Hi all!
I have been wanting to get an 8. Is this Madza Sales Event deal any good?

$299/Month, 24-Month Lease, $2,598 due at Lease Signing. Includes 1st Month’s Payment and Security Deposit. Excludes taxes, title and fees.*
* Dealer participation required. Not all lessees will qualify for lowest payment through Mazda American Credit. Some payments higher, some lower based on residency and other factors. Not available for NY residents. Lessee responsible for excess wear and mileage over 24,000 at $0.15/mile. Total payments of $7,176. Purchase option at lease end for $16,187. Take new retail delivery from dealer stock by 5/31/05. See participating dealer for qualifications.

This is for a base 6sp 05 model

yes, I ran the numbers on a lease vs purchase program

for a 2yr ownership period it is much less cost to do the lease as long as you can live within the mileage restaint, and in my case that's in a state that makes you pay the full purchase price taxes on a lease, you'll do even better in a state that only charges useage tax

be warned, they tried to screw me, the first lease payment is included in the down payment, Mazda makes the dealer make this payment, mine tried to slide it back in on me and I caught it, make them spell out every single charge, don't let them lump anything together

Long Island, NY - In October of 2004, my lease valued the car at 24,000, and I payed $3,000 up front (DMV, tax, title, "usage tax" - everything else included), and the payments are $224 a month.

If you can't do at least that...walk.

yeah, on a 2004 model at the end of the year right, you won't get that yet for a 2005

it's actually for a 05 model, and the offer's been extended til the July 5th.
But rite now i'll wait a bit and see what changes are there for the 06 model.

Most recommend not putting anything down. If something happens to the car before the lease is up, you never see any of your downpayment back. The insurance company pays the leasing company off for the value of the car, regardless of how much you have put down. Since the car is not really yours, you don't get anything, so you are out this amount.

It is better to take what you would have put down, and set it aside, using 1/24th of it to add to each month's payment. You may come up a few dollars short than by making the down payment, but because of the small amount over a short term, it won't be much.