Hey everyone,
I have a 2010 GL350 w/ 60K miles for the wifey and she's getting sort of bored with the car (after all, this is her 3rd GL, we had an '09 and '08 before this one). My son is going to college and my other son is already starting to drive and will get his own car soon, so I think it's time to get a smaller, albeit faster sedan or 4 door coupe instead of another large SUV. I have approx. 40 months left of financing the GL350 at 1200 dollars/month and am looking to replace the car (I've had it for 36 months) with a new lease on a 2013 CLS550 because of the new mbrace2 features (Facebook, Google Street View, Yelp, COMAND Online, etc.).

I have some questions, if you would be so kind to answer! I hope this forum is super helpful like the W212 forum, unlike the X164 forum, where it's a little hard to get some questions answered
Here they are:

1) I only want the CLS550 for 24 months. How is short term leasing on the car? I'm looking for a moderately loaded car priced around $800 a month with minimal down. Can I put down multiple security deposits instead?

2) How easy do you think it will be to negotiate on a 2013 since all it is is a carry-over model with new telematics? I live in the Los Angeles area if it makes any difference

3) When should I trade in my current car for the best deals? Right when the '13's come out or during the winter event? Will it make that much of a difference? The problem is that in Feb 2013, I'm already planning to place an order for a '13 ML350 to replace my current '11 E350 lease, plus I'll be leasing ANOTHER car for my son, who is getting his license around December as well... :/

Please help me! Btw, what are your thoughts on the new BMW 640i Gran Coupe? My sons are telling me it might be an alternative to the CLS, plus it comes with free maintenance!

 

1. The $800 mark with down looks more doable for 36 months.

2. Will be harder on a 2013. Why dont you look at a late build 2012. The differences vs. price break are to your advantage here.

3. For a 2012, trade now. For a 2013 wait till Feb. Past the holidays & the beginning of year purchases. You are always likely to get a better deal on something that has been sitting on the lot for a while

640GC: Love it's looks. For a nicely equipped one, you are in the high 90's or even slightly over 100K. This is for a V6. For the V8 you are easily in CLS63 price. It is definitely an emotional purchase, not a logical one. If the looks overwhelm you, then it is a great buy.

 

Doubt $800 would be doable unless you put a big DP down. I went to check out a CLS just for kicks and payments were around $1350 with 5k down if I remember correct.

 

Not a fan of the Gran coupe. If it came with the bi-turbo V8 standard, the pricing may be right. But almost $100k for an inline six is nuts! I dont think $800 a month is going to happen, thats about what Im paying for my P2 E350 on a lease

 

I don't think you're going to get an $800 lease payment without either a massive (~$20k) discount or a huge down payment. The offer on mbusa.com is $1029 for 39 months with about $4k down. I think a good deal would be in the mid-upper 900's.

As for the 640i, the whole 6 gran coupe thing is ridiculously overpriced. Even a loaded 640i can go above a cls63 in price. I think the 640i competes directly with the base Pamamera since they are both $80-100k cars with a ~300hp v6. The base CLS is a 402hp v8 that starts $10k less.

 

Wow, those payments might be a little high, but I'm sure they're no higher than the BMW's based on the prices I've just heard.
But still! $900 - $1000??
Last month, my dealer was giving me an S550 for that price :/

Thanks for all the input thus far

 

S550 is basically flagship car for Mercedes along with C and E.....CLS is a newbie and I wouldn't see a payment under $1000 unless a HIGH DP is put down....Get the new GL, it is bad ***

 

That is cause the S is on it's last leg. In a year when the new S is out you will see nicely equipped S 36-39Mo, 12K a yr lease at 1600+ per month (nothing down)

Most S class customers (& I used to have an S before the CLS) are waiting for the new one & won't commit to one to over lap with a new model on the horizon

You will likely see the $800Mo lease on a CLS toward the end of the model run

 

That's what I was thinking. A good way to gauge this is what the previous CLS's were going for toward the end of their runs, as they were practically being given away (slowing to stalled sales after the initial new-model pop).

As for the 6 GC, regardless of ones subjective opinions, BMW are charing a HUGELY illogical premium for a sleek roof and some dramatic flair to the styling (i.e in comparison to say a 5-Series of which it is completely based off of). I priced a 640i GC with M Sport and a few other smaller options for $88K. A 650i with those same options will be over $100K. I also priced an M5 for kicks and it needed basically no options, i.e the same price as the moderately equipped 640i GC.

 

As a competitor, you could look at the new Audi S7 coming in September.