EnergiCCAATS Posted May 3, 2014 at 07:02 PM Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 at 07:02 PM About to make our final decision and have narrowed down to a couple vehicles at an out of town dealer (Ford STILL has no electric certified dealers in Birmingham metro - are you listening Ford management?). Seriously considering leasing for several reasons: 1) Lower monthly payment - can get more options for our monthly payment range target 2) Everything covered - see "warranty" question below. 3) Concerned about technology and advancements, and ability to sell or trade an "owned" niche vehicle like this when newer tech is available - i.e. longer range battery, etc. Concerns/questions: 1) Should we OVER estimate our annual mileage? Does any "unused" mileage rollover to a new lease? 2) If we UNDER estimate our annual mileage, is the penalty really that bad? Dealer basically said you either pay it now in monthly payments, or pay it later. 3) Does Ford require leased vehicles to have the ridiculous "3,000 mile maintenance/oil changes", or will they only hold us to the oil life monitor requirements since on a plug-in, the engine hours are much less than a regular car/hybrid? Will we be forced to use their recommended maintenance schedule for a "regular" car for other items as well that dealer charges high amounts for - air filter changes, fuel system cleaning, etc? Can I change air filter myself? 4) With a 3 year / 45,000 mile lease, will the bumper to bumper warranty really be out at 36,000 miles? Or is bumper to bumper warranty for the duration of the lease? Thanks for any insight. I know I can get most questions answered by the dealer, but number 3 above is probably over the head of most dealer finance people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted May 3, 2014 at 11:21 PM Report Share Posted May 3, 2014 at 11:21 PM I've never leased a car so I can't answer the lease questions. The oil change interval on an Energi is 20,000 miles or 2 years, whichever comes first.My dealer tried to convince me it should be changed at 5000 miles. I'm of the opinion that Ford knows more about their engines than a service writer does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnergiCCAATS Posted May 4, 2014 at 04:32 AM Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 at 04:32 AM I've never leased a car so I can't answer the lease questions. The oil change interval on an Energi is 20,000 miles or 2 years, whichever comes first.My dealer tried to convince me it should be changed at 5000 miles. I'm of the opinion that Ford knows more about their engines than a service writer does.I would hope the "lease" maintenance requirements would follow the above then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blars Posted May 4, 2014 at 01:17 PM Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 at 01:17 PM I leased one back in Feb. I overestimated I ovet estimated my mileage to the next tier simply to not have to deal with overages...they are very expensive. You don't really pay for the milage, just the difference in depreciation that more miles is responsible for. As for maintenance, they can ding you for door dings, uneven tire wear, and gouged rims, so I bought the coverage plan for that that comes with free unlimited dent repair, free rim and tire replacement, and free oils changes. They recommend rotating the tires every 5k miles, so I'll get the oils changed and tires rotated every 5k.that extra coverage was an extra 20-25 a month, but worth it to me for the peace of mind. The bumper to bumper is done when its done...has nothing to do with you're lease length. Also, be careful if you put any money down. Better to put no money down and apply it yourself to your monthly payments...if you're in an accident that totals the car, insurance will pay for the replacement, but you're out any money you put down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseibel76 Posted May 4, 2014 at 01:37 PM Report Share Posted May 4, 2014 at 01:37 PM I leased my 2013 FFE primarily for the concerns you raised regarding future technology advances. I love the car but I wonder where the technology will be in 3 years. If the 2017 FFE gets 50-60 miles on a charge, it will have a serious impact on the values of our vehicles. Also, I wanted to ease into electric driving to make sure it was for me (it is - I can't imagine going back to an ICE vehicle). The FFE is a great vehicle for this because you have the ICE as a back-up, if needed. This is my 4th Ford lease. The previous 3 were all for pick-ups and all went fine without issue. With regards to your questions: 1. On a typical Ford lease, "unused" mileage does not rollover into a new lease. I've never heard of a lease that does this. Besides, this would be up to the leasing company/financial institution doing your 2nd lease (i.e., the new lease) to accept these "unused" miles. The current lease cannot bind a potential future lessor. 