Best lease deals on a c-max SE

[dpmarc]

I was wondering what some of the best lease deals out there are on a Cmax SE (202a). Im in Southern california and want to get an idea of what a good-great monthly payment would be, and how much down.

 

Also curious what the best lease term/ mileage would be?

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Marc

[FoutsNC]

The calculator online can help you get an idea.  I put $5000 down for a 24 month lease with 13,500 milage allowance.  My payments are $244/mo.  In NC, they include property taxes and licensing fees that most states don't.  I think it was around $215 without those fees.

 

On that topic, the Ford lease worked out to be a whole lot cheaper than anything that Toyota could put out.  I am not sure if Ford is beefing up their residuals to sell more ofthe C-Max or if Toyota just doesn't want to lease cars.  In either case, it was interesting to see that the difference was about $250 per month more for a cheaper (no frills) Prius V on the same lease. I can't seem to bring up the Toyota lease calculator now to verify the exact numbers, but it was around there.

 

To do it for the C-Max, just select the option to build your own and the payment calculator will come up on the bottom.  Click on it to change your options to a Lease and then adjust the numbers, the payment amount will change as you adjust your options.  My payments were pretty close to what that calculator shows.  I negotiated the price down, and then had to add the costs back for the state fees.

 

Good luck with your purchase!

[NicksCMax]

I got a 24 month lease with 15,000 miles per year for just over $300, this is with $7000 down - pretty high taxes here in CA; everyone gets a piece of the pie.  I am happy with my deal though, and its with Ford credit.  If the car changes much in two years, then I wont buy it - if things are going well, I'll keep it.  

[jhinsc]

Putting large amounts down for a shorter term lease doesn't seem to make sense to me.  $244/mo and $5000 down spread out over 2 months equates to $441/mo.  $300/mo with $7000 down over 24 months equates to $592/mo.  Seems high given the mileage limits and the fact you won't get any of it back.  I'm in the market for new car this year and I'm interested in the CMax, among others, if I decide not to buy out my Prius.  But when I leased my Prius in 2010 IV, I had $1,000 trade equity, nothing down and lease payment of $349/mo with 15k miles per year for 36 mo.  First 25k miles maintenance is free, so I've paid for 2 service/oil changes and had to replace tires at $415 cost.  Unless Ford can do same or better, I fear I may have to scratch them off my list.

[FoutsNC]

I usually trade cars in very frequently and that's why a lease makes more sense to me.  I turn in the keys and walk away at the end of the lease.  A 60 month 0% purchase would be $443 a month compared to the $410 you calculated (have to take out property tax from the lease payment since purchase agreements don't include them).  In 2 years with a purchase I would be up for the whole trade negotiation again that can be a pain, especially on a 1st gen car. Ford Credit is also known to do early buyouts and they usually forgive much more than other lease providers out there in my experience.

 

Your 2010 Prius IV also had a lower sticker price than the C-Max or the newer Prius offerings too.  I checked the same setup on a Prius before I purchased the C-Max and the lease was much more expensive (like around the high $400s).  I can't seem to even get a lease calculator up on the Toyota site anymore though.  If you can find it, do the online calculations to check.

 

With all taken into account though, my current lease will work out to be 37.6 cents per mile with 27,000 miles.  Your 2010 lease works out to 30.1 cents per mile at 45,000 miles. That doesn't sound like a good thing for the C-Max until you take into account the difference in sticker price and 3rd year depreciation.  Yours was (ballpark)  $26,550 and my sticker price was right at $30,000 with the discounts I received (Not sure what discounts Toyota gave you on yours).  That's an 11.5% difference which would bring my price per mile to 33.2 cents per mile.  This is without taking the 2 versus 3 year difference and local cost/tax differences. I don't think it's too much of a difference at all, but that's my opinion.

 

I wouldn't suggest that anyone rule out the C-Max when comparing it to the Prius by the lease cost alone.  Look at all the numbers closely along with the difference in the driving experience.  I think C-Max will surely stay in the running from my experience and from those I have personally spoken with about it.  Drive them both and get the sales managers from both lots to give you their best lease/purchase offers. I believe that the C-Max would hold up quite well in that type of a comparison.

