InvoiceDealers
Edmunds
CarsDirect
Yahoo! Autos
FordDirect

It's a fact that many people now leasing a car are overpaying because they didn't know how to get a good deal — or how to recognize a bad deal. Others who could greatly benefit from leasing are shying away because they are not comfortable with the leasing process or its unfamiliar language. Some think leasing is the same as renting, or have other misconceptions about it.

So if you're thinking about leasing a new car and want to understand how leasing works, or don't know if you should lease or buy — or simply need help with your current lease — this web site was created for you. Remember, knowledge is power — especially in car leasing. An educated automotive consumer will get more respect from dealers and will benefit from better deals and fewer mistakes.

Best Car Prices? Get a Car Quote.
Regardless of how you finance your new auto — lease or loan — price is the most important factor. But haggling over prices with dealers can be stressful and most people hate it. LeaseGuide.com recommends the following online pricing services who have already worked out good prices with dealers in your area. Just specify the vehicle you want and they'll get you a fast, free car quote, no strings attached. ——— InvoiceDealers is our top recommendation because it's consistently rated #1 ——— but don't stop there. Also get prices from Edmunds,  CarsDirect , Yahoo! Autos , and Automotive.com . Compare all the deals, and pick the best one.

See our article, Car Price Secrets - What Dealers Don't Explain for more details – learn how dealer car pricing really works.

Canadians have limited options for Canadian car price quotes. The best source is CarCostCanada .

Car Deals in Tough Economy
Car manufacturers are currently offering generous rebates, discounts, low APR loans, and good low-payment lease deals to help boost sales and leases in the recession. We have the list of current incentives for all car makes and models. Be sure to get free price quotes from Edmunds, which will include any available incentives on the make and model you are interested in.

Also consider a car lease takeover from someone who already got a great lease deal, and now wants out. Get low payments, no down payment, and even cash incentives from desperate sellers.

Top 10 Lease Cars
Here are the top lease vehicles from Yahoo! Autos. Price is the most important factor in leasing, so ask for free dealer price quotes if you are interested in one of these models — Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Camry, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes C-Class, Honda Odyssey, Mercedes E-Class, Chevrolet Corvette, Land Rover LR2

What is the Lease Kit?
We frequently and proudly mention our popular Lease Kit. When you want to go beyond simply understanding how leasing works and are ready to actually get into (or out of) a lease, then that's where the Lease Kit comes in. It contains online tools, evaluation calculators, worksheets, checklists, vehicle ratings, dealer margins, residual data, and reference guides that you need to put yourself in control of any real leasing deal. Update: Also works great on your Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, or your laptop with a wireless Internet connection.
Where is more detailed information about the Lease Kit?   
What are current users saying about the Lease Kit ?
How to get the Lease Kit ?

LeaseGuide.com Celebrates 10th Anniversary
LeaseGuide.com has been serving automotive consumers in the U.S. and Canada for over 10 years. In that time, we have grown to become the #1 car leasing information and advice site on the Internet, thanks to our millions of loyal visitors. Our Lease Kit has been purchased by many thousands of satisfied customers who have used it to confidently lease their personal and family automobiles. Thank you to our visitors and "fans." We hope to be around for at least another 10 years. Happy car leasing.

To Lease or to Buy?  That is the Question
Almost everyone who has thought of car leasing wants to know if they would be better to lease or to buy. The fact is that one way will nearly always be significantly better than the other in any particular situation. Therefore, it is important that you understand both methods and how to determine which is best for your own situation. Our article, Lease vs Buy, is your starting point.

Car Financing in a Bad Economy
As the economy weakens and credit becomes tighter, car financing is often hard to get, particularly for people with low credit scores. However, as both leases and loans become more expensive, leasing will continue to be the lowest-cost financing alternative, even when compared to 0% loans. Read our article, Bad Credit Car Loans and Leases. —— If you are having problems making your current car loan or lease payments, read our article, Can't Afford Your Car?

Looking for Cheapest Car Insurance?
Everyone is trying to cut the cost of car ownership these days. Auto insurance is one of the highest cost items in the list of things we need. If your rates are too high, or you are looking cheap rates, read our article, Where to Find the Cheapest Car Insurance." The article includes tips and advice that will probably save you money.

