Dealers offer many different financing options these days and one of the most popular is a lease... but leases can be confusing because they use terms like money factor, and you get to pick how many miles you drive. Lets start at the beginning.

What Is The Money Factor?

The Money Factor is the interest rate in a lease. Where in a typical loan you might get 6% interest rate, that would equate to a money factor of 0.0025. This number is achieved by dividing the interest rate 6 by 2400. You can convert the money factor to a percentage by multiplying it by 2400. So if you are presented with a money factor of 0.00375 you could quickly find out that equals 9% interest. Money factors change depending on the term of the lease and the type of vehicle, so check around for the going rate.

Why Does The Payment Change For Different Lease Terms?

First mistake people make is figuring that the longer the lease the lower the payment. This is not always the case. There are many different factors that make up a lease, one of them being the term. The term of the lease (24 months, 36 month, 48 months) changes the depreciation amount of the car. Since a lease price is determined, for the most part, by the depreciation, the longer you own the car the more it will depreciate. Cars depreciate quickly the first year you own them and also the longer you own them. You will sometimes see that you can get a shorter lease term for less money then a long lease term. The typical "sweet spot" of the lease is around 30 - 36 months. This is usually where the best rate is found, but always get a few quotes for multiple terms so you can see as different cars have different "sweet spots"

Why Should I Care About The Miles I Put On A Car?

Once you have picked the car, and determined the lease term that works for you, the sales agent will probably ask the amount of miles you will be putting on the car. Most leases that you see advertised are for a small amount of miles, usually 10,000 or 12,000. This is something that dealerships will try to make sound very important, and often convince you to increase the pre-paid miles to 15,000 or more. This is only something to worry about if you intend to just turn the car in when you are finished with the lease. If you plan on purchasing the car at the end of the lease, or decide to trade it in for another car, you will end up wasting money, since part of the depreciation of the car is rated on the miles you "intend" to put on it. Which is why if you change from a 12,000 to 15,000 mile lease, your monthly payment will go up. Keep in mind what you intend to do at the end of your lease.

Most consumers do not just turn in their current lease, they end up buying another car and using their current lease as a trade-in. So you see, paying extra money for miles on a car is really not worth it for most consumers. By learning just these three things you can walk into a dealership with the understanding and knowledge necessary to get the best deal out there. Once you understand some of the fundamentals of leasing a car or truck, you will be well on your way to getting the best deal for you money. Never be afraid to ask questions and have the sales person draw out the details of the deal.

Using these three tips you can be the dealership at their own game...and above all else be sure to check out a good auto lease calculator before agreeing to a dealer's terms. Here is to leasing on your own terms.

Chris Richard

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