[jhinsc]

I agree with your calculation of 30.1 cent per mile of my lease as it include all costs, taxes and fees rolled in - these costs don't go away because you don't count them ($349 x 36 +$1000). I come up with 45.2 cent per mile for your lease over 27k miles with all costs rolled in.  ($300 x 24 +$5,000)/27000.  Granted, your CMax is higher priced than my Prius IV was, but not by 50% more.  If my lease term was shorter or your lease was longer, maybe our cost per mile would be closer together.

 

There's more to deciding to buy or lease a particular car than just price, but it's a major factor.  Let's face it, if you're like me and don't like a vehicle, even if it was a screaming deal, I wouldn't take it since I'm at the point in life where I don't have to.  I like to lease too because I tend not to keep my cars forever, but with leasing I will not put a large amount, if any, down, while keeping my payment reasonable.  To me it doesn't make financial sense to give a large sum upfront just to have a lower lease payment - I'd rather keep the money in the bank and use it to supplement the payment. But, if I were to purchase my next car, which I am considering, I will put $'s down because the idea is to pay it off as quickly as possible.

[FoutsNC]

My lease is $244 with all fees and taxes rolled in.  The Toyota service is a joke in my area, so that would be of NO benefit.  When we had our Sienna van I had their service plan and I waited in dealerships more for those 2 years than I have my whole life.  If I were to purchase another Toyota, I would be asking that they not provide that and that they just give me the credit.  NC also has annual property tax that must be paid within the lease payment each month.  I forgot that SC also requires the same thing now, I think it changed a since the 90s when I had a vehicle there.  With that, the numbers would be (($244*24)+$5000)/27000 which equals .402 per mile.  That is 33% higher than your per mile cost, but I don't think the numbers would be that far off today. The similar equipped Prius was more expensive for a 2 year lease when I purchased the C-Max in November, and by quite a bit.  Either way, I am happy paying what I am for it because it's a great car.  That's a deal in comparison to what I was paying :) When you come to make that choice, or when anyone does, check out both cars and all finance options and choose what is right for you.

[jhinsc]

My bad! Apologies for mixing up the two posts and numbers!  You are correct with .402 per mile versus mine at .301 per mile.  Wonder what the Ford lease payment would have been for 36 months.  I've always had good success on a 3 year lease trading in about 6 months early at about 30 months, and tend to buy/lease later in the model year (Aug - Nov).  I drive 18 - 20k miles per year and my mileage overage doesn't seem to hurt me at trade time or end of lease since I start from near the end of the model rather than the beginning.  I still think financially it makes sense to put less $ down on a lease.  Even with gap insurance, you won't recover your down payment if the car is totaled in an accident.

 

Once taxes are done (ugh!) I'll concentrate on looking at everything on my short list which includes; CMax, Fusion Hybrid, Prius V, and Camry Hyrbrid.  I am fascinated by the Volt but I think it will lack the utility I need for long trips with the dog and luggage.  I like my Prius a lot, but wish it was just bit wider and roomier.  I've never had problems achieving EPA combined mpg rating on any vehicle I've owned so I'm not bothered about reports that CMax and Fusion drivers are getting lower mpg.  There are plenty of people who can't get 50 mpg in the Prius - my lifetime avg is almost 52 mpg.

[roninsd]

I leased an SEL (300a) for 3 years: $3500 down, $305ish/mo, plus tax and interior protection package.  Total, $355/mo. 

[Disluvr]

I am so confused reading this.  Can't decide whether to get the C-Max or a Prius.  I have a 2008 Prius with 73000 miles on it and it's in great shape.  Would it pay me to lease or would I be better off trading it in and purchasing the CMax?    I was worried about the cargo space in the CMax.  It didn't seem as large as the Prius.  Worried about luggage when I travel.  Also, when I test drove the CMAX SE yesterday, I thought the gas pedal was pretty close to the brake and that had me concerned.  Did anyone else think that?  Any suggestions.  I can't get the CMax out of my mind.

[pjurek99]

$2,000.00 down

trade-in: $18,500-$21,700 upside/down equity (-$3,200)

minus two rebates ($1,250 total)

36 months 15k miles

My car is SEL + 301A

I pay $491/month (35 times)

extended warranty + tire/wheel protection rolled in.

 

So it is like $0.426 per mile. Am I correct?

 

Good? Bad?

Edited May 4, 2013 by pjurek99