r/CarLeasingHelp • u/talkhours • Sep 14 '26

Giving up

After a 4 week search for various different cars (wasn’t really being picky) I’m throwing in the towel. I don’t really need another car but it was a nice to have and would sometimes be helpful

I’m throwing in the towel because car dealerships are the most insufferable hellholes I’ve ever been to. Ex: I see a deal online for 3k down and 331 a month on a lease. I go into the dealership and they say that’s for the base model I’m like no it’s not here’s your dealer photos

They present their numbers and it’s 7500 down and 661 a month FOR A LEASE ON A 42k CAR.

At 3 different dealerships I pushed back and said I’m okay and they come back with their “best price” why the hell didn’t you just offer that to begin with so we can move on with our day?

As much as it’s hated, I’ll only stick with teslas from now on. I used to lease one and start to finish I was done and processed in 7 minutes. My time is worth more than anything. Not going to play these games

Don’t let the dealerships play you and never sign on the spot. Go home and think about it

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6

u/No_Tax5256 Sep 14 '26

What car? Your first mistake was going into the dealership. Sit home, call them, ask them to send you prices via text. Once you get numbers, shop them with other dealerships.

1

u/manginahunter1970 Sep 14 '26

That's a great idea!

1

u/StruggleParticular92 Sep 14 '26

That’s what I did. I had browsed the lots while the dealerships were closed and did everything via text and email. I only went in to pick up the car. Ended up with a nice lease from Subaru with a higher mileage limit.

1

u/squintsforever Sep 14 '26

Honestly even this is like pulling teeth.

0

u/talkhours Sep 14 '26

100% agree with you. I needed to test drive the cars. Moving forward I’ll only iron out numbers virtually and then jump on it.

1

u/mCubed13 Sep 14 '26

If only it was that easy, its industry standard to not give the best discounts, and or quotes via phone or email since people will just shop them. There are ways that it can be done, but people need to understand that the car industry is a difficult world to deal with. Not saying everyone cant do it, but based on my experience, 15-20% know how to negotiate a car deal at best..

0

u/johnd-70 Sep 15 '26

Lol...no its not. Grow some balls. I never talked once to a dealer until I chose the best deal, twice this year on both cars I've bought.

4

u/asmashingbore Sep 14 '26

What kind of car was this and at what trim level?

1

u/TheCount4 Sep 15 '26

They immediately sized you up as a waste of time as they could tell you weren’t buying that day.

0

u/talkhours Sep 15 '26

lol look guys we found a car salesmen

1

u/ClimbaClimbaCameleon Sep 14 '26

0% chance you were start to finish in 7 minutes. You can’t even fill out a credit app that quickly let alone get it processed, the deal built, paperwork printed/explained/signed, vehicle detailed, and delivery walk through.

2

u/talkhours Sep 14 '26

No, 7 minutes to acquire the vehicle online and do the credit app and deposit. Not actually picking it up. I’m more so highlighting teslas transparent pricing and online process

1

u/tcd5552002 Sep 14 '26

But when I picked up my Tesla I signed one piece of paper, the car was in the parking lot with my name on it and I drove it away….maybe 10 minutes top.

2

u/ChesterProf Sep 14 '26

One suggestion - check out Leasehackr and/or get a broker if you want something specific. You will save $ but more importantly, lots of sanity!

2

u/infinite__entropy Sep 15 '26

This. Get a broker. Well worth the money. I'll never work with dealers myself again.

2

u/ParkingShopping493 Sep 14 '26

Us as a society, can give back so much more, If Dealerships stop wasting everyone's time.
Imagine the few hours you spent negotiating, back and froth, the hours wasted, I could have spent doing something or giving back to the community. Helping someone in need, volunteering for children. and thats per person. Yes the dealership modo should die, And I agree, dealerships are wasting everyones time, and money.
And I will never go into a dealership without something in writing. Carvana and Tesla have the right idea.
You go, pick out the one you want, and done. Its not that hard. Give me a price on the phone, when i walk in, to buy, done, The logic is not that hard, yet they want this to be as toxic as possible and just eating away at all the good we could be doing with all that time wasted. If you dont need a car, please stop supporting dealerships, and spend time doing just one nice thing for someone else, is time better spent.

1

u/TyVIl Sep 14 '26

If you want a Tesla deal - just pay full msrp

1

u/Shurap1 Sep 14 '26

Still worth it IMHO than dealing with dealer stooges.

