Leasing a car

[qwikz28]

Guys:

I have been throwing around the idea of selling my Saab and leasing a car. I've effectively decided on a car but I have no experience with leasing and I'm concerned about the return process. Will I be charged for every dent and scratch? Will I be charged for four tires if they are anything less than brand new?

How have your experiences been with leasing?

[Blackbirdws6]

The car does not need to be returned in perfect condition and the tires essentially do not need to be brand new. Paint chips, minor scratches, etc are all normal wear and tear so they won't get you on that. Big dents, broken items, etc would be something they can try to get you for. Read the lease terms and it should define the return condition of the vehicle.

In general I wouldn't be concerned unless you plan on bringing the car in over the mileage limit, missing a front end and with bald tires.

With that said, what are you picking up?

[qwikz28]

The car does not need to be returned in perfect condition and the tires essentially do not need to be brand new. Paint chips, minor scratches, etc are all normal wear and tear so they won't get you on that. Big dents, broken items, etc would be something they can try to get you for. Read the lease terms and it should define the return condition of the vehicle.

In general I wouldn't be concerned unless you plan on bringing the car in over the mileage limit, missing a front end and with bald tires.

With that said, what are you picking up?

Looking at a new Cadillac CTS. Nothing crazy, RWD 2.0T and basically one step above the base model that you never really see on dealership lots anyway.

[sweetbmxrider]

Also, they are more forgiving if you are picking up a new lease. Usually tell customers to wait to repair any damage if its somewhat minor. No sense in fixing a bumper 6 months into the lease when it could be damaged again before turn in. You can usually ask before you turn it in what you will be charged for the tires, brakes, etc and they you decide if its cost effective to turn in as is or slap some cheaper **** on it. I think most are friendly with the turn in process.

[qwikz28]

So basically the dealer will be more forgiving when I return the car if they can make the money on a second lease?

[sweetbmxrider]

So basically the dealer will be more forgiving when I return the car if they can make the money on a second lease?

This is second hand information but yes. Like Brian said, if the car isn't destroyed, you are in relatively good shape. Mileage is where they get you. Just discuss it with whomever you are leasing from. Get it in writing too :wink:

[//<86TA>\\]

I leased an acura years ago.
When returning you were allowed a few dings or scratches on various panels smaller than a quarter, tires had to have a certain amount of tread, iirc it was 6/32 or something. Normal wear and tear is fine.

Just make sure the yearly mileage allotment is enough for you, if you go over a lot it can get quite expensive.

If you inquire they will probably give you the checklist of turn in requirements if you ask.
The lease made sense for me at the time, but I would probably never lease again. You can buy pretty good new cars for less than most leases.

[qwikz28]

Always, everything in writing. That's my job ;)

Thanks, guys.

[NJ Torque]

All depends on the leasing company. When my Infiniti went back, I had it inspected. They didn't write anything for the black wrapped trim, the painted grill or the lowering springs... not that you'll do that to this car.

If you'd like, PM me what you need to get in the car and I'll see what they can find you, hopfully at a better price, too.

[V]

I am currently leasing my 2014 Camaro, and I leased my 2011 Cruze before this.

I dislike leasing because it is just like renting BUT it gets me in a newer car for less, and keeps it under warranty. Plus I get bored of almost any car after 18-24 months.
I like the shorter commitment of a lease.

About damage at turn-in. There's two ways it could go initially. If you turn in the car and it ends up going back to your bank, the dealership has no say at all about what you get charged in terms of excessive wear. A third party inspects the car and determines if you owe anything. If so, then they first try to send the bill for repairs to your insurance company. However, if you are buying or leasing another car when you turn it in, the dealer can treat it as a trade-in. In that case, the see how much your buyout price is Vs. what it is worth/what they could sell it for. Such as if your buyout is 15k, and the car is worth 22k, they may decide to buy it, and give you 2-3k towards your new car. If they do that, then they are buying it and any wear items are their problem, not yours.

