First Time Car Lease Tips
Are you considering your first automobile lease but are unsure where you should start? Leasing a vehicle doesn’t have to be a daunting experience, especially if you’re prepared ahead of time. Here are a few tips to help you get started with your vehicle lease.
Find the Right Vehicle
The first step in the lease process is to find the right vehicle for your needs. Consider your daily driving habits and what you’re looking for most in a vehicle. If you have a large family with children, then you may want to consider looking at SUVs or other larger vehicles. If you have a long commute and are interested in being eco-friendly, then you may want to look into electric cars or other fuel-efficient vehicles. Other things to consider are the type of transmission you want, how many doors you want your vehicle to have, and what type of engine you’re looking for. Once you know what you’re looking for in a vehicle, you can begin the search process.
Figure out Your Payments
The next step in leasing a car is to figure out what type of monthly payment you can afford. Take a look at your monthly expenses and see how much money you have in your budget to put towards your lease. You should be willing to commit to three years worth of payments, which is the term length of most leases. When you negotiate the price on your vehicle the dealership will want to know your monthly budget, so you should be prepared.
Shop Dealerships
After figuring out what type of vehicle you want and know how much you can afford, you should be ready to head off to the dealership to look at and test drive different models. You can find reviews on different dealerships online to help you figure out which ones may be the most reputable to work with. You can even save yourself some time by calling different dealerships ahead of time to see if they have the vehicle you’re looking for. When shopping for cars, particularly Audi leases, dealerships should be willing to help you locate exactly what you’re looking for so you don’t have to spend a lot of time driving from one dealership to another. When you meet with salesmen, you should be prepared to test drive the vehicle to make sure you like the way it feels. Since you’ll likely be driving it for a couple years, you want to be sure you like the way it handles. Don’t be afraid to ask the salesman plenty of questions, especially if this is your first time leasing a vehicle. They should be more than happy to help.
Negotiate a Price
Once you’ve found the right vehicle for your needs, the next step is to negotiate the price of your lease with the dealership. You should be prepared to go back and forth with the dealer to find a price you’re both comfortable with before you reach a final agreement. Ask if they have any incentives they can extend you to bring the price down. After you’ve both agreed on a price, the dealer will likely run your credit to see if they can extend you a loan for the vehicle.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Before you can finalize the paperwork and take your new vehicle home, you’ll want to contact your insurance company to let them know you’re getting a new vehicle. They’ll want to run a quote for your new car and they may want to talk with someone at the dealership to get the details of your purchase, including monthly payment and any safety features it may have that could help lower your monthly premium.
Sign and Drive
To close the deal, you and the dealership will sit down and go over and sign the paperwork for your new vehicle. Before you finalize the paperwork, you’ll want to double check the lease agreement to see if you have any final questions and to make sure the numbers look right. If everything looks okay, then you and the dealer can sign off on the paperwork and you can drive off the lot with your new vehicle.
Before you commit to a vehicle, you should know your budget, have a good idea what you’re looking for, and negotiate the right price. With these tips in mind, you should have no problem finding the right vehicle for your needs.
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.