New Cars Without a Dealer with CarsDirect
If you wanted someone to help you find the car you like, get you the best "out-the-door" price, arrange financing for you, and handle the paperwork — all without visiting or talking to a dealer — you would be describing one of our top recommended online car buying services, CarsDirect.com . We like them. They have a great reputation and have helped thousands of people buy and lease new cars.

Download the Lease Guide
Many of our visitors have asked for a version of our complete 15-chapter Lease Guide in a downloadable book format that they can easily read anytime on their computer or print it for convenient off-line reading. It's available now. Click here for more details. The Lease Guide can be accessed on your Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch (with WiFi connection) as well.

Lease Calculators — Calculate Lease Payments
Use our full-function Car Lease Calculator to quickly find your monthly car lease payment and total leasing costs ——— Just be aware that simply knowing a lease payment doesn't tell you if it is a good deal or not. Only the Lease Evaluator in our Lease Kit can do that. Also see our Lease Calculator for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.

Auto Loan Calculator — It's Different
We realize many of our visitors choose to finance with a loan, or want to compare loan payments to lease payments. We've created a unique Auto Loan Calculator that is about as thorough as it gets when calculating car payments. Those who like our lease calculator will like this one too.

How Much Car Can You Afford to Lease ?
Leasing allows you to drive a more expensive vehicle, but don't lease more car than you can handle. A useful new "compare by payment" feature by LeaseCompare allows you to specify the monthly lease payment you can afford and shows you all the vehicle makes and models that fall within your budget. If you like one of the deals, they handle all the details. This is a great alternative to dealer shopping.

Car Lease Ads - What's the Story? Good Deals or Not?
You've seen those attractive car lease advertisements in the newspaper and on TV. They advertise low monthly payments and imply that these are "special" deals. Are they special? Are the payments really good deals or not? What does the fine print mean? What are they not telling you? Is there a catch? See our revealing article, Understanding Car Lease Ads, and learn how to evaluate such deals.

What's a Good Lease Deal?  How do You Know?
Even though the payments may seem very low on the lease deal you're considering, much lower than buying with a loan, how do you know if it's actually a good deal? Are your payments higher than average? The Lease Evaluator in our Car Lease Kit can tell you instantly. It enables you to specify a vehicle make/model and then see the best-case, and worst-case, monthly lease payment for that vehicle. See this article for some real examples.

Your Credit Score Makes a Big Difference
When you lease or buy a car, the dealer and his finance company check your FICO credit score from one or more of the three national credit reporting companies — Equifax , Experian, and TransUnion. Your score determines what interest rate (lease money factor) you'll pay, or if you'll be approved at all. Each reporting company can have a different score for you — you need to know them all. Scores above 700 get you the best rates. Below about 640, you're in trouble.Your score also affects your car insurance rates, your ability to get a mortgage, or even your ability to get a job. Credit history reports are now free to most consumers in the U.S., but credit scores are not. For more details, see Your Credit Score - Know It and Understand It.

What Dealers Don't Tell About Car Prices
Dealers prefer to keep customers in the dark about how car prices work. This way, there's more opportunity to extract maximum profit. It's a fact that dealers sell the same vehicle make/model to different customers at widely different prices, depending on how well the customers understand pricing. For more, see our informative article, Dealer Car Price Secrets.

Car Lease Residual Values
Residual value is one of the most important factors in car leasing, yet it is the factor that is least understood by leasing consumers. Why is residual value important? How are residuals determined? Who sets residual values? Are they negotiable? Find out by reading our article, Car Lease Residual Values.

Got a GPS Navigation System for Your Car?  Why Not?
Those who have never used a car GPS wonder why they would ever need one. Those who have, wonder how they ever did without one. Some now come with traffic indicators and rerouting functions. Read this article about GPS Navigation Systems and decide if you can do without one or not.

Lease a Luxury Car for Less
Luxury cars have higher lease-end residual values than most other cars, making them the most-leased category of all vehicles - 70% are leased. It's possible to lease a luxury car for less money than a similarly priced ordinary car. Find out how and why in our article, Luxury Car Leasing Explained.