Here is a link to a table showing what is considered normal and excessive wear(from my current leasing company)
https://www.usbank.com/includes/pdfs/dealer-services/Excessive-Wear-Use-Table.pdf


When I turned in my Cruze, I did it early and the car went back to the bank and then up for auction. Three months later, they sent my insurance a bill for hail damage. I told my insurance to fight it. I had a additional policy when i got the lease that would waive up to 5000 in damages etc. However, it didn't cover one time events that created that much damage. The thing is, it wasn't hail damage and actually dings from acorns falling on my car over a few weeks. So it wasn't a one time event and it should have been waived. I sent the policy to my insurance company and they handled it somehow. Eventually I got a letter that the car had been sold at auction and that was the end of that. Didn't make me very happy with the lease turn-in process.

Now if you turn a lease in early, say you have 4 months left and you pay 400 a month, the dealer will take that 1600 and add it to your new car(you also pay additional fees the bank charges, all depends on lease agreement). its not like you get rid of the lease payments when you trade/turn-in the car. So early turn-ins don't make much sense unless you just want out of it or the dealer will give you enough for it as a trade in that it makes sense to do.

When you sign your lease agreement, you will see exactly how much your car will cost to buy at the end of the lease. But keep in mind there are also fees the banks charges if you do decide to buy it. Those fees could be 500-1000 extra.

When my camaro lease is up in 11 months, I am not sure what I will do yet. If I don't find a used car to buy outright, I will probably end up leasing another cruze. They advertise them currently for as low as 99/month with 0 down. I looked into it and I would qualify for almost that amount, (maybe 120/month). Plus it would only be a 24 month lease with <10k miles a year. (I'm currently driving under 8k/year). I had a large door ding/dent(the other car left its paint on my door) already fixed because I knew I would have been charged for it. Paintless dent removal took care of it for about 250. Now if they would have charged me more or less at turn-in, I don't know, but it was ugly and happened last summer so I wanted it fixed asap. I have another door ding on my fender but its in the range where they consider it normal wear so I wont be fixing that one. Before I turn-in or trade-in the car, I will look that damage table over and self-inspect my car. As for tires, I may have only 24k on the car at turn-in time so I shouldn't need to do anything about them. My cruze went it with original tires and brakes, had 31k miles or so on it, with no problems.


I think that's the basics of leasing. If you have any more questions, just ask.

[qwikz28]

Paul:

I'm with you on getting bored of cars shortly. I love my Saab, but I really want something new. I did some math too considering the cost of repairs on the Saab and it really makes sense to dump it now before it eclipses 100k and the value plummets. Leasing seems to make sense for me now needing a business deduction, though.

I think I would need to lease directly from GM so I could use my GM card points. What is the advantage from leasing from a bank? Less cost?

[V]

My cruze was through Ally, (formerly GMAC). I really don't know the pros and cons of the different banks. I've had Chase for my 01 camaro, (forgot which bank I had with my denali), 5/3rd for my Sky, Lakeland for my bike, Ally for the cruze, and now US bank. I really liked 5th/3rd. best customer service. Ally was the worst(GMAC)

[qwikz28]

My cruze was through Ally, (formerly GMAC). I really don't know the pros and cons of the different banks. I've had Chase for my 01 camaro, (forgot which bank I had with my denali), 5/3rd for my Sky, Lakeland for my bike, Ally for the cruze, and now US bank. I really liked 5th/3rd. best customer service. Ally was the worst(GMAC)

I had Fifth Third with my Saab and they were great. I didn't know third party banks played such an active roll in leasing, though.

Thanks for the insight. I'll see what kind of deal I can get through the dealer and take it from there.

[6spdg37s]

hit up ron mcneal at gold coast cadillac in oakhurst on 35. Hes a good guy got 2 Caddys from him back to back in a couple month period of time.

[BigAls87Z28]

Paul:

I'm with you on getting bored of cars shortly. I love my Saab, but I really want something new. I did some math too considering the cost of repairs on the Saab and it really makes sense to dump it now before it eclipses 100k and the value plummets. Leasing seems to make sense for me now needing a business deduction, though.

I think I would need to lease directly from GM so I could use my GM card points. What is the advantage from leasing from a bank? Less cost?

I have never actually heard anyone leasing from anyone other than the dealer. Any special deals and the like are going to come from each company's respective financing arm.

I also really, really, really like the CTS. A lot. Best of luck to ya, Jake

[6spdg37s]

you could go thru a lease company. But as far as applying the GM card points probably would have to go thru a gm dealer and lease thru ally bank (bank gm uses) think its istill called ally

[NJ Torque]

Every car must come through a dealer. Leasing company or not.

