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I've never leased a car, but my buddy just did so I learned a bit about it.
I don't think there's anything wrong with having the dealer set up the lease. All that matters is the lease rate. And that is a negotiated number. Whether you get that number from the dealer or someone else, it doesn't matter.
Basically, they use the lease rate to alter the price of the car. It's just another component of the cost, just like the window sticker. They can discount the car $10,000, but bump the lease rate to make it up, or vice versa. They are just 2 sides of the same coin.
For instance, he leased a new car that has just come out and is in demand. Some dealers said they would lease it "at MSRP," suggeting there was no markup. But then they'd bump up their lease rate to make up for it. So in the end it was the same as padding the MSRP.
Also, just like the sticker price, the lease rate reflects market conditions. For example, on a hot car, they will bump the rate to take more profit on it. On a slow selling car, they will decrease it below their cost to take a loss but move the car. You need to find out what their cost is. It will be the same from dealer to dealer. They will simply tell you and show you, if you ask them.
Then you need to find what the market is. Are they generally being marked up? Down? Passed along at cost?
So, those are the 2 components you need to negotiate: Sticker price and lease rate.
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