gymjenkie

So I currently have a 2014 lexus is250 f sport luxury pkg with navigation.... I'm going to be trading it in since I have major negative equity and really high mileage on my car. So it wouldn't even be worth it for me to keep paying for the car. Had it for over a year and it's been in an accident already and has 61k miles ... in case anyone wanted to tell me just to keep the is250... but yes anyways lol .... I'm stuck in between the ct200h f sport and the audi a3 e-tron. Any suggestions? I'm just going to lease for 36 months and starting fresh with a different car after.

SteveMason

You will save a lot of money with the CT. It has been the cheapest car for ownership I have ever had (knock on wood) It is cheap on gas obviously but also on maintenance. It shares most major components with the prius and they are a lot cheaper than those found in most high end cars. I also get most of the work done at a Toyota dealer and they just charge me the same as a a yaris or prius. You also save a lot of money on the brakes as they last pretty much the lifespan of the car. Oh yeah, and it takes regular gas!

The Audi is not without its charm though. It is a very nice car and feels slightly more "high end" especially in the interior. That is my only complaint with the CT is the interior feels a bit cheap.

irondonkey

whats the price difference in both? that should be your deciding factor, in my opinion.

gengar

Since OP is leasing with no intention to buy, the residual will play a big factor too. And I can't imagine the residual on an A3 e-tron is going to be anywhere near the CT, so that's going to have a huge impact on monthly payments.

gymjenkie

I'm going to be leasing for 36 months and 15,000 miles per year. Will I need to change anything aside from oil change within those 3 years / mileage? That is true! I've been having to get 91 gas for the is250 and that's always $0.20 per gallon more!

I am actually looking at the f sport package with navigation, so it looks a bit better LOL I totally agree though, I wish the CT200h interior didn't look so cheap. It reminds me of the older generations of Lexus. They need to upgrade the interior! The only thing I can think of that is better in the Audi A3 e-tron is the interior and the extra MPG. I'm not even sure how much the maintenance for those cars.... I've always had an import car, no americans or german cars.

gymjenkie

The Lexus Ct200h has 53% residual rate and Audi A3 e-tron has 51% residual rate. But the offers I received for each vehicle has the same monthly payment! With 0 due and 0 down, including my negative equity.

So I am having hard time deciding LOL

Both cars have the same monthly payment.
But the Ct200h, I got the f sport package, moon roof and navigation as additional options. I am still waiting for the numbers on the special edition Ct200h which has a lower MSRP of the other Ct200h I am looking at, so that may be even lower!
The Audi A3 e-tron will be the base model with the options of 17 inch wheels added on.

gymjenkie

The monthly payments on both cars are the same! So I can't decide LOL

edgalang

Since you mentioned that you've never tried a German car, and the overall cost is similar for both, then IMO the e-tron is the way to go.

You are leasing, so unlike a purchase you aren't married to the thing so maintenance shouldn't be an issue. Might as well branch out.

gymjenkie

I haven't even had a chance to test drive the A3 e-tronyet

That is true, because most likely I'm going to purchase a Lexus, probably a CPO not brand new, after I finish the 3 years lease. That is one reason why I want the Audi.

I've had the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2015 Honda Accord Coupe, 2015 Honda Civic Coupe, and now the 2014 Lexus is250. All imports lol

This one BMW salesperson keeps pushing the BMW i3 I wanted the 320i but they couldn't make a good enough deal that was close to the Audi or Lexus. OOoohh, I almost forgot the Mercedes Cla and GLA!

nacke

This. If I had to pay maintenance and all the repairs, I would never consider anything from Germany. But there's no such issue here.

gymjenkie

I thought I still have to take care of the maintenance like oil change , out of pocket even on a lease?

edgalang

Not on the BMW. Maintenance is covered for 5 years/50k miles. This is why BMW is such a common car to lease, and is also why folks generally do not buy them brand new, since they know all BMWs within that time frame would already be dealer serviced.

Even if you don't go BMW, you'll still only have to do maintenance 3 times in the course of your lease. I can't speak for Audi, but with Mercedes (since that's the car I drive daily, wife drives the CT), maintenance wise (if you dont go pre-paid) should be around 1k for 3 years/30k miles.

gymjenkie

That's true, wish BMW could have offered better but nope I'd be paying about $70 more if i go with a BMW. So $70 × 36 = $2520 more which still isn't a better deal than a Lexus since from your personal experience, $1000 for 3 years on maintenance. What maintenance did you get though? I saw that it's oil changes and mainly tire rotations and inspections.

& the Ct200h does look better than the A3 e-tron :/

edgalang

Looks is subjective, so I won't comment. Heck just 5 years ago I thought all hatchbacks looked ugly and would of never considered getting one.

With regards to maintenance plans, I didn't buy any. Both cars have been dealer serviced while in warranty, however now that both my 2013 CT and 2012 Mercedes are above 60k miles, I've since then switched to DYI. Ironically, the Mercedes is a much easier car to maintain than the CT, since you can do oil changes without ever having to go underneath the car.

I haven't even seen an e-tron yet, but if I was in your shoes, it is what I'd pick based on my default rules sight unseen.

irondonkey

why not just get a CPO or used model instead of leasing?

that lease money could go towards the ownership of the car.