[6spdg37s]

Every car must come through a dealer. Leasing company or not.

this is true

[qwikz28]

I have never actually heard anyone leasing from anyone other than the dealer. Any special deals and the like are going to come from each company's respective financing arm.

I also really, really, really like the CTS. A lot. Best of luck to ya, Jake

Thanks, Al. By the way, why is the pricing on the CT6 so close to that of the CTS in similar spec? Seems like it would make sense to wait for the CT6 before pulling the trigger, right?

[LS1ow]

if the CTS doesnt work out i happen to know some people at Audi...:wink:8-)

[NJ Torque]

Thanks, Al. By the way, why is the pricing on the CT6 so close to that of the CTS in similar spec? Seems like it would make sense to wait for the CT6 before pulling the trigger, right?

The CTS is not going anywhere... the CT6 is the larger car; and replaces the XTS.

[BigAls87Z28]

Thanks, Al. By the way, why is the pricing on the CT6 so close to that of the CTS in similar spec? Seems like it would make sense to wait for the CT6 before pulling the trigger, right?

The whole line up is a bit of a mess, again. CTS, CT6, and XTS all sit around the same spot. CT6 is bigger but some 100-250lbs lighter than the CTS, and the CTS is already the lightest car in it's class.
You will be able to get a 425hp 3.6TT in the CTS vs a 400hp 3.0TT in CT6, but I don't think you want to go that high up.

CT6 makes the CTS look old and antiquated thanks to its chassis and other tech. I love the look of the CTS better than the CT6, but your perception might be different. CTS's smaller proportions and more athletic stance look better to me.

[6spdg37s]

their line did get pretty screwy lately...
I liked the 3.6 cts but if you drive that then the ats then the cts again the CTS feels like it handles like a much larger car than it actually is

[qwikz28]

The whole line up is a bit of a mess, again. CTS, CT6, and XTS all sit around the same spot. CT6 is bigger but some 100-250lbs lighter than the CTS, and the CTS is already the lightest car in it's class.
You will be able to get a 425hp 3.6TT in the CTS vs a 400hp 3.0TT in CT6, but I don't think you want to go that high up.

CT6 makes the CTS look old and antiquated thanks to its chassis and other tech. I love the look of the CTS better than the CT6, but your perception might be different. CTS's smaller proportions and more athletic stance look better to me.

If you spec out a CTS to the Luxury package, its only about $2000 less than a CTS. The pricing doesn't really make sense.

[sweetbmxrider]

If you spec out a CTS to the Luxury package, its only about $2000 less than a CTS. The pricing doesn't really make sense.

:-?

[BigAls87Z28]

If you spec out a CTS to the Luxury package, its only about $2000 less than a CT6. The pricing doesn't really make sense.

I'm assuming that you meant the above.
First up: Lawd Jesus, the Cadillac website has to be the ugliest website of not only luxury cars, but of other GM brands.

Second, a loaded CTS VSport is still 14k less than a CT6 Platinum. Now, there is no Platinum trim CTS (there is no V and Plat trim available for a Cadillac, because reasons.) so it's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but let's take a look at cars you want: CTS 2.0T RWD vs CT6 2.0T RWD

CT6 Luxury 2.0T RWD: $61,910.
CTS Luxury 2.0T RWD: $53,375

Almost a nine grand difference between the two trims. Only an absolute idiot would think that a nine grand gap is insignificant. CT6 does come with a lot more things standard, obviously, but it's more than the 2k you were talking about. Yeah, you can get a well equipped CTS for about the price of a base CT6, but you don't get cooled seats in that CT6. And trust me, your ass is gunna love you for getting the cooled seats.

[qwikz28]

I'm assuming that you meant the above.
First up: Lawd Jesus, the Cadillac website has to be the ugliest website of not only luxury cars, but of other GM brands.

Second, a loaded CTS VSport is still 14k less than a CT6 Platinum. Now, there is no Platinum trim CTS (there is no V and Plat trim available for a Cadillac, because reasons.) so it's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but let's take a look at cars you want: CTS 2.0T RWD vs CT6 2.0T RWD

CT6 Luxury 2.0T RWD: $61,910.
CTS Luxury 2.0T RWD: $53,375

Almost a nine grand difference between the two trims. Only an absolute idiot would think that a nine grand gap is insignificant. CT6 does come with a lot more things standard, obviously, but it's more than the 2k you were talking about. Yeah, you can get a well equipped CTS for about the price of a base CT6, but you don't get cooled seats in that CT6. And trust me, your ass is gunna love you for getting the cooled seats.