Get Out of Your Lease Early
Have someone else take over your lease is a good way to do it. It's the easiest and the lowest cost method (no penalty fees). There are a few specialized companies who will list your car, find a "buyer", and take care of the details for you — for a small fee. We especially like Swapalease, the long-time respected leader in online car lease transfers. —— We also recommend CarLeaseDepot who offers a number of uniques features, including a lease takeover search engine. Another online lease company we like is PriceaLease. —— As easy as this method might seem, it doesn't work for everyone. The Lease Termination Guide in our Lease Kit explains all your other options.

Do Your Research Before You Lease
Don't get your car information from a dealer salesperson. You should know as much as possible about your prospective car before you ever set foot in a dealer showroom. Here are convenient links to information and pricing, and dealer discounted price quotes, for each vehicle:

Don't Be a "Payment Buyer" When You Lease or Buy
Dealers love "payment buyers." These are customers who only look at monthly payment amounts when they buy or lease. Unfortunately, this isn't a good way to shop, especially when you lease. You can be offered what appears to be a great deal and find out that you significantly overpaid. Read our Payment Buyer article to see some real examples and learn more.

Free Cars!   Really?
Yes — and no. Of course, nothing is really free, but there are companies who will pay you to drive your own car, or provide you a free car to drive. Real people are participating in these real programs. What's the catch? Read our article, Free Cars - Fact or Fiction?, to learn more.

Car Dealers Boost Interest Rates for Profit
Did you know that car dealers routinely "bump" interest rates on loans and leases for extra profit? It's called "dealer reserve." For leases in particular, it is important to understand how interest rates affect lease cost and how to convert lease "money factor" to interest rate. See our article, How Car Financing Really Works, for details.

Read Your Lease Contract - Please !
We remind you over and over again here at LeaseGuide.com to read and understand your lease contract before you sign. There are just too many ways to make mistakes, or not catch dealer mistakes. Unfortunately, taking 20 minutes to really read and really understand a long complex contract in a dealer's office when you're anxious to get the process over with is almost impossible. That's why we've provided a Sample Lease Contract and a Contract Checklist that is now part of our Lease Kit.

Lease Takeover - No Money Down - Cash Back
It's possible to lease a practically new car, with no money down, for a short term (1-4 years), by simply taking over the payments from someone who wants out of their lease early. Real bargains are available since "sellers" are often desperate and offer cash incentives. We recently examined a list of lease-takeover vehicles at Swapalease, CarLeaseDepot, and PriceaLease and found some outstanding transfer deals — many late model vehicles for under $200 a month! Luxury cars for less than $400! For more, read our article, Short Term Leasing.

Does Car Make/Model Make a Difference When Leasing?
You bet it does. Vehicles that have the highest lease-end residual values (future resale value) make the best lease vehicles. For example, when we look at a typical 36 month lease for both a Honda Accord and a Ford Taurus, each priced at $22,000, no money down, the monthly payment for the Honda is only $348, but the Taurus payment is $430 — $82 more a month — almost $3000 more over the life of the lease. Our Car Lease Kit includes a comparison of all vehicle makes and models. According to the Lease Kit, the best lease vehicle makes are Acura, BMW, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, and Toyota.

In a Long-Term Loan or Lease? You May Need an Extended Warranty
If you have a loan or lease for a term that is longer than the car manufacturer's general bumper-to-bumper warranty (not the drive-train warranty), you will be responsible for all repairs after the warranty expires. You can protect yourself by getting an extended warranty. The earlier you buy, the less it costs. For more details, see our article, Car Warranty Advisor.

About to Lease?  Already Leased?  How Good was Your Deal?
So you're about to sign or have already signed your lease contract. Did you get a good deal? What interest rate did you actually pay (you won't find it in your contract)? How much was your bank fee ( not shown in most contracts)? What does that mumbo-jumbo in your contract really mean? The Car Lease Kit contains a fully-explained lease contract form and contract checklist, and a special Lease Inspector calculator that will completely analyze all figures in your lease deal and tell you where you did well, or not so well — and whether there were mistakes in the dealer's calculations.

Leasing and Car Insurance
Did you know that leasing may require a higher level of insurance coverage than you are carrying now? It's true, and it catches many people off guard. But it's easily possible to reduce your rates for more coverage so that it doesn't become an added cost. This makes understanding insurance even more important than ever when leasing. See our articles, Car Insurance and Leasing and Cheap Car Insurance, for more details. Even if you aren't leasing, knowing how to get free car insurance quotes is important to getting the best rates.

