Quote:
Originally Posted by 68style
I hope nobody budgets $2k for brake pads and tires on a RAV-4, I'd expect to spend somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 of that... but semantics I suppose, we'll use those numbers regardless.
Your lease is not free of maintenance, you're on the hook for brakes above a certain% and tire tread depth being above a certain amount when you return a lease... so tack another $2k on top of your TCO for the lease as well then. You also have to put cash down, nobody does $0 down leases for regular people, so you lose that cash that you put down too.
So realistically I'd say your TCO on the BMW for 3 years is more like $22-$24,000 whereas the proverbial RAV-4 assuming your depreciation numbers are correct and the maintenance costs are as high as you've put is still only $13,000
That's a huge difference. Nevermind the fact the curve flattens on a good quality purchased vehicle... the RAV-4's depreciation slows... the maintenance most likely doesn't get any worse...
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Hey! Some great points - totally get where you're coming from here.
RE: TCO after 3 years being better if you buy, yep - you're 100% right there.
I'll go as far as to say that a lease makes very little financial sense for most people - especially those who aren't getting value out of having another new car at the end of 3 years or just walk in to the dealer and get an awful lease deal with marked up money factor and no discount.
For myself though, I could see myself on the hunt in 3 years for something with more autonomy and improved crash safety (i.e. new NHTSA oblique overlap crash test (60 MPH, 30% overlap into a solid barrier at a 15 degree angle), IIHS rear seat crash test). We're already starting to see this with GM expanding Supercruise availability (uses HD maps + sensor fusion for better 'self driving' behaviour) and Acura adding the head cradle airbag on the new TLX.
My perspective is that my daily driver should be the best tool to solve my problem: energy spent on a driving experience that I add 0 value to when engaged since we're barely moving; energy that could be spent on other hobbies or triathlon training. I've been in an accident that resulted in a neck pain that took me out of training for a couple months so safety is also really important > can't get those months back.
RE: downpayment, less loaded vehicles Here are some links to broker deals: ~336 + taxes and fees > ~400 all in for a 330xi with the driver assist features I'm looking for.
I've also got college grad ($1k), corporate discount (~500), and an OL code (500-1k) from an event they held at work which should take this down to 375 all in. BMW CCA members get another $500 off.
Broker 1
Broker 2
RE: maintenance Cost doesn't just include pads and tires, but also rotors and other misc stuff that comes up (i.e. t case fluid, brake fluid, etc). Tires for those 19s on the RAV4 aren't cheap, Premiere LTXs go for ~900 + install. Throw in rotors as well for the mountainous driving I do (even with engine braking, the Accord and RAV at home experience shaking from uneven pad transfer from weekly Cypress/S2S trips).
Lifestyle change I suppose a RAV4 should be fairly easy to sell privately and/or wholesale value shouldn't be too too bad. I imagine a 400pm BMW lease should be fairly easy to transfer as well.
At the very end of this all...Suppose we assume a 375/mo payment on the BMW and 2k of maintenance, we're at 15.5k vs 13k for the rav. I'm happy to pay the extra couple grand for the extra noise comfort (the engine on RAV4 is seriously gritty sounding), hands off traffic jam assist, fun to drive factor, and image.