Well, wait a minute. The Luxury package on the CTS doesn't give you the same features that the Luxury package on the CT6 does. If you look deeper, the fair comparison is the base model CT6 to the CTS Luxury. That gives you the most similar spec of features (except some techy gizmos that would be included in a $2500 option package on the CT6, but would then also add some features to the CT6 that makes it way better equipped than a CTS).

That said, the $9000 is inaccurate. It's somewhere between $2000-$4500. Trust me, I studied it this past weekend while the woman was napping and the pricing is nonsensical.

[BigAls87Z28]

Jake, the 9k gap was a joke and was not aimed at you. It was aimed at someone else in another thread where we talked about new GM cars.

Yeah, you could get a base model CT6 vs a well equipped CTS. CT6 has a lot of things going for it thanks to all the tech and engineering went into making the car.
A base CT6 vs CTS is a tough match. 2k price difference means about an additional $50 a month on a lease, but at that point what's $50.

That's quite the quandary. I think I still go well equipped CTS with cooled seats. Can't beat cooled seats.

[qwikz28]

Jake, the 9k gap was a joke and was not aimed at you. It was aimed at someone else in another thread where we talked about new GM cars.

Yeah, you could get a base model CT6 vs a well equipped CTS. CT6 has a lot of things going for it thanks to all the tech and engineering went into making the car.
A base CT6 vs CTS is a tough match. 2k price difference means about an additional $50 a month on a lease, but at that point what's $50.

That's quite the quandary. I think I still go well equipped CTS with cooled seats. Can't beat cooled seats.

Ah, and I see your point. I'll restate mine, though. Regarding the features that I want: you need the CTS Luxury to get them, but they are standard in the CT6 base. Looking further into it, the CTS Luxury is better equipped than a base CT6. It becomes a personal decision at that point.

I really can't stand the way carmakers do things in packages now. It's incredibly difficult to option a car how you want it without the price skyrocketing. I see why they do it, but as a consumer, it sucks.

By the way, my experience with cooled seats were really just puny computer fans blowing through perforated leather. My wife had them in her old Lexus. Never really cared for them.

[BigAls87Z28]

The fan on the last gen CTS-V's Recaros made up 70% of the weight and where probably taken from a large air hockey table.
GM makes cars for Americans, and they do not underestimate the size of Americans. They build the cooling system accordingly.

With that said, I personally love the look of the CTS over the CT6, but the whole upper tier luxury aspect of the CT6. I'd also say that it's going to be hard to find a RWD model on lots, which means 3.6 is the min. Look at the S class, A8, and 7 series; they are all are AWD. Now, those cars are also LWB models and start in the six figure range.

And that's the rub with the CT6. It's not a proper flagship, but it's too big to be a proper midsizer. It's not as stylish as a A7 or CLS, which is where it should be. it should have been a crazy take on the A&S design, bringing in something that really stands out as a "Cadillac". Instead, we get a straight up three box sedan with some fancy LED headlight accents and chrome accents around the tails.
The CT6 is designed for China, and it shows.

[qwikz28]

The fan on the last gen CTS-V's Recaros made up 70% of the weight and where probably taken from a large air hockey table.
GM makes cars for Americans, and they do not underestimate the size of Americans. They build the cooling system accordingly.

With that said, I personally love the look of the CTS over the CT6, but the whole upper tier luxury aspect of the CT6. I'd also say that it's going to be hard to find a RWD model on lots, which means 3.6 is the min. Look at the S class, A8, and 7 series; they are all are AWD. Now, those cars are also LWB models and start in the six figure range.

And that's the rub with the CT6. It's not a proper flagship, but it's too big to be a proper midsizer. It's not as stylish as a A7 or CLS, which is where it should be. it should have been a crazy take on the A&S design, bringing in something that really stands out as a "Cadillac". Instead, we get a straight up three box sedan with some fancy LED headlight accents and chrome accents around the tails.
The CT6 is designed for China, and it shows.

Are you still reporting for GM Inside News?

[BigAls87Z28]

Are you still reporting for GM Inside News?

Nah, had to give it up with the last two promotions at my real job.

