This thread is spiraling down the drain quickly - so to the OP - the times I've leased BMW's the rate on the site has been a little over the deals I typically get. Biggest difference was when we leased the E53 that will be gone in a few weeks time. The site estimated ~$850 and our payment ended up being $710
As for the whole putting money down thing going on - I think the point has been missed entirely - putting money down is the only way to reduce your payment beyond the lease numbers. Simple fact that.
Lets say that I have a budget of $500
pr month for a lease, but the car I want is $600
pr month. I could put a few grand down and get the monthly payment I want or I could put those money aside and pay the $600 - in one of those cases I would be comfortable spending $100
pr month on beer and chips - guess which? Wrong ... with my car budget busted I would be afraid to touch the rest of the money and I would feel poor. What if my income goes away? Then I have to rely on my parachute which wont be enough to cover the payments - where as if they are small enough, or indeed paid off entirely - I would be all set.
The point here is that if putting money down on a lease makes you more comfortable than making $2.50 more by investing the money - then those money have been well spent. There is more to life than squeezing every penny ... like beer and chips.
And don't even get me started on the new car itch which is what leasing is all about for me