Dealer Leasing Tricks
Learn about the most common ways that car dealers can mislead customers about leasing. These are techniques that may be new to many automotive consumers who have never leased before. The dealer gets his deal, but you may be left holding the bag. Download our free ebook, "Dealer Leasing Tricks".

Does Your Lease End Soon?  Be Careful.
One of our readers told us that she really disliked her leased sedan and so, at the end of her lease, she simply returned it to the lease company and walked away. What's the problem? She found out later that she could have bought the vehicle from the lease company for her contract lease-end purchase price, which was less than market value, and could have sold it for a $6000 profit. —— The point is this: it's very important to examine ALL your lease-end options before you make a rush decision. See our Lease-End Considerations page for more details.

Best Cars for Teenagers
In our article, Best Cars for Teens, we discuss how to select the right cars for young drivers. But, is leasing right for teen drivers who haven't yet established credit histories? How about long-term loans? How about auto insurance for teenage first-time drivers? Also look at the First Car Guide web site.

Best Gas Mileage Cars
If you are tired of paying high gas prices and need a more fuel-efficient car, we tell you which vehicles — cars and smaller SUVs — get the best mileages. See our informative article, Best Gas Saving Cars.

Lease Buyout - Good Deal or Not?
Most new car leases allow you to purchase — buyout — your vehicle at lease-end, for a price specified in your lease contract. Is a buyout always a smart choice? Is the price a fair price? Is it negotiable? How do you go about it? How about an early buyout? See our article, Lease Buyout .

Looking for a Cheap Car — Extra Money for a Car?
We frequently get emails asking about the least expensive way to get into a car. Leasing is obviously one of the ways, but we explain a number of other ways in our article, Cheap Cars - Where to Find Them. —— Rather than a cheap car, you might be simply looking for a way to make extra money to pay for the car you want. If so, you may find our Extra Money for a New Car article of interest.

Find Auction Cars for $200. Is It Really Possible?
Ever wonder about those government surplus and seized auto auctions where it's claimed you can find bargain cars for as little as $200? Yes, it is possible — it happens every day — but there's more you need to know before you jump into it. Learn how it all works in our article, Car Auctions.

Used-Car Leasing.   Smart Move or Not?
Leasing a used car can often make good sense, especially if it's a vehicle that is relatively new and holds its resale value well. Great deals can be had on a used car lease but make sure you understand how it works. It's not quite the same as a new-car lease. See our article, Used Car Leasing, for more details. Also visit our Used Car Advisor web site to learn how not to get ripped off.

Sell Your Used Car - Don't Trade
It's common knowledge that you'll not only get more money by selling your old car before you buy or lease a new car, but you'll also give the dealer less opportunity to juggle the numbers in your new car deal. However, be sure you know how to sell your used car to maximize your return. See our article, Sell Your Used Car, before you decide.

Why is CarsDirect.com Different?
CarsDirect.com is a popular and well respected online car buying service that is different that other companies of its type. Find out how and why - Online Car Leasing with CarsDirect.

Decided Not to Lease? - Buy with an Online Loan
Leasing is not for everyone. Many people will choose to buy cars with conventional loans. However, to get the best rates it is necessary to shop around and compare rates. Dealers don't always have the best deals. For online loan providers, we recommend DriverLoans.com and up2drive.com Get loan quotes from multiple providers to compare rates and select the best deal. In Canada, we recommend AutoCredit.ca.

Salvage Cars for Bargains
Unusual national weather events have created what has become a wave of affected cars, trucks, and other vehicles for sale — possibly with hidden damages. One way, it can be a potential problem for unaware buyers — the other way can present some incredible buying opportunities. Read our articles, Damaged, Flooded, and Salvaged Cars  and  Insurance Salvage Auctions  for more details. Buying rebuildable cars is another opportunity for those looking for ways to take some risks and get bargain cars.

Public Car Auctions for Cheap Cars
Used cars at public car auctions are a source of good used cars at bargain prices — if you know where to find the auctions and understand how to participate. There are many kinds of vehicle auctions held every day around the country. We explain it all in our article, Public Car Auctions.