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To lease Prius, or to not lease Prius
Updated April, 2012
In the past, I've
received e-mails regarding a lease on a Toyota Prius, or more precisely, the inability to lease
a Prius, at least cost-effectively. Even when a lease was offered, the terms of the
lease are simply ridiculous.
Consequently, buying was really the only cost-effective option in the past.
Fortunately, since the gas spike of 2008, however, hybrid leases have emerged with more favorable options, including leases on the new 2012 Toyota Prius. In fact, sometimes the a lease is the most cost-effective option.
My how things have changed.
Unfortunately, however, there are still supply issues with the Toyota Prius, and when demand outweighs supplies, hybrid leasing deals are usually the first casualities.
Today, Prius leases are as much $100 higher than they were a few months, before the Japanese earthquake.
Fortunately, Prius and hybrid supplies are building. More important, some dealers are even starting to offer leasing incentives on the Prius again. Sadly, however, the options are nowhere near as favorable as they were just a year ago.
According to the latest reports, Toyota should be back to normal in the next few months, so that should mean better incentives on a Toyota Prius lease.
So, if you want to lease a Prius, rather than buy one, I'd wait a few more months for better Prius lease options.
Don't use the
dealership for your hybrid lease?
I once looked into a lease for a Toyota
Prius and the general manager of the dealership told
me, " I can lease it to you, but you are not going to
like the payments." He went on to tell me about how
he had been yelled at, called a liar, and that he had
potential customers walk out of of his shop over Prius
leases.
Ultimately, I didn't lease that Prius. The payments made a
purchase a better decision.
According to Leasecompare.com leasing hybrid
cars has just become easier and cheaper..
“Hybrid car leasing has been limited to dealer lease
offers, where available,” notes Shebesta. “Now,
consumers can choose the vehicle and the dealer and go
online to LeaseCompare.com to select the best lease among
many offers.”
LeaseCompare.com is the best alternative to dealer
leasing and, as the name suggests, provides an interactive
tool to instantly evaluate leasing options from a number
of sources. Customers can lock in a competitive lease
quote they like and apply for credit online. ACS
facilitates the lease and pays the vehicle seller.
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