Thinking about trading my Audi S7 in on a new Stinger GT2...

[FLY6584]

Currently drive a 2013 Audi S7 with 38k miles on it. I absolutely love the car. The power, the style, the comfort, and the versatility of a hatchbook is everything that I love about the car. Unfortunately, S7's are notorious for blowing turbos at around 50k miles. The 2020 S7 is a brand new model and out of my price range right now, but I want to stick with another fast, sporty, hatchback and the Stinger looks like it fits the bill!

With that said, I have a couple questions...

1. I change my car out every 1-2 years and have zero interest in purchasing a vehicle. I know KIA has always been known for their lease deals so I believe that is the route I would like to take. I have read a lot about leasing on this forum, but everything seems to deal with the lease buyout option. How about a straight 24-36 month lease? Any advice or gotchas?

2. I'm not interested in any aftermarket parts, but I definitely want to tune the car. It sounds like the JB4 is the one everyone prefers. Will this affect my lease/warranty? I know its a piggyback tune that I can remove, but has Kia figured out a way to determine if one has been tuned or not? I don't really want to deal with changing out spark plugs any time the car goes into the dealership and 50-60hp increase should be plenty so is this a good route for my situation?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[namja]

1. Leasing the Stinger is terrible. It has a high MF and really low RV. With the monthly payment you can get, even with lease cash, you're better off getting something else. See below edit However, I'm not sure of any other good brand that has hatch/fastback with decent MF/residual. (S5 SB is slightly better)

2. Does the JB4 void the manufacturers warranty? tl;dr you should be ok unless if the spark plugs specifically damage something.

PS: Have you thought about the 2020 A6 Allroad? I'm wondering if it'll lease well like I've seen a lot of A6 Sedans do.

edit: I can't believe I forgot the 4 series Gran Coupe exists. They should lease well too.

 

[FLY6584]

I’m really not a fan of the A6. I’d like to stick with a sport back. That’s a shame they don’t lease well. I really like the Stinger.

 

[DiabloStinger]

They do lease well.. i'm not sure I understand the position of the first response. 24 months seems to be the go-to length. Regardless of the RV, the lease rebates make up a good portion of the depreciation.

 

[FLY6584]

So am I required to change the spark plugs every time I go in for service if I used the JB4 piggy back?

 

[robz32]

Stingers lease well. The rebates on them are pretty good.

The spark plugs are recommended to be changed when you install the JB4, thats it. No need to replace them every time you go in for service.

 

[namja]

They do lease well.. i'm not sure I understand the position of the first response. 24 months seems to be the go-to length. Regardless of the RV, the lease rebates make up a good portion of the depreciation.

You're partially right. I don't know where OP is located (since lease cash varies state-by-state). And what trim OP is looking at. But I've compared lease numbers on Stinger compared to brand-snob brands and I can say there are better lease deals.

In Southern California (where I'm planning on getting one), let's say 10% off MSRP (of ~$54000), with $11,220 lease cash, you're looking at around $540, given they bite at the MF buy rate of .00192.

I've seen posts about BMW 4 series (both loaners/new) under $300 with MSD for both 430i and 440i (even as high as MSRP 61k!). But I personally don't care for the looks of the 4 series myself.
Disclaimer: it is pretty rare to get.

 

[CKeeler]

You're partially right. I don't know where OP is located (since lease cash varies state-by-state). And what trim OP is looking at. But I've compared lease numbers on Stinger compared to brand-snob brands and I can say there are better lease deals.

In Southern California (where I'm planning on getting one), let's say 10% off MSRP (of ~$54000), with $11,220 lease cash, you're looking at around $540, given they bite at the MF buy rate of .00192.

I've seen posts about BMW 4 series (both loaners/new) under $300 with MSD for both 430i and 440i (even as high as MSRP 61k!). But I personally don't care for the looks of the 4 series myself.
Disclaimer: it is pretty rare to get.

When I signed up with my lease in September of ‘18 my payment ended up only being $400/m after I put $6k down. And I’m in Southern California with a 1% higher rate in my home town then everywhere else

 

[namja]

When I signed up with my lease in September of ‘18 my payment ended up only being $400/m after I put $6k down. And I’m in Southern California with a 1% higher rate in my home town then everywhere else

$6k down payment on a lease. Imagine you return the car at the end of the lease. That means you are $6k out - meaning hypothetically you could add $6K over your lease term and that's your effective monthly payment..

 

[namja]

All that being said, weren't there a couple forum users that were able to trade in their '18 for '19 with positive equity? Not sure how likely that'll occur again with '20s or '21s (if they decide to make it).

 

[FLY6584]

Stingers lease well. The rebates on them are pretty good.

The spark plugs are recommended to be changed when you install the JB4, thats it. No need to replace them every time you go in for service.

I'm just thinking worst case. The engine/turbos blow up. I remove the piggy back. Take the car in. They notice

You're partially right. I don't know where OP is located (since lease cash varies state-by-state). And what trim OP is looking at. But I've compared lease numbers on Stinger compared to brand-snob brands and I can say there are better lease deals.

In Southern California (where I'm planning on getting one), let's say 10% off MSRP (of ~$54000), with $11,220 lease cash, you're looking at around $540, given they bite at the MF buy rate of .00192.