[qwikz28]

Here she is, 2016 CTS Base with a 2.0T and AWD:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1533/26582734231_525cd7b3cb_c.jpg

Al was right on the money with two things: 1. The CT6 is way bigger and way more expensive, and 2. The air conditioned seats are fantastic. The car is super fun to drive, got a great deal on a 36 month lease for a dealer demo, and the rest is history. However, it's an interesting story so I'll share it.

My Saab was giving me a hard time on random cold starts, and although it has never left me stranded, gave me trouble one day in Jersey City where a tow truck would never be able to get to. Instead of waiting to find out if the car has a serious issue or if its just being temperamental, I decided to accelerate the process.

I went first to, let's call it Dealer 1, to look at a 2015 CTS with 5k miles. Cadillac is doing a low interest rate finance deal for certified used cars so that was my number one choice. The car ended up not having a sunroof which I figure will kill any resale value so I decided against that car.

They also had a "program car" which is essentially a demo car that has less than 6500 miles but will still be titled as new and can be leased. Seems like a great way to save a few bucks so I looked into it.

I received a quote from dealer 1 and then went to a different dealer (dealer 2) on program cars that differ only in interior color and mileage. Both for leases over 39 months with $2000 down and 12,000 miles per year.

Dealer 1: $647/month for a car with 6200 miles and black interior.
Dealer 2: $469/month for a car with 2300 miles and grey interior.

Not really sure why there is a nearly 30% discrepancy between the monthlies, but it seems like Dealer 1 was trying to take me for a ride. Dealer 2, however, was also way too low and didn't really add up. So I went to Dealer 3.

Dealer 3 was up front with me and told me that Dealer 2 gave me the same price they would offer, but they knew which dealer I had went to because the price failed to include taxes, which Dealer 2 is known for doing. I was put in a car to test drive, offered no pressure, and was talked through the numbers. I ended up bargaining minimally and shook hands on a black on black dealer demo.

Thanks for all your help. Tomorrow I'm returning the Saab to stock and running it through Adessa in a few weeks.

-Jake

[Blackbirdws6]

Congrats on the new ride. Take some more pictures and be sure to post impressions after some ownership time has passed. Cooled seats are an interesting experience the first time you use them. No one turns them off though lol.

[sweetbmxrider]

Niceeeeeee!!!!

[maroman88]

awesome! my aunt has purchased 2 used cadi's from mahwah.

[V]

Congrats! Nice car.

My mom bought her new '14 ats from mahwah. 15k under msrp. We had checked out a few dealers and didn't like how we were treated. Mahwah was very easy to work with. I'll be stopping by there in the winter seeing if they can locate a used car for me that matches what I'm looking for.

[qwikz28]

I'm quite happy with the guys at Mahwah. The car is damn great too. I've driven a contemporary 5 series and the CTS is much better to drive. Still struggling with Cue, though.

[BigAls87Z28]

Someone at Mahwah has ties with corporate. They always get visitors.

Photobucket shut down you picture, but congrats bro

[qwikz28]

Picture is back up, for now at least. What do you mean about Mahwah getting visitors?

[BigAls87Z28]

The last few Cadillac events I've been on, we go there and hang out with everyone.

[qwikz28]

I don't do much driving these days since my commute is about 5 miles and we take my wife's Jeep most of the time, but after almost two months I have put almost 1500 miles on the car and wanted to give my input. Cliff notes: Pics at the bottom, car is comfy, fun to drive, but the transmission blows.

First, the car is very smooth and easy to drive. My father has a 2010 CTS and right away, he got in and felt more comfortable driving it than his own. He, a man that admits to not being able to tell the difference between any new car, was blown away at the improvement from his car. Acceleration from the 2.0T is shocking, but not as surprising as the handling. My Saab was lowered on Koni shocks and Vogtland springs and the larger CTS would easily hang with it in the corners given the same tires. But where the Saab bounced around and crashed on bumps, the CTS is properly comfortable and easy on your piles.

I've driven a modern Audi A6 and BMW 535i, and my good friend has a 2013 MB E350 that I'm in quite often. They all have nicer interiors but the seats in the Cadillac are still the most comfortable. The BMW was my least favorite of the bunch, but the chassis in the CTS is bar-none in terms of handling and ride quality.

