Lease End Options
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 322
Likes: 5
From: Albany, NY
2015 C350 Coupe
Lease End Options
So the lease on my 2013 C250 ended in August with me extending the lease for 6 months. I mean who wouldn't extend a lease with a monthly payment of $309 on a car with the premium package, multimedia package and lip spoiler?
The 6 month extension will be up in February. I'd rather not wait that long as what I want might not be available and I'd like to jump on a replacement when I find one.
What I want is simple: C350 in palladium silver, Black interior with aluminum accents, lighting package, multimedia package and lip spoiler. The problem is that when I contacted the local dealer, he had an almost perfect specimen. Unfortunately it was dark grey and had the blind spot monitoring equipment. After driving it, I found the 6 cyl engine to be big step up from the turbo 4. When I step on the gas in my C250, the car says, "I think I can." The 6 cyl says, "I know I can."
Then reality set in. The dealership wanted 3K down and $559.45 for 36 month. For contrast, the dealer gave me numbers on a C250 which came in at 3K down and $342.52 for 36 months. The C250 was Iridium silver with black interior and walnut trim, deck spoiler, nav, and 18” AMG twin 5 spoke wheels. I ran the numbers and noticed something: Both cars have a residual amount of about 29K. I guess with the new coupe coming out in March, MB wants to get all they can for the coupes up front because they think that no one will want the old style in 3 years.
I went to Mercedes website and specked out a C250: Palladium Silver, black MB-Tex, aluminum trim, lighting package, multimedia package, and lip spoiler: $45,205 or 3K down $356 for 36 months. Luckily, all these numbers are before we negotiate. Bottom Line: I can afford to lease the C250, not the C350. Then I thought of something: why not look at the used market and see if I can find a used C350. Since both the C350 and C250 seem to price out similarly in the used market, maybe I can get what I want and eventually own the car.
After looking at CPO cars on the MB website, I found that within 500 miles of my home in upstate NY, there are no cars that fit my spec. I guess I’ll have to settle for either leasing a C250 or settling for a car in the used market that is not exactly what I want. Beyond that, it seems that leases on the C350 were far more aggressive in the past and are now more costly in the used market.
My final thought is to lease a C250 and then look for a used C350 when that lease ends.
Can someone verify my logic to see if I am on track for leasing another C250 and also let me know what is the best way to search inventory within the north eastern US. I don’t want to visit each dealer’s website to search each dealer’s inventory separately.
The 6 month extension will be up in February. I'd rather not wait that long as what I want might not be available and I'd like to jump on a replacement when I find one.
What I want is simple: C350 in palladium silver, Black interior with aluminum accents, lighting package, multimedia package and lip spoiler. The problem is that when I contacted the local dealer, he had an almost perfect specimen. Unfortunately it was dark grey and had the blind spot monitoring equipment. After driving it, I found the 6 cyl engine to be big step up from the turbo 4. When I step on the gas in my C250, the car says, "I think I can." The 6 cyl says, "I know I can."
Then reality set in. The dealership wanted 3K down and $559.45 for 36 month. For contrast, the dealer gave me numbers on a C250 which came in at 3K down and $342.52 for 36 months. The C250 was Iridium silver with black interior and walnut trim, deck spoiler, nav, and 18” AMG twin 5 spoke wheels. I ran the numbers and noticed something: Both cars have a residual amount of about 29K. I guess with the new coupe coming out in March, MB wants to get all they can for the coupes up front because they think that no one will want the old style in 3 years.
I went to Mercedes website and specked out a C250: Palladium Silver, black MB-Tex, aluminum trim, lighting package, multimedia package, and lip spoiler: $45,205 or 3K down $356 for 36 months. Luckily, all these numbers are before we negotiate. Bottom Line: I can afford to lease the C250, not the C350. Then I thought of something: why not look at the used market and see if I can find a used C350. Since both the C350 and C250 seem to price out similarly in the used market, maybe I can get what I want and eventually own the car.
After looking at CPO cars on the MB website, I found that within 500 miles of my home in upstate NY, there are no cars that fit my spec. I guess I’ll have to settle for either leasing a C250 or settling for a car in the used market that is not exactly what I want. Beyond that, it seems that leases on the C350 were far more aggressive in the past and are now more costly in the used market.
My final thought is to lease a C250 and then look for a used C350 when that lease ends.
Can someone verify my logic to see if I am on track for leasing another C250 and also let me know what is the best way to search inventory within the north eastern US. I don’t want to visit each dealer’s website to search each dealer’s inventory separately.
