tiri

This coming Friday, I will be returning my GLE 450 after 14 months. 😢 No, it’s not because of the problems I’ve had with the car, rather it’s for more important reasons.

Due to Covid, our needs have changed, and as such we are moving from our 1280 sq-ft 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom condo, to a Newly constructed detached house twice the size. In order to respect an income/debt ratio below 40% (we lowered it to 37), we had to cut where it was easiest.

Goodbye GLE 450, hello A220 sedan. The good news is our payment will be half of what it was, and on top of that, we took one of the dealer’s Demo units, further reducing the overall cost.

Considering the GLE only had 14,000 km (8,700 miles), and is still in perfect shape, has a beautiful yet rare colour, and is very well optioned, we broke even when comparing market value and residual value on the lease. I’m sure it was worth more than residual, but my focus was on getting out of that lease and into a much more affordable one.

Although I am a bit saddened we are trading in a mid-sized SUV for a subcompact car, I look at the larger priority which was securing the house we wanted.

I’m just happy the whole process at our dealer was quick and easy. Which is why I’m confident we will be able to get out of this new lease almost as easily as well when the time comes and we are ready to go back the way of the GLE.

I wanted to thank this forum and it’s members for providing useful information, a Canadian dealer order guide (even before Netstar was updated to take our order), as well as troubleshooting issues as they arose.

Cheers!
🥂🍻

Philamg

Hope all goes well Tiri, thanks for your input and enjoy your new car and home.

places

Good luck with the new house!

Ron.s

You have your priorities right 👍

stealth.pilot

Good move. Space is far more useful inside your house than inside your car. And the A220 is a great car - i've had it as a loaner and really enjoyed it.

We're also in the process of building a bigger home right now. With COVID the benefits of a larger house are amplified since you spend so much time at home, and I think that will be the case even after COVID. Ways of working have changed on a long term basis.

tiri

I was given an A220 as a courtesy vehicle for a few days 2 weeks ago when I brought the GLE in for service, and I much preferred it over the GLC and C300, and especially over the old CLA and GLA which were really tiny in comparison. I find hte little turbo four a willing engine, and the ar feels so light and nimble compared to the GLE450. Clearly different vehicles with different masses and centres of gravity. But still, the only thing I will truly miss is the trunk space.