lease is almost up, whats next?

[shishand]

I know most of you guys financed this car, but to those that leased or those that are planning to change their cars soon, what's next ?
I been looking at the M235, Genesis 3.8 ( i know i know..), some lexus (not sure about the model), evo, sti (no more hatch though )..
anyways, im stuck in between.

currently i have the white frs in auto, sadly yes AT, but the next car is definitely MT, and its also one of the reasons im not really considering buying this car at the end of my lease. by the end of my lease, there will be about 15-16k left.

i thought about just getting another frs in mt, but i think i want something different now, perhaps with a little more comfort but still sporty. a tad bid of luxury wouldnt be bad either (leather seats etc.. ), nothing major. any thoughts? im going to 21 when lease is over, going into my 3rd year of college as well.


i should mention, price point for the lease should be well under $500, including tax. im open to buying a car as well

[Chanpion]

I suggest this to almost everyone but Fiesta ST which is cheaper, or Focus ST. Take a test drive of them you'll understand why people love them.
As for alternatives, there's the Caddy ATS and WRX are my secondary recommendations. Lease seems to be a great direction to go for any car that's in its first generation or relatively new.

[myusernameisrob]

S2000...

[shishand]

Originally Posted by Chanpion

I suggest this to almost everyone but Fiesta ST which is cheaper, or Focus ST. Take a test drive of them you'll understand why people love them.
As for alternatives, there's the Caddy ATS and WRX are my secondary recommendations. Lease seems to be a great direction to go for any car that's in its first generation or relatively new.

those are cheap, and kind of a downgrade. fwd 1.6l? i'd keep the frs. I also agree on the lease.

Originally Posted by yoitsrob

S2000...

no thanks mate. cheap toys :p i'd keep my frs. s2000 is way too impractical. im looking for an upgrade

[Ddreder]

Originally Posted by shishand

those are cheap, and kind of a downgrade. fwd 1.6l? i'd keep the frs. I also agree on the lease.



no thanks mate. cheap toys :p i'd keep my frs. s2000 is way too impractical. im looking for an upgrade

The fr-s actually feels cheap in comparison.. Yes convertibles are tough to live with I understand that. With a hardtop they become much more functional for all year round driving.

Idk I cant understand leasing a car. Its like renting an apartment. I would find it so hard to enjoy because at the end of the day its not actually yours..

BUT I think the new IS's from lexus are super awesome. If I had to do a lease stuff I would go for one of those.

[sprintertrueno86]

RC350

[cdo221]

you should take a look at the 2015 Mustang as well, seems to fit (sporty but more comfortable than a FR-S, add some luxury to it competitor to the Genesis)

[DAEMANO]

I'd concur that both Fiesta and Focus STs would be a downgrade in both performance, and especially looks from your twin.

Your dilemma kind of points out what makes the '86 platform so special. There simply aren't any lightweight, RWD, agile, driver focused 2+2 sports cars with good MPG on the market. Closest thing is a Lotus Evora. Outside of that car, there hasn't been anything like the '86 for a long time.

• 370z, Gencoupe, Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger are all heavy muscle car GTs.
• Miata, S2K, Cayman are all 2 seaters that aren't practical as DDs.
• Fiesta, Golf, Focus, Abarth, are FWD hot hatches that can be quick/fun, but look dowdy compared to a low slung coupe and you're not going to find one in RWD.

IMO your best bet would be to buy your '86 when the lease ends and then mod it to be more luxurious (upgrade the interior (leather, suede, etc) add sound deadening, upgrade the stereo), or faster (add F.I.) or maybe even both. If you find that you prefer a muscle car, roadster or hot hatch, then the '86 was probably never the right car for you to begin with.

[myusernameisrob]

Originally Posted by shishand

no thanks mate. cheap toys :p i'd keep my frs. s2000 is way too impractical. im looking for an upgrade

You probably would find it somewhat outdated but I would go for a used Nismo 350z. They've become cheaper and you could even grab a 370z for the amount of money you're willing to put down on a lease.

$500/month for a lease sounds outrageous to me even if it's well below it. You could finance a brand new BMW for that price if your credit and negotiation game is on point.

[PhantomX]

Originally Posted by Ddreder

Idk I cant understand leasing a car. Its like renting an apartment. I would find it so hard to enjoy because at the end of the day its not actually yours..

BUT I think the new IS's from lexus are super awesome. If I had to do a lease stuff I would go for one of those.

It's no different from financing. The car is still the finance company's until you finish paying it off. Leasing a car for the first 2-3 years just makes it easier on the pocket per month. The biggest things are you can keep it and finance the balance (which is kind of like refinancing your car), sell the car and pay off the balance (just like selling a car you have financed), trade it in for a new car (which is just like financed vehicles, but you don't have to worry if the payoff is higher than the trade-in worth of the vehicle), or just plain give it back (which is the biggest pro to leasing since with financed vehicles, it's called a voluntary repo, which is a ding on your credit). The only con to leasing is you are limited to a certain average mileage per year within that lease period.

[Chanpion]

Originally Posted by shishand

those are cheap, and kind of a downgrade. fwd 1.6l? i'd keep the frs. I also agree on the lease.



no thanks mate. cheap toys :p i'd keep my frs. s2000 is way too impractical. im looking for an upgrade

I know it seems weird but the Fiesta feels much faster than the twin. I think it's the torque and torque curve. It's on overboost most of the time too. It's simply a fast car.
I urge you to at least just give it a test drive.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

I'd concur that both Fiesta and Focus STs would be a downgrade in both performance, and especially looks from your twin.

Your dilemma kind of points out what makes the '86 platform so special. There simply aren't any lightweight, RWD, agile, driver focused 2+2 sports cars with good MPG on the market. Closest thing is a Lotus Evora. Outside of that car, there hasn't been anything like the '86 for a long time.

• 370z, Gencoupe, Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger are all heavy muscle car GTs.
• Miata, S2K, Cayman are all 2 seaters that aren't practical as DDs.
• Fiesta, Golf, Focus, Abarth, are FWD hot hatches that can be quick/fun, but look dowdy compared to a low slung coupe and you're not going to find one in RWD.

IMO your best bet would be to buy your '86 when the lease ends and then mod it to be more luxurious (upgrade the interior (leather, suede, etc) add sound deadening, upgrade the stereo), or faster (add F.I.) or maybe even both. If you find that you prefer a muscle car, roadster or hot hatch, then the '86 was probably never the right car for you to begin with.

Amen!

[billwot]

Caymen!

[TheVoiceOfReason]

Originally Posted by PhantomX

It's no different from financing. The car is still the finance company's until you finish paying it off. Leasing a car for the first 2-3 years just makes it easier on the pocket per month. The biggest things are you can keep it and finance the balance (which is kind of like refinancing your car), sell the car and pay off the balance (just like selling a car you have financed), trade it in for a new car (which is just like financed vehicles, but you don't have to worry if the payoff is higher than the trade-in worth of the vehicle), or just plain give it back (which is the biggest pro to leasing since with financed vehicles, it's called a voluntary repo, which is a ding on your credit). The only con to leasing is you are limited to a certain average mileage per year within that lease period.

I wouldn't quite say its "just like" financing.

It is great for people who know they will get a new car every two or three years. They usually are not worried about losing a little money on the deal because they are just happy to jump into a new car with a new lease and not having to sell their previous car. You are paying extra for that convenience.

For people who know that they will want the car after the lease is over, it is a waste of money. Although its true it may help you with the payment and be your only way for to afford the car you want initially, it will always cost more money in the long run than financing the car up front. That may be worth it to some, and thats fine, I just wouldn't say they are the same.