous about it.
One question I have is if I run over my total lease miles and rack up extra milage charges am I able to just buy out my lease to get around that?


Thanks All
 
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#2 ·
I was a fan of leasing but haven't done it for years. They really started getting nit-picky at trade in time. Basically they wanted a new car back regardless of mileage and would deduct heavily when trading in for the "damage" on the car that "they" deemed above normal wear-tear. They were also starting to nail you pretty hard for mileage over the contract, even when trading. In the end, I felt like it was a pay me now or pay me later sort of situation. One way or another, your going to pay more than you expected. Thats my experience with it and why I don't lease anymore.

Those are details I'd ask the dealership.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I leased a Nissan Altima back in 2008 for 169.00 a month with $3000.00 down @12k per year for 3 years. It worked out for my wife. We had the windshield replaced, love bug damage and a shopping cart scrape on the back bumper 2 weeks before we were to bring it back. This was all considered normal wear and tear by the inspection guy. I would lease again but the insurance is higher too.

And yes, you have the option to buy out the lease at the end to avoid mile overage.
 
#4 ·
I leased my first Charger. It was a 'low mileage' lease and I ended up getting a job further away from home so I got raped on the mileage. Otherwise it turned out being a good deal because the residual was about 18 grand and the car was not worth that at the end of the lease. The car was in mint shape with good tires on it when it went back so no other charges.

After leasing two cars in a row, we decided to purchase the SRT though.

Lots of people are very down on leasing, but it's not always a bad thing. It's a lot more transparent than it used to be.
 
#5 ·
Funny you ask, I just looked into the new lease deal on the 2013 Charger Super Bee. It's cheaper for me to buy. Over the course of 3 years I would save 3000 dollars.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Lg,

I have a few suggestions for you. The first would be to make sure you have enough mileage in the contract. What I mean by this is that if the lease price you are quoted is for 12,000 miles and you think you might have a chance to go over mileage, ask how much the lease payments would be for 15,000 miles a year. Sometimes these charges are minimal, lets say $20 a month if purchased up front but costly, .25 a mile, if you are over at the end. So lets say you wind up driving 12,500 a month. Just by averaging 500 more miles per month than what is in the contract you will be 18,000 miles over on a 36 months lease. At .25 a mile, that's $4500 or $125 more a month. So by paying $20 or $30 a month more up front for 15,000 miles a year, you minimize the risk of going over the mileage and getting a big bill at the end.

As far as buying the vehicle out at the end, you can certainly do that. In most cases though, you will wind up paying sticker or more which isn't a real good deal. Sometimes they will offer you a good deal on the lease buyout, such as if the residual value has dropped, but do you want to count on that at lease end? If it happens to work out that way were you like the car and want to do it because it is a good deal that's great, but don't plan on it.

Secondly, check for turn in fee's. Specifically ask if there is a disposition fee. I have seen disposition charges as high as $500 at lease end, regardless of condition.

Lastly, look into a service contract on the lease. For example, the Mopar Vehicle Protection plans (formerly Chrysler Service Contracts) offer short term lease plans that typically cost under $500 and they cover excess wear and tear charges up to $5,000 including tires.

I hope this information is helpful to you.
 
#7 ·
Oh hell naw.
 
#19 ·
X2.... I couldn't have said it better.
 
#8 ·
Leasing is renting, you almost always get screwed in the end. You never know what your situation will be in 3 or 4 years. I just cant throw money away like that. I'd rather buy and trade out if I choose to at the end. If you restrict your mileage and take care of the car when buying you can get the same deal on a trade in as you would with a lease return
 
#9 ·
I should be fine milage wise. we have a town and country for our family hauling. my car is used for my daily commuting and weekend in town errands. I estimated a need for 10500 miles. So I have a 5000 mile buffer. I have onstar on my G8 as well which tracks your milage and driving patterns so I use that as well.

The only thing is I am looking at a payment of around $100 cheaper than my G8 and $100 cheaper than a purchase on the same vehicle per month and thats throwing my equity into a purchase vs. pocketing 1500-2000 of my trade equity on a lease.

The deal I have going is $3000 off sticker for the sales price and there is $2500 lease cash. There is rarely ever that much lease cash on a charger.

I am probably going to check it out over the weekend.

Thanks for the advice on the lease end and disposition fees. I will ask about that right now. I am sure thats where they try to get ya.
 
#11 ·
My charger was a lease. Realistically at 25 I couldn't afford to pay for an SRT but wanted one for the long haul. When the lease was up I bought it. I know I paid a lot more long term but the monthly payment was very attractive. That was the right move for me and my family. In my mind I leased a car for 3 years and then bought a very low mileage used SRT that I just happened to know wasn't beat, had a good service history and was garage kept. The lease was also structured up front with all this in mind so my residual was actually pretty fair. At the time my lease ended I saw comparable used SRTs on lots for a little less to a little more so I was in the right ball park for buying my own car used.
 
#12 ·
I've thought about it...but first of all, I know me...and I know I don't have the discipline to stay within the mileage limits.

My other thing, is that when I'm done paying for something (i.e. reach the end of the contract), I want to actually OWN something. The day I got the title in the mail for paying off my '06 was like Christmas Morning!
 
#13 ·
I know I'd never get there Haha. If I ever paid off a car I'd sell it to maximize it's trade in value and start over. I am weird like that. At that point every week you don't buy a new car you next car payment goes up $2 a month.

I just know I'd never pay off a car so might as well pay $100 less for the car I want to drive. It's just a preference.
 
#14 ·
You could alway save each month but it's easier for me to budget having a car payment. I would spend the money rather than save it.
 
#15 ·
Going this week to go check out the 2013 r/t AWD. I was a bit surprised to see that the RT AWD has a normal duty suspension. Kinda nervous about the road handling considering how hard I can push my G8 in a corner. Anyone have and opinions on it's cornering ??
 
#20 · (Edited)
Quick question.. off topic but I am going to go test drive and hopefully sign a lease / purchase agreements on Thursday. I was wondering how many sets of latch systems there are for the car seats? My G8 has 3 sets and seeing how the back seat on the Chargers are comparable in size I would hope they have 3 as well. I was wondering if someone knew or if someone could go check on their 2011-2013. just trying to game plan for the car seat test. I have one in a booster and 2 in reg forward facing car seats (One will be in a booster in 3 months. I want to put my 2 year only in the center if they have latches when my middle child is old enough for a booster.

Thanks to All.


Found my answer. I searched the web but didnt find anything but then after another search I found this:

"We are aware of only a handful of sedans that come with three sets of Latch anchors for child-safety seats in the backseat: the Chrysler 300 and similar Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger and the Chevrolet Impala. The Chevrolet Malibu has two sets for the outboard seats, plus a fifth Latch connector in the middle. There may be others, but neither Cars.com nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is aware of them."
 
#21 ·
Took a Few pics of the new ride. I picked it up last night. Its not the Go Cart Ride of my G8 but its a Hell of a car. The interior and comfort is amazing. And that Hemi!! Need I say more. I love it!!
 

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#22 ·
Start Up Video! OMG I love you my HEMI. Its so beautiful sounding strait from that factory. You had to spend a good amount of money to get a G8 GT (V8) to sound like a V8. Thank You dodge!!!

 
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