LeaseCompare.com

20% is usually the max we will go with our bank leases. As others have mentioned, this is not advisable. We did have a customer lose his down-payment when a vehicle was totalled. Take the money and put it in a savings account and use a portion of it each month to help make the payment.

LeaseCompare.com

Until you have an accident and it goes on Carfax or AutoCheck as frame damage (on uni-body vehicles). Your purchased value will drop like a rock. Another benefit to leasing.

scfan

Depends on the money factor, but for me it is the sales tax. If I'm only keeping a car 2-4 years, I've got a good residual, the money factor is compareable to the financing on a purchase--it comes down to the sales tax. My sales tax is approaching 10% here in Calif. If I can pay sales tax on only what I use of the car (say half of the purchase), that is nearly $3k I don't have to pay the state.

scfan

That depends on the money factor. Buying down isn't a bad thing if you don't have a good money factor going for you. I totally agree with you when I bought for a money factor equiv to just over 1% APR...but the money factor isn't so great on a S5, so almost a wash.

And I doubt right now you'll find a return on much of any investments that can best 5% interest.

Really depends on the whole deal on which is the best way to go. I just recently did my first lease where I put money down for two reasons--money factor wasn't great and I beat the sales tax increase of a full point. I didn't put down a ridiculous amount, but more than I ever had...for those reasons.

On the last Audi I leased I put nothing down, got a great money factor, and then bought the car below residual with CPO at the end. Sweet!!

eire42

You should try leasecompare.com. They have a lease payment calculator which will allow you play with the down payment and see the resulting monthly payment. I don't believe there is a maximum, but lenders become less interested when the down payment becomes too big.

Habber

Company car, have a business loan at 3% and wanted to maximize the 3% instead of Audi rates.

ragazzi_07

not sure if this would be a problem.

But dealers are only allowed to except $9,999.99 anything under $10,000 is not reported to the government to get taxed. anything over will be reported