E55 firesale?
John
John

Also, I googled your phone number...you seem to sell quite a bit of cars. Very slick but you got busted anyway. I will ask you nicely once: no commercial posts (or attempts at them) unless you are a paying sponsor
e55 no options- $84,275. lease price based on $80,000
10k @ yr, 39 mos
$2,500 due at signing
payment $1021 before tax
residual quoted at $47K
do this #s make sense?
if residual is indeed 57% for this special then my net is $31964? at 3% this = $861 per month? should I be lower than $1021 then even if the money down is $2k less?
the three favourable factors seem to be- higher than normal residual, being able to discount of msrp and the money factor. it seems the money factor if the least important in the equation.
thinking hard about this and appreciate any help. dealer will offer $28K for my c32 i just have to find tires to replace the snows on the stock rims.
by mid summer i expect starmarked 2003 e55s will hit mid -high $50Ks - i'm not sure if the lease deal works in my best interest. especially as the itch to mod kicks in after 2 yrs. i plan on keeping car awhile.
any help with verifying my numbers will be appreciated.
Thanks
You are not correctly computing the finance charge portion of the lease.
I believe most lease payments consist of three major parts:
1) Depreciation - this is simple to compute - take the sales price minus the residual value divided by the number of months in the lease
2) Finance charge - the money factor (which is just a different way of computing interest rate) is multiplied by the *sales price* of the vehicle PLUS the residual value, not the depreciation amount and then divided by term. See below for further detail.
3) Sales tax - varies by state, but for a general estimate take step 1 plus step 2 and multiply by your sales tax rate
So for your example:
1) (80,000 - 47,000) / 39 = $846
2) (80,000 + 47,000) * 0.00125 = $159
3) ?
So $1000/mo is right on.
Put another way, if all other things are equal and you have two cars that both have say $30,000 depreciation over the lease term but car a costs twice as much as car B, the lease payment on car A will be substantially more--the depreciation charge portion will be the same, but the finance charge portion will be substantially higher.
So in the same example in my above post if you use an interest rate of 7% that increases the finance portion of the payment by more than $200 month to $371.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
You are not correctly computing the finance charge portion of the lease.
I believe most lease payments consist of three major parts:
1) Depreciation - this is simple to compute - take the sales price minus the residual value divided by the number of months in the lease
2) Finance charge - the money factor (which is just a different way of computing interest rate) is multiplied by the *sales price* of the vehicle PLUS the residual value, not the depreciation amount and then divided by term. See below for further detail.
3) Sales tax - varies by state, but for a general estimate take step 1 plus step 2 and multiply by your sales tax rate
So for your example:
1) (80,000 - 47,000) / 39 = $846
2) (80,000 + 47,000) * 0.00125 = $159
3) ?
So $1000/mo is right on.
Put another way, if all other things are equal and you have two cars that both have say $30,000 depreciation over the lease term but car a costs twice as much as car B, the lease payment on car A will be substantially more--the depreciation charge portion will be the same, but the finance charge portion will be substantially higher.
That is exactly how it is computed, it takes about 2 minutes in Excel to make your own lease calculator, all you need are all the different pieces of the formula.
Total payment (to be redundant) is 1 + 2 + ((1+2)*tax rate)
I have heard that some states have changed their sales tax laws regarding leases and that they now charge sales tax on the full amount of the vehicle purchase, not just the depreciation portion. That could significantly raise the sales tax (#3) portion. I haven't seen this myself so I can't confirm.
Yes, it does seem like double counting. I believe the principal is that lessor views the deal almost like two transactions. First, they are buying the car on your behalf. Second, they are contracting to let you borrow (lease) the car over the agreed upon term for an agreed upon amount of money from the lessee. Both of those events carry financial risk to the lessor, and in the first case they are "borrowing" money to buy the car and in the second case they are in effect loaning you money (use of the car resulting in the depreciation of their asset).
The E55 AMG was designed with one purpose: to put you in an entirely different state of mind. With race-proven AMG performance credentials, the E55 AMG is truly a performance sedan unlike any other. Includes bonus Premium Package.◊
$999/mo. for 39 month lease10
$4,794 Total cash due at signing* Trim Package includes leather seat inserts w/MB tex, privacy glass, roof rails, Tele Aid. and HomeLink. Sunroof Package includes electric sunroof and rain-sensing wipers.
◊ Premium Package includes front active ventilated seats, left and right front drive-dynamic seats, COMAND DVD navigation, power rear-window sunshade, and 6-disc CD changer.
Special lease rates may not be reflected in lease calculator prices shown on MBUSA.com. Please see your dealer for final pricing.
Last edited by RJC; Mar 15, 2006 at 06:01 PM.
In some states (Ohio included), if you *purchase* a new vehicle AND trade in a used vehicle IN THE SAME TRANSACTION, you only pay sales tax on the net difference between the sales price of the new vehicle and the trade-in price of the used vehicle.
Example:
You buy a $60,000 new car and trade in an old car for $45,000 (doesn't matter what you paid for that car, only what the dealer pays on trade-in), you would only owe sales tax on $15,000.
I live in Ohio so I can only speak for sure for this state. And it only applies to a *new* *purchase*, not a used purchase or a new lease. But it is something to consider when looking at trading in vs. selling privately if you are buying a new car.

I have never leased a car and I am very reluctant to do so. I would only consider doing so because I can lease it in my company name and write 100% of the payment off, where in a purchase you can only depriciate the car a small amount every year. After paying all the fees, plus GAP insurance, plus dealing with the lease termination, I don't think I would be willing to do the lease unless the "REAL NUMBERS" made it such an overwhelming bargain.
Are you guys considering the lease because it is just a cheaper "payment", or because it is really so much better of a deal in the long term?
lease special still on.....until 5/01 i believe.
contemplating trading my c32 (paid off) towards lease of e55. minimal or no monthly payment......with intention to purchase at end of vehicles lease. bad idea? what are the pitfalls in this scenario? can i negotiate price or will the dealer have me by the ***** at that time?
i've "test fitted" a number of benzes and the e55 is the car for me....even more comfortable than the new S class. and the e55 with torque monster s/c motor and classic/ beautiful looks will appeal to me for many many yrs to come......would definitely get the extended 3 yr warranty so i'm good for 7 yrs to 100,000 miles.
the 28k offered on trade is generous (assuming it can stand alone and i'm not getting shafted elsewhere).
do it?


2006: But, now I am leaning towards leasing a new 2006. The best discount I've seen so far is in the $11-12K range, which seems like a pretty good deal, although they may come out with incentive cash in May/june when the E63s arrive.



