Volkswagen GTI Lease Guide - $306/Month, $0 Down ($250 FOR CURRENT VW OWNERS) (Expired)

The original hot hatch, now in its seventh generation. It’s classy, refined, and a blast to drive. 

Source: vw.com

Volkswagen GTI 4-Door S (2016) Sample Lease
MSRP	$26,415
Target Capitalized Cost	$24,225*
36-Month Residual	$15,585 (59% of MSRP)**
Money Factor	.00165 (3.96% APR)
Estimate	$306 per month
Valid Through	10/31/15

$0 down payment with only first month's payment and government fees due at signing. Does not include sales tax. Southern California market.

*Assumes a 95th percentile sales price of $24,100, less $500 Lease Cash plus $625 acquisition fee.

**Assumes 12,000 miles per year. Add 1% for 10,000 miles per year.

Leasehackr Score: 7.2 years
Leasing this car for one year amounts to paying 14% of its MSRP.

Source: caranddriver.com (2015 Subaru WRX vs. 2015 Volkswagen GTI)

Our Take:

For non-VW owners, this is a so-so deal. The average selling price for Golf GTI is trending down, but that's not enough to make up for a fairly mediocre lease program (nearly 4% APR). Still, we'd lease rather than buy the GTI to avoid the risk and uncertainty of depreciation, especially with Dieselgate.

Conditional Incentives: 

If you're a current owner of a 2001 or newer Volkswagen, this can be a great deal. There's a $2,000 VW Owner Loyalty Bonus, which will save you about $56 each month. The cool thing about a lease is that these discounts are amortized over a shorter period of time, so the amount saved per month is greater.

2015 or 2016?

Although the lease program is better on the 2015, there are only a handful left in the Southern California region. Your choice will likely be limited to the 2016.

Manufacturer's Offer: $309/month. 36-month lease. $1,999 due at signing. $26,415 MSRP.

Also consider: Subaru WRX, Ford Focus ST, Audi A3, MINI Cooper S, FIAT 500 Abarth
We love the: Refinement. Practicality. Fun-to-drive.
But watch out for: Dieselgate fallout.