I do have a few gripes about the car, and the main one is the new 8 speed transmission. My goodness, it is terrible. Downshifts are slow to the point where you sometimes have to lift after trying to merge because you waited seconds for it to downshift, only to realize it is no longer safe to merge. And if you are patient enough, it downshifts 3 or 4 gears and the car jolts forward. It's tough to modulate. Even when you're cruising, the car can get confused and slam into another gear. It's strange and unsettling. I'm sure a software update could fix it, but right now, I almost wish I purchased the used 2015 model. I will say, though, upshifts are snappy and the tall highway gear is nice with the car's highest average over a 50 mile span being 32.5mpg.

My other gripes include a sometimes finnicky CUE system which is no where near as bad as reviewers make it out to be, some cheap looking GM parts bin interior items, ugly gauges in the base model, cheap GM carpeting (the Germans get deep pile) and some questionable stitching on the steering wheel. Also, the dealer network is not comparable to the BMW and Audi dealers I've interacted with and have had to discuss the service teams' incompetence with my salesperson after leaving my car for a day and then being told they were unsure what they were supposed to do.

Nonetheless, I love the car and don't miss my Saab as much as I thought I would. Looking forward to replacing it with that beautiful CT6.

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w346/pesshy3660/20160530_101312%201.jpg
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w346/pesshy3660/20160530_101238.jpg
http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w346/pesshy3660/20160530_101404.jpg

[elle]

Get it tuned by Blackbear. All of our new vehicles 2011 and newer I get done right away because the trans shifts drive me nuts!! $299 the last time I got it done. He comes to Jersey a few times a year. Last time I met him at a hotel in Somerset and it took about 30-40 mins.

[qwikz28]

Time for the almost year review (10.5 months I believe). A few months ago, this happened:

http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w346/pesshy3660/IMG_20170218_143115269.jpg

My dad liked mine so much he ended up buying one himself (his has the 3.6 and luxury package, but otherwise same color combo and everything). Anyway, I have put a touch over 8000 miles on my car since I got it, and a few more comments if anyone is wondering:

1. The seatbelt quality is so poor that there is metal frayed ends sticking out that ruined a few of my nice shirts. I'll have to wrap it in cloth come summer when I'm not wearing a jacket to work everyday.
2. The backseat is very small for a car this size. I read that has to do with it being based on the ATS platform.
3. The transmission has learned my driving style better and doesn't suck as much as I thought it did when I bought it. I also learned this is par for the course with modern turbo motors and autos with way too many gears.
4. Despite being AWD, the car is RWD biased and likes to oversteer in the slippery stuff.
5. The runflats this car came with are awful. Worse than awful actually. I tried to convince my wife to let me take them off and save them for the end of the lease and just throw some better tires on there for now, but she laughed at me.

Other than that, the car has been great. It's very comfortable, surprisingly quick and shockingly good in the turns. The car really does have a split personality. Only one unscheduled trip to the dealer for a CEL light that ended up being a service bulletin for a battery sensor, but I had to drive to South Jersey the next day, so it was nice to put those miles on a loaner anyway

tl;dr - love the car one year later, dad bought the same one, only one issue since getting it

[maroman88]

dealer wont replace seatbelt??
i drove an ats 2.0t rwd, smoked the tires much to my surprise :)

[qwikz28]

dealer wont replace seatbelt??
i drove an ats 2.0t rwd, smoked the tires much to my surprise :)

I haven't asked to be honest. I assumed it was a quality issue, rather than a manufacturing issue. I really didn't think to ask the dealership or even compare it to my dad's car.

I'm going to report back later today. Thanks!

[qwikz28]

I said goodbye to my Cadillac today. In early summer of 2017, I signed on a client that has taken me throughout NJ and NY and I found myself driving about 1500-1800 miles per month. To keep the miles down, I would take my mother's car on days I knew I was driving a lot. Still, I knew the lease end was going to be costly if I didn't make a move soon. Long story short, I decided to check local dealerships for sales and the discounts on leftover Regals were almost unbelievable. I checked out two cars and realized that what I wanted was a car with no options. My local dealership had exactly four in stock. In the end, I walked away with a Regal that stickers for over $29k, for $21,800 and the dealership ate the remaining $1500 in lease payments on my Cadillac. I actually walked away from that deal at first because the dealership wouldn't agree to cover the cost of additional wear and tear on my Cadillac (which isn't customary, but was my main requirement) but after I ran into the dealership's owner at the Cadillac dealership across the highway, he offered to personally cover the cost if I went back and made the deal that night. So I did. I took a quick cell phone picture before it got too dark.