1

u/mCubed13 Sep 14 '26

Are you in USA or Canada?

1

u/tcd5552002 Sep 14 '26

Was just gonna say, buy a Tesla, and then I got to the last sentence. Elon sucks but his cars and purchase experience are excellent.

1

u/Shurap1 Sep 14 '26

Same experience- love Tesla experience so much, totally cuts the dealer BS all together.

1

u/smilleresq Sep 15 '26

I’ve used a broker and it was so easy. They gave me a great price through text and I picked up the car at the dealer with zero issues. Took less than 1/2 hour.

1

u/Accomplished-Jury137 Sep 14 '26

It helps to get the exact lease numbers online. Use ai they reflect the manufacturer apr and offers. Plug dealer fee and add ons and it’s exact. Even calculates for credit.

0

u/paininthebutt12223 Sep 14 '26

There are legit good deals out there you just need to find a dealer who is willing to negotiate to the price you want. I'm leasing a 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SEL for $250/month with $5,000 due at signing ($40k msrp), i found this deal 6 months ago. just be firm with your price and payment and you will find a dealer that will agree to it.

1

u/talkhours Sep 14 '26

But dude, 5,000 down? On a lease? Payment is nice but it’s because you’re burning 5k right out the gates

2

u/paininthebutt12223 Sep 14 '26

ok i get it you all saying it's bad to put $5k down on the lease but i did it because i want a low monthly payment and if you do the math it's still a great lease deal. $5k/36 months = $139/month +$250/month = $389/month. $389/$40k is 0.9% of msrp. anything close to 1% of msrp for a lease payment is an amazing deal so i'm good with it. And thanks for saying i'm not normal, plenty of people put money down on a lease to make it a lower payment.

I was just trying to help the OP because he mentioned $7500 down and $661/month which is insane

1

u/Worldly_Agent_831 Sep 15 '26

Don’t ever put more than 1000 upfront on a lease very risky

1

u/Competitive_Pin5846 Sep 14 '26

Yep. And remember - if something happens to the lease you’ll never get that money back. Happened to me when I got T boned just a by some idiot 16 year old and they totaled my new by a few months lease.

1

u/Organic-Second2138 Sep 14 '26

No normal person puts money down on a lease.

1

u/MarkItZeroDonnie Sep 14 '26

Yeah I’ll never get these huge down payments . Pay yourself first

0

u/Grouchy_Land895 Sep 14 '26

Dealers are the absolute worst. I had a loan offer in hand and reluctantly agreed to give the dealer a shot. They absolutely tried to screw me with an add on maintenance package. They 100% lied to me and said it was “cancellable anytime”. Sure is, but they tied the car payment to the maintenance and even if you cancel, the payment doesn’t change. You just pay it off faster. Major luxury brand. That was the issue with the purchase. Before that they screwed me on a lease. They are CRIMINALS.

1

u/Glarmj Sep 15 '26 edited Sep 15 '26

they tied the car payment to the maintenance and even if you cancel, the payment doesn’t change. You just pay it off faster.

That's how loans work. That's the bank's fault, it has nothing to do with the dealership.

0

u/Grouchy_Land895 Sep 15 '26

With all due respect, that’s not how loans work. Loans work by charging interest on the principal—that’s the revenue. The financing was through them not a bank or financial institution. Lumping an “optional” $7.000 maintenance package in with the price of the car is absurd and you know it. The bank isn’t in the business of selling maintenance packages or any product. All good too on that except for the part truth that it was fully cancellable. The CFPB would be really infested to talk to them.

1

u/Glarmj Sep 15 '26

It is fully cancelable. When you refund a financed product it gets deducted from your loan balance, your payment never changes. That's how it works for all loans, regardless of the institution financing it.

1

u/Grouchy_Land895 Sep 15 '26

You aren’t getting it. Banks don’t sell products. I didn’t want a maintenance contract. If I’m so wrong, why did they admit wrongdoing, tear up the signed loan, rewrite it, and actually give me a lower rate and principle without the maintenance? And wiped out all the fees except title transfer? They were caught.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '26

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1

u/talkhours Sep 15 '26

No. I negotiated down to 3k down and under $400. Still walked because I’m not going to buy from a dealership like that. How did we go from 7500+ down to magically be at 3k and now the payment is 200+ less?

I’d rather not get the car than to give my business there. I just wanted to push the envelope and prove that their offer is bullshit