I see three contributing factors: body lift, and New Hampshire roads.

Tom, it’s not the depreciation. They have a decent non-subvented residual. It’s the rate.

Now a little clarification on my part: those brands added an additional incentive beyond normal conquest. But it was still calculated into the lease. Porsche was included, but I didn’t list it. I blame the usability of this site on my phone.

Tom, careful here. The competitive conquest rebate isn’t just any non-FCA vehicle. It’s actually quite specific. My Cadillac owners don’t qualify. It’s only Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Audi owners.

Also a car salesman here. Had a customer trade in a perfectly good X550 m-sport in the winter because “it’s absolutely undriveable in the snow”. Now, in my defense, I didn’t see the car until the deal was done, but was a bit baffled by why it would be that bad in the snow. It’s a BMW, and they ain’t great, but they’re…

Customer to Management: Thingy doesn’t work right! Your engineering sucks!

Well, he doesn’t work for them (the blog author).

, I work at a local competitor to the Blog Author and am at odds with his take on things which comes as no surprise given the known differences between how clients are dealt with one place to the other.

Tom,

Tom, careful with this advice. Yes, I definitely agree with your central point, but there are also going to be special incentives on certain models (special event cars for instance) that allow that extra discount. It doesn’t mean one dealer is holding a lot more cash back or that a consumer can get the same deal on…

No, you didn’t. They either dropped the price or decreased the money factor.

That’s incorrect. Unless VW or the dealer titled these cars at some point, the warranty clock starts running from date of purchase.

Because, put simply, there isn’t enough of a market.

You shouldn’t have to go in and physically talk to a salesperson to get the information needed. If they require you to come in to get a quote, find a different dealer.

Most leases have GAP built into the lease for a very simple reason: The lending institution is covering their losses against excessive depreciation.

That’s pretty amazing. In CT, the state actually requires us to be in the car or it’s not insured. We are issued special insurance and “driver’s cards”.

Still a tricky question. These aren’t my cars, and my friends might be more inclined to push a car that isn’t theirs because we’re friends. If they are really looking for a performance car, then maybe. If they are just killing time, friend or not, the answer is pretty much no.

I can respect that, and if I get the feeling that you're not crazy and legitimate, then I'm going to eventually let you drive.

Understandable. But you don’t HAVE to test drive the car with that salesman. You can opt for a different salesman or choose a different dealer. I have to protect my safety without endangering the deal.

I go on test drives every day, and it’s always a huge question mark as to how it’s going to go. Doesn’t matter if it’s a young kid, a mom, a dad, or an octogenarian. I’ve had scarier rides with completely sober, sane people than with crazed hell-bent-for-leather types.