First things first, car leases are negotiable. If someone says they aren’t, they’re lying to you. Bottom line.
It doesn’t matter what the starting price is, whether it’s a “special deal” or a “one-of-a-kind” offer, there is always room to negotiate a car lease.
And if you don’t negotiate, you will most certainly not get a good deal on your car lease.
That said, here are some tactics on how to negotiate a car lease:
Shop Around
Never go to just one car dealer when looking for the best car lease offer. You absolutely need to shop around, and that means going to the car dealerships in person.
You can’t really negotiate your car lease over the phone or over the Internet, so be sure to actually show up in the flesh.
Also, use one dealer’s quote against the other(s). When you actually get a quote from one, you can use it to your advantage to get another dealer to go lower and beat that price.
And you can go back and forth to get a lower and lower price.
This also means not accepting the first offer they give you, and leaving the dealership knowing they will call you back with a better offer!
Wait a few days and they will call you back…
Lie About What you Want
Let’s say you want a new Acura MDX in dark silver with black leather trim. Tell them your first choice is something else, anything else, but that the dark silver/black is your second or third choice.
They’ll probably offer you a better price on your second or third choice, at which point you can say, “Fine, I’ll consider that color combination as well.”
Same goes for the car lease mileage. Tell them you want 12,000 miles instead of 10,000, even if you don’t really need it. Then once the dealer offers you his/her “lowest price,” drop the miles down to 10k and realize the savings.
Use the Dealer Survey
Finally, use the dealer survey to your advantage. Tell them to give it to you straight or you’ll give them poor marks on their survey.
The survey is actually a big deal and could affect their paycheck, so they take it seriously. If they jerk you around, let them know and tell them the company will hear about it unless they make things right and give you a better deal!
In summary, prepare to fight for the best deal on your car lease. Negotiating a car lease is not for the faint of heart, so be warned.