2. I believe my current lease calls for 25 cents per mile in excess of the allowed mileage (12k per year for my lease). So, if you have a 3 year lease with 12k per year, and you turn it in with 40k miles, your bill for mileage will be $1,000. I think this is the most important factor to consider when deciding whether a lease is right for you (the other being whether you typically want a new car every few years or whether you hang on to your vehicles). I think mileage is where people get into the most trouble with a lease. Having a good idea of how many miles you drive in a year is crucial. Your per mile charge is negotiable. 3. I think the lease contract requires the lessee (you) to have the car maintained according to Ford's recommended schedule. However, I have never had a dealer ask me for maintenance records when I turned my vehicle in at the end of a lease. In any event, there is nothing that I am aware of that prevents you from performing your own maintenance. 4. The warranty is the warranty, regardless of whether you lease or buy. If I went with a 15k lease, I would purchase an extended warranty or try and negotiate it into the deal. There is nothing about leasing itself that gets you an extended warranty. The other thing to remember about leasing is that it allows you to "hedge". In other words, you can purchase your vehicle at the end of the lease for the agreed-upon purchase price. If the vehicle is worth more than that, and you want to keep it, you can. If it is worth less, or your ready for something else, you can turn it in. Finally, I have never had a dealer "nit pick" the condition of the vehicle at lease end. However, I'm pretty gentle on my vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colette Matarese Posted June 17, 2014 at 08:00 PM Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 at 08:00 PM I just bought mine! I was going to pay it off, but with a 2 year prepaid lease I got 6000.00 off purchase price, cost 13,700, car taxes paid for two years and at the end I can lease up, buy, or walk away! No loans, no taxes for tw years! Rexracer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rexracer Posted June 18, 2014 at 05:22 PM Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 at 05:22 PM Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamjustinpowell Posted August 17, 2014 at 02:56 PM Report Share Posted August 17, 2014 at 02:56 PM (edited) Hey Colette how did that pre-paid lease work? I just recently read about that and am VERY interested. I actually tried to pre-pay my current FFE lease in 2013 and was told I couldn't. Funny that they now offer it....lol. I believe Toyota has a comparable program to this which had me looking at the Rav4 EV.To the original poster, I second Tseibel76. He hit the nail right on the head. One thing I've found from over estimating my mileage (purchased 19.5k/using 15k) is that I have actually stayed ahead of depreciation and if need be, could probably sell the car outright at a profit. In theory at lease-end, it would be more beneficial for me to sell it outright then to turn it in. Ford does say that if it is worth more than my residual value they will give me the difference. I guess they figured me for a fool in thinking I would actually believe them.....lol. Edited to clarify that it when I say "Ford" I mean the dealership....lol Edited August 18, 2014 at 02:05 PM by iamjustinpowell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted September 10, 2014 at 06:25 PM Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 at 06:25 PM I just bought mine! I was going to pay it off, but with a 2 year prepaid lease I got 6000.00 off purchase price, cost 13,700, car taxes paid for two years and at the end I can lease up, buy, or walk away! No loans, no taxes for tw years!What's a prepaid lease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted September 10, 2014 at 06:36 PM Report Share Posted September 10, 2014 at 06:36 PM What's a prepaid lease? Instead of making a monthly payment, you just pay for the whole thing up front (A co-worker did that with his new Traverse). I personally wouldn't do it that way since I can keep that money in my bank and make interest while taking out the monthly payment. It's more of a peace of mind / don't have to think or worry about it kind of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted September 11, 2014 at 03:50 PM Report Share Posted September 11, 2014 at 03:50 PM Instead of making a monthly payment, you just pay for the whole thing up front (A co-worker did that with his new Traverse). I personally wouldn't do it that way since I can keep that money in my bank and make interest while taking out the monthly payment. It's more of a peace of mind / don't have to think or worry about it kind of thing.Do you avoid the rent charge then of the lease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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