When is the best time to lease? End of month? End of year?
A. The best time to lease is when the car manufacturer is sponsoring (subventing) promotional deals. These deals usually have a short time period in which they are available. You’ll see the deals advertised on TV and in local newspapers. The reason these are better deals than a dealer alone can offer is that the manufacturer can manipulate ALL factors in the lease, price (rebates), money factor, term, and residual value — whereas a dealer can only manipulate price (discounts). The very best deals are those in which you get “contribution” from BOTH the manufacturer AND the dealer. If there are no manufacturer subvented deals at the time, then the best chance (repeat, chance) of a discounted dealer price is at day-end, month-end, quarter-end, or model-year end.
