[D_Nyholm]

Hello,
THis is my first post here, I am considering getting a MCS in the near future and wanted to gain as much information as I can. Does anyone have any information on the Money Factors and Residual Values here in the US? I did a search and it seems as though the Residual is around 61% and the only money factor I could find was from last september (I think). I am trying to work up a lease payment on this car to see if I can replace my other car. Please point me in the right direction!! Thanks and happy motoring!!

[D_Nyholm]

hmmm, no one has leased their mini?

[Paul]

Welcome to MINI2.

Give people a little while to help out, but I'm sure you'll get your advice soon.

In the mean time, have you tried a search for "lease"? There's a good chance it's been discussed before and you might find what you need that way. Often quicker than waiting for a new reply.

Good luck!

Paul

[I'MKEITH]

when i bought my mcs , i asked about a lease.
my dealer quoted a much higher monthly payment, than an
four year loan.

[D_Nyholm]

I searched again for "lease" and found nothing again. All the results seem to be around from August. That doesn't help me much. I assume the residual is the same, but the money factor would be different now I would assume. If they are anything like BMW, they have a single money factor for EVERYONE so it should be simple to get an accurate payment before I go into the dealership.

The other thing that I determined is that it is MORE expensive to buy a car and sell it in 3 years that if you lease a car and get rid of it in 3 years. I am not planning on keeping the car for more than 3 years, I would need a bigger car since I am getting married and most likely will have kids in 3-5 years. I sure hope these dealers aren't padding their numbers in order to get a little more profit into thier pockets!!!

[Rae]

Don't go through Mini's Financing for a lease.. they're REALLY taking in some profit. I'm paying about $70 less a month compared to the dealer financing offerings. The advantage of going through the dealership is that it's faster and less hassle, but if you've got time and determination, you can save a lot

I just signed the lease for my car and picked it up a week and a half ago, so the money factors I was quoted are a bit more recent, I suppose.

If you're looking at a 36 month lease, the money factor was 4.9% if you had a credit rating of at least 700. For 48 months, it went down to 4.4%. Residuals don't change much from leasing company to leasing company, but the money factors sure do. I know that my experience was that MINI Financing won't match those money factors... if you're interested in these rates, email racerpete@aol.com (web address is http://www.primelease.com). Tell him Rachel sent you! Great guy to work with and the patience of a saint.

[Paul]

Thanks Keith and Rae, I'm glad someone's come up trumps with some helpful advice!

[Rae]

Quote:

Originally posted by Paul Mullett
Thanks Keith and Rae, I'm glad someone's come up trumps with some helpful advice!

Thanks Paul.. it's rarely that I can add anything useful to this resource-rich source!

Always glad to help!

[HonoluluDoug]

Leased my MINI on 36 month, 15,000 mile/yr at 61% residual. Payments came out much less than a 60 mo loan.

[stryder]

Quote:

Originally posted by D_Nyholm
The other thing that I determined is that it is MORE expensive to buy a car and sell it in 3 years that if you lease a car and get rid of it in 3 years. I am not planning on keeping the car for more than 3 years, I would need a bigger car since I am getting married and most likely will have kids in 3-5 years. I sure hope these dealers aren't padding their numbers in order to get a little more profit into thier pockets!!!

Having just gotten a check for the full value of my MINI, it lost 2.5% in one year and 15.5K miles. I'd actually do a bit more research on values, since I expect that even in 3 years, they may not deprciate anywhere near the 39% MINI seems to expect them to.

Of course its gambling and you have the hassel of selling the car, so you may not want to get into it, but MINIs are limited production, so they certainly hold their value better then either luxury cars or normal cars at the moment. Check the latest news story as well, Paul posted something about values.