Okay guys, it's been loads of fun but I think I'm overcooked on the Evoque. Here's why:
Love how it looks and drives and the interior on the Prestige model with the tan interior is unparalleled, but it's getting too hard and too expensive to get one. My local LR dealer says a minimum of $1,500 down is required by LR. Two dealerships in Los Angeles say that's bull and LR requires nothing down -- you can sign and drive. The largest LR dealer in the United States corroborates that.
The same kind of wild goose chase is happening with the residual and money factor. One dealership says it's 44% on a 39 month lease, another says 45% and yet another says 59%. One dealership says the money factor is .00126 and another dealer 5 miles away says .00189.
So between not being able to get a straight answer on the down payment, residual, and money factor, it's just becoming a huge hassle. If I use the 45% residual, which seems most likely, and do $0 down, my monthly is at $950. Kinda ridiculous when originally I was thinking $650/$700, yeah know?
I know some of you pay way more due to your country's import taxes and would love to have it for that price, but it's all relative and $950/month is what you expect to pay on a much more expensive car in the States. Could I afford the $950/month, well, yeah, but it's quite beyond what I originally wanted to spend and that just sours the deal maybe a little bit more than I'd like to live with.
I think I may just get a BMW ActiveHybrid 3 (sports car performance in a hybrid), do a european delivery on it, and call it day. At least with BMW I get straight and consistent answers from them. The BMW is spec'd out to $65K USD MSRP and I think could get a monthly on it of $795 ($0 down/36 month lease) -- $10K MSRP more than the Evoque and $150/month less.
Just took a look at the online config for one with the M Sport Line and it looks great. Not quite the drippingly luxurious interior of the Evoque with Oxford tan/expresso interior, but it's decent and the steering wheel looks wicked cool.
More speed, more reliable tech (my biggest complaint about the Evoque is the nav system and BMW's iDrive is lightyears better), practically double MPG, and better driving dynamics. But no off-road or going over curb capability and sit lower.
What do you guys think? If you were in my shoes and the BMW was $150/month less for $10K more car, would you do it, or bite the bullet and pay more for the less expensive Evoque?