Pre-ordering a 2019 E450: Prices, money factor and residuals
 

Just returned from my dealer. Here are the relevant particulars:

Lease for 36 months, 10,000 miles per year:

Money factor is .00194 which is 4.656% (not great but not bad)

Residual: 59% (I think it is low, but it is what it is)


My MSRP was $70,205 as follows:

· 2019 E450 4matic $ 59,950

· 775 Iridium Silver Metallic 720

· PO1 Premium Package 1,750

· 167 Luxury Line

· 319 Exterior Lighting Package 800

· 996 Parking Assist 1,290

· 997 Driver Assist Package 2,250

· R54 18” Twin Spoke Wheels 500

· 443 Heated Steering Wheel 250

· 464 Digital Instrument Cluster 850

· 810 Burmester Surround Sound System 850

· Destination 995


MSRP $ 70,205

Costco discount and incentives $ 6,724 (9.58%)

Selling price $ 63,481

To be added to the $63,481:

· Bank fee $ 995

· Document fee 75

· NYS sales tax 2,944

· NYS motor vehicle fee 23

· 2-year maintenance 890

Net adjusted price $ 68,407


Monthly payments come to $949 with $1,045.80 due at signing. Taxes and bank fee are rolled into the monthly payment.

Note: On the DOG the Premium Package (PO1) is listed at $3,150. However, when you add in the Driver assist package (997) the Premium Package is reduced to $1,750 and the Burmester Sound Package (810) is added at $850. The total of the Premium Package ($1,750) and the Burmester ($850) is $2,600 a savings of $550.

The dealer explained to me that the Driver Assist Package has active lane change assist which is an upgrade from the Blind spot assist in the Premium Package and therefore there is a credit for the Blind Spot assist.

My goal was to come in under $1,000 a month with everything in the lease.

I have now contacted my local dealer(s) to see if they can beat this price.

Finally, my dealer said if I ordered now, he has production slots for October and that I would receive the car in November. My lease on my 2016 E350 ends on December 30 so I will wait another 3 weeks to place my order to have delivery in December.

Finally, the $949 is based on the current money factor and residuals which may change. However, the dealer is fairly confident that there will be additional incentives in December which should more than offset any change in either the residuals or money factor. So the lease should be $949 or lower.

its sad how an E class with V6 is now a $1000 car.... It used to be that the S class and S550s were a 1000 car. Granted a few years back. but still. Sorry just wanted to vent.

I went to the Costco dealer first. I then sent out a standard letter to the 15/20 dealers within 25 miles of where I live asking them whether they were interested in ordering the car for me and if so what the monthly payment would be. Here is copy of my letter of inquiry:

"Gentlemen:

I am presently leasing a 2016 Mercedes E350. The lease ends December 30, 2018. The lease is through Mercedes Benz financial.

I wish to replace this car with a 2019 Mercedes E450 4matic. I would like the lease to commence on or about December 30, 3018. The lease will be for 36 months, 3 years, 10,000 miles per year.

Here are the details for the car:

· 775 Iridium Silver Metallic
· 145 Macchiato Beige/Expresso Brown MB-Tex
· PO1 Premium Package
· 167 Luxury Line
· 319 Exterior Lighting Package
· 996 Parking Assistance Package
· 997 Driver Assistance Package
· 731 Burl Walnut Wood
· 777 Center Console in Burl Walnut Wood
· R54 18” Twin 5-SpokeWheels
· 443 Heated Steering Wheel
· 464 12.3” Digital Instrument Cluster
· 810 Burmester Surround Sound System
· Pre-paid service 2 years/20,000 miles

If you are interested in ordering this car for me, please advise the monthly payment. The monthly payment is to include:

· Bank fee
· NYS sales tax
· Any and all incentives available
· I will transferring my NY plates from my 2016 E350 to the new car

At lease inception all I want to pay is first month’s lease payment and license fees."

I am now waiting for responses.

It looks like Costco is worth the membership, just for the auto purchase.

You are looking at the coupe, right?

E450 4matic Sedan not the coupe

I just went to Costco put in my zip code and everything was there: 2019 Mercedes Benz E450 4matic.

I live in the NY City region and we have Costco affiliated dealers for MB (2), BMW (2) and Audi (1).

Suggest you call Costco and they will give you the name of the dealer and the contact person.

BTW, very, very pleasant dealing with the Costco MB dealership: Very straight forward and all prices are freely given.

Curious, is that MF buy rate/base or dealer padded? I leased my 2018 E400 Coupe, with a MSRP of 73k at 36/10k with California tax I am at 859 a month. First and fees down. Admittedly this was done in January, so MF and residual were different. The coupe usually leases poorly compared to the sedan, so 949 seemed a bit high to me. I could be mistaken.

Comparatively, my leased 2015 E350 sedan, 2k down, 36/15k moderately optioned came in at 662/month with taxes.