I'll miss the Cadillac though. That car was the perfect blend of comfort and sport. It did everything so well and with ease. Leasing turned out to be a mistake for me, but I'm glad I learned that now. I thought about buying the car outright, and probably would have if I didn't make this deal, but basically $20k for a brand new Regal was too good to pass up. I'll probably put some Cascada wheels and summer tires on it to freshen the car a little bit, but overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and happy to be in a car that I don't have to worry about mileage again. If anyone is looking for a new car right now, get a Regal before New Years because the discounts on them are outstanding.

[Blackbirdws6]

I approve of this top notch negotiation. That's a lot of car for $20k. Good luck with it.

[Jersey Mike]

That's ridiculous. IANAL but I think you just committed a crime against that dealership

[qwikz28]

Haven't been on the forums in a while. Work and life has been a bit crazy. In addition to my law office, I opened a title insurance company a little over a year ago. Covid has actually caused my work to become busier for which I am grateful, but haven't had much time for anything these days between both companies increasing in volume. But figured I'd check in with at least one of my car happenings.

First thing's first, I bought my first non-GM car or myself (my wife has a Jeep, and I did own a Saab which was after the GM sale but definitely developed under GM). It's a CPO 2019 Volvo S60 T6. It has the R design package, the advanced package with the self driving, and the Polestar tune. It had 12k miles but Volvo offers unlimited mileage warranties for their CPO cars up to 5 years from original delivery date which is why I chose to go with Volvo. The car drives great and I'm definitely happy with it. I've had it for two months now and it's still a blast to drive. Much more sport biased than I expected.
https://i.ibb.co/7Cc1Yb6/PXL-20201027-204316502.jpg

The reason for the new car is below. The Buick has an issue that no one can seem to trace. I hired a lemon law attorney to negotiate a buyback from GM. Here's how it went down:

The first time the car went wrong, I was driving along uphill going about 30-40mph and the car downshifted on its own into first gear out of nowhere. The dash lit up and the car slowed to 10mph or so. I tried upshifting in manual mode, nothing. I coasted into a parking lot, called roadside and they took the car to Mahwah Buick. Car insisted I wasn't in park and wouldn't turn the ignition off (although the engine stopped). Dealership replaced the battery, said the transmission control module was failing but they ordered a new one and would replace it when it comes in, but to take it because it was working. Here's a video of the first incident: https://youtu.be/g3URm9YI1p8

That same day I picked it up, took it to work, when I went to go home, same lights on the dash. This time, I turned it off and on but it wouldn't restart. Called roadside and they took the car to Mahwah Buick. Dealership indicated this time it was going to be in for a long time while they wait for the master mechanic to put eyes on it. After a week, they had replaced a transmission valve body and reflashed the transmission control module (not replaced it, part still wasn't in) but said this was definitely it and they were certain of it. Here's another video: https://youtu.be/93JABLdRe9k

Car seemed to be working fine and drove the car for another two weeks or so thereafter. But then, it happened again but this time while I was on the New Jersey turnpike. I was lucky because you can see in this clip, it turned back on while I was driving and I was able to steer and maneuver for a few seconds into the shoulder and then coast the car into a rest area. Mind you, this with no engine and no power brakes. I was very fortunate it happened exactly where it did. I called roadside again. They took the car to Bellavia Chevrolet. This dealership was leaps and bounds better and the service manager there really took this on his shoulders to get the car right. He seemed confident at first but once he came up short, he contacted GM corporate who also tried to diagnose the car. Like the other incidents, disconnecting the battery for a long period of time got the issue to resolve itself, but then they couldn't diagnose it from there. The service manager gave up and told me to come get it. He was apologetic and told me he even drove the car himself for a week or so to try an replicate the issue. A video of the issue happening in process is here: https://youtu.be/8SM8_hRxrbg

Loaners are hard to come by at these dealers so I was using my cousin's Mazda during the time but eventually he needed it back so I bought the Volvo. My job has me driving a lot so I needed a car. The Buick is sitting for now until the car can be bought back. We're outside lemon law because of the mileage but the attorney has had success in similar circumstances. We'll see.