I've seen posts about BMW 4 series (both loaners/new) under $300 with MSD for both 430i and 440i (even as high as MSRP 61k!). But I personally don't care for the looks of the 4 series myself.
Disclaimer: it is pretty rare to get.

You’re saying they will discount MSRP 10% and also apply $10k+ in lease cash?

I’m interested in a zero down lease. I see no point in putting money down. 2019 GT2 RWD. Approx $52k msrp. What monthly payment can I expect?

 

[namja]

You’re saying they will discount MSRP 10% and also apply $10k+ in lease cash?

I’m interested in a zero down lease. I see no point in putting money down. 2019 GT2 RWD. Approx $52k msrp. What monthly payment can I expect?

Hypothetically:
$52K MSRP
$46,800 after discount (10% off)
24/10
MF: .00192
RV: 52%
Lease Cash: $11,220
Dealer Fees: ~$1K

That's like close to $500/month pre-tax.

I wouldn't be surprised if dealers played games and took off thousands off lease cash and/or marked up MF which may potentially push you to $550-600

 

[Travis Wills]

You're partially right. I don't know where OP is located (since lease cash varies state-by-state). And what trim OP is looking at. But I've compared lease numbers on Stinger compared to brand-snob brands and I can say there are better lease deals.

In Southern California (where I'm planning on getting one), let's say 10% off MSRP (of ~$54000), with $11,220 lease cash, you're looking at around $540, given they bite at the MF buy rate of .00192.

I've seen posts about BMW 4 series (both loaners/new) under $300 with MSD for both 430i and 440i (even as high as MSRP 61k!). But I personally don't care for the looks of the 4 series myself.
Disclaimer: it is pretty rare to get.

You can’t compare leasing a brand new car to leasing a “used/loaner” car.

Yes the BMW leases always offer very low payments. However, that is always on a car that has been used or one nobody wants.

Also putting money down on a lease even with MSDs is not a fair comparison.

If you can find a dealer willing to do 10%+ in addition to the manufacturer lease rebates then that isn’t a horrible way to get into a Stinger GT2.

A lot of people don’t realize that buying a Stinger isn’t a bad option right now. Some people are getting $7000-$8000 off sticker on a purchase. Now that isn’t that great until you also factor in that you can get zero percent interest for up to 75 months.

That keeps the payment fairly low. You can just treat the loan like a lease. The Stingers have held their value fairly well. You shouldn’t be underwater with a loan after about 3 years especially with zero percent interest.

 

[Travis Wills]

When I signed up with my lease in September of ‘18 my payment ended up only being $400/m after I put $6k down. And I’m in Southern California with a 1% higher rate in my home town then everywhere else

Don’t ever put that kind of money down on a lease. You are actually prepaying the payments. That money vaporizes if your car is totaled.

 

[CKeeler]

$6k down payment on a lease. Imagine you return the car at the end of the lease. That means you are $6k out - meaning hypothetically you could add $6K over your lease term and that's your effective monthly payment..

Not imagining turning it back in. My whole intention was to buy it out after the end of the lease, and my plan now is to buy it out cash. So the lease length wasn’t a huge deal breaker to me I just wanted a lower monthly payment

 

[robz32]

I'm just thinking worst case. The engine/turbos blow up. I remove the piggy back. Take the car in. They notice

They will not notice if you remove everything. As a matter of fact we already had a member here blow up his engine and had it replaced under warranty by the dealer at zero cost to him.

 

[Travis Wills]

Not imagining turning it back in. My whole intention was to buy it out after the end of the lease, and my plan now is to buy it out cash. So the lease length wasn’t a huge deal breaker to me I just wanted a lower monthly payment

You weren’t “lowering your monthly payment”. You were making those payments in advance which is a really bad idea.

 

[Todd Piefer]

You weren’t “lowering your monthly payment”. You were making those payments in advance which is a really bad idea.

Using the Build tool on the Kia web site... 2020 Stinger GT 36000 mile 36 month lease with $2000 down. Payment is $515. Put $5000 down and the payment is $427. Sum of the differences in the 36 payments is 36 x $88 = $3168. So the extra $3000 down saves $168 over three years. If you put $3000 in a savings account or a CD for three years, you'd need to get 1.817% interest to wind up with $3168. It's a reasonable investment.

 

[Kimberly Lazarski]

No matter how I run the numbers on a lease vs. financing, I can't ever find any advantage to leasing, especially with the low APRs which would allow me to keep my cash and put it to work investing while using the lender's cheap money to purchase the car. I've juggled the numbers all around as I am already planning on potentially trading in the 2020 stinger after the refresh and it looks like I'd still be better off purchasing than leasing.

A lot of people don’t realize that buying a Stinger isn’t a bad option right now. Some people are getting $7000-$8000 off sticker on a purchase. Now that isn’t that great until you also factor in that you can get zero percent interest for up to 75 months.
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I've noticed the same; I can drive RI to save $8,000 on a GT2 and even with the aggravation of having to go back and forth between RI and Maine to register the thing, buying in an economically depressed state is worth $8,000 even factoring in the time. That $8,000 can buy a lot of horsepower on the Stinger's V6.

 

[brunosquito]

In rh

So am I required to change the spark plugs every time I go in for service if I used the JB4 piggy back?

In the JB4 manual and on the site it mentions you only need to change the plugs when you run map 2 or higher. If you just want 60+ hp I’d do some bolt ons and run map 1. I’ve run it for a month and no issues with my stock plugs.