My present lease for my 2016 E350 4matic with prepaid service, MSRP $62,640 is $632 - no money down. Residual was 61% and money factor I believe around 1% to 2% -

This car MSRP is $70,205 plus maintenance of $890, total $71,095. Residuals are lower 59% and money factor is higher .00194. MF is from MB Financial. Do not think it is padded by the dealer.

From the posts on this board people were finding it difficult to get under $1000 a month all in.

I have now received a second quote of $978 per month with $1098 due at signing.

Frankly at these prices I am going to look at the BMW 540i xDrive, which lists for $2,000 less, has a residual of 61% and huge dealer incentives, $3500 and comes standard with full leather plus Costco discounts. If the 540i comes in $100/150 less a month ($3600/$5400 over three years) I may have to go that way.

I have owned both and they different but good!

Third dealer quote is $969, $1098 down. Incentives seem to be only $500 from MB plus Costco $500 - which is not much of an incentive!

That's quite the penalty on the V6 models. In this instance I'd wait until the winter event in December and if not much better that 540 is a great alternative.

Just went to Costco and put in your zip code and you are correct! No sedan!

However, if you click the 450 4matic coupe you will get a dealer and then you can go from there.

Here is a secret: the Costco incentive is only $500 so the real savings is in time (not having to go from dealer to dealer) not money.

Because the residuals are so low (59%), money factor so high (.00194 over 4.5% interest) and incentives so low, total of $1,000 (includes Costco $500) I am contacting the Costco BMW dealer. The MSRP of the 540i xDrive with leather seats (standard) but without the digital instrument cluster ($850) lists for $2,000 less, the residuals are 61% and money factor is less and the incentives $2500!

Hopefully the monthly payments will be substantially less.

I am stunned by monthly lease payments of mid $900 for an E Class!

7% or 9.5% off of MSRP (what my dealer is giving me) still without incentives makes the E Class very, very expensive to lease! (low residuals high money factor)

BTW, are you saying with European Delivery there is no shipping costs - no cost to ship the car back to the US?

With Euro delivery there is no shipping cost and no $995 destination charge.

I did the same thing on the Costco WEBSITE Big deal off $500. Kind of meaningless Easier to just grind it with your local dealer. I was quoted $2900 under invoice for a 2018 e400 Did not have my color combo. Better discounts if you are a USSA member or VET (Im both)

Perhaps the way to look at the Costco discount is that the price the participating dealer gives you is very, very competitive. So far, after doing an internet search, only one dealer has beat the Costco dealer and that is by only $10 a month. So the real savings is in time not money.

But I agree $500 is not much.

Update: a comparably equipped 2019 BMW 540i xDrive is leasing out for over $100 a month cheaper.

at a 4.5% interest rate- maybe I'll consider a "1 payment" lease this time... does anyone know if that results in the same thing as a MF of 0 with sum of all monthly payments due at lease inception? I'd guess that. Thanks.

Read my prior posts on leasing: You do not want to do a one payment lease: A one payment lease is like putting money down.

If something happens to you car, it is stolen or totaled, you insurance company is obligated to pay of the lease balance. As you have paid it off, your insurance company has no liability. Worse, all the money you have paid is gone. PUFF! it is gone!

I've heard this is old wives tale... the insurance is obligated to insure your vehicle at market value. not your debt. does this seem more plausible?

Thats just like saying for everyone who outright owns their vehicle, insurance will not cover the comp and collision..

If you own your car and it is totaled or stolen then your insurance pays you the market value of your car. Some policies, for extra money (premium) pay you a stated value, but most pay you the value of the car.

If you are leasing for 36 months at $900 per month and the car is stolen or totaled for example in the 6 month, leaving 30 payments the insurance pays off the balance, $27,000 plus the value of the car at the end of lease.. If you put down $5,000 and paid the taxes up front so that your monthly payments are now $600 per month, the insurance pays off the balance $18,000 plus the value of the car at the end of the lease. If you pay up front the entire lease, then the insurance pays off the value of the car.

As you can see what ever you have paid up front is gone: PUFF!. That is why you should never put anything down on a lease, either a cap cost reduction (down payment) or pay the taxes up front.

Of course if the car is not totaled then the insurance pays for the repairs.

I wont disagree with you fully as I haven't personally called up my insurance company to confirm this =)

But the value of the car isn't = car value - lease payments.
So lets say the car is worth 60k, you make full one time payment of 20k and on day one the car disappears into thing air, the value of the car is still worth 60k and not 40k. The insurance company will cut a check to Benz for 60k (as technically they own the vehicle as the lienholder).

You do not lose 20k, you went into a contractual lease agreement with Benz for 36mths at 20k. - They still owe you are car for 36mths. Whether you can start a new lease from scratch i do not know - but you went into a binding legal agreement and you paid for your services. Benz still owes you a car for the price you paid. These are my thoughts and at one point i have discussed this with the sales manager, unless he told me something false, that is a different story ;)