How to Negotiate a Fixed Lease Price for a Car

The prices and terms you see advertised for car leases are assumed on MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price), also known as "sticker price." Leases are most profitable for dealerships for this reason. When you agree to a monthly payment, your leasing bank pays the dealer for the price of the car and then leases it to you based on the price you negotiated with the dealer, if any. Just as you wouldn't pay full sticker price for a car purchase, you should similarly negotiate with the dealer for lease payments.

Instructions

Determine a Fair Offer

1

Build your vehicle online at the manufacturer's website to determine its accurate selling price. Choose the options and features you want and print the information.

2

Research the vehicle's invoice price online. Edmunds.com and the Kelley Blue Book website both report invoice pricing. Add the options you chose when you virtually built the vehicle to obtain accurate invoice pricing.

3

Review leasing offers at the manufacturer's website, such as down payment requirement, monthly payment and vehicle type. Manufacturers often advertise base-model vehicles, so increase the price appropriately if the car you want costs more than the advertised model.

4

Add $30 per month for every thousand dollars you add to the advertised vehicle's price or add the price difference to your down payment to determine the payment for a vehicle priced at MSRP. For example, if the advertised vehicle costs $20,000 but the one you want costs $22,000, either add $60 to the monthly payment amount or increase the advertised down payment requirement to determine an accurate monthly payment before discounts.

5

Aim to pay anywhere from $500 to $1,000 over invoice. Calculate the price difference in your monthly payment by decreasing the monthly payment amount by $30 for every $1,000 off the regularly priced vehicle. For example, if the advertised car cost $30,000 with a monthly lease payment of $400 but you've determine that $28,000 is a fair offer, plan to offer $340 during negotiations.

Negotiating

6

Determine how far you'd drive for the right payment. Obtain email addresses for several dealerships around your area. The manufacturer's website lists dealership websites and contact information based on your Zip Code.

7

Email a dealer and state that you're ready to lease a vehicle immediately, but only if the dealer can meet your price. Once you've emailed a price, use it for further negotiating with other dealers.

8

Send an email to another dealer stating your readiness to lease if the dealer can beat your current price offer. Continue emailing dealers until your price is met.

9

Contact the dealership who met your price and verify the lease's term, mileage, down payment requirement and monthly payment. Make an appointment to meet with the person who arranged your pricing and sign your paperwork.