Hi y'all, visited a NY volvo dealer this past saturday and received what I believe is a fairly attractive lease quote for a 2003 V70 with Auto Trans, the premium package and cold weather package. In a gist... 36 months @ $377 a month with a bank fee, 1st month and taxes up front (about $2500). When I *figured* out what the dealer is selling the car for it seems like it is quite a bit below cost. I know that the factory is subsidizing leases right now, but I am wondering if this is one of those things that looks better than it is. Anybody out there in the NYC area that recently leased interested in sharing their gory details?

Secondly... Seems like from what I have been reading on the board here, there have been some *quality* issues with the 2001's and am wondering if y'all have a better read on how the late 2002's and 2003's are going to do? For the record I am driving a 1995 940 with 211,000 miles (no.. I am not the original owner)and he unfortunately just started giving me a bunch of problems relating to fuel and engine management.

Thanks for all the help

It's typical of Volvos that the "street price" is below not just the sticker price but well below the invoice. (Exception being the XC90, which is going at sticker for the moment. We'll see where it is in a year.)

Shop around, you may be able to do even better. Check out "carsdirect.com" and an organization called "Car Bargains"

Consumer Reports recommends the current V70. QC seems to have improved.

I would "normally" say "don't lease" but if I get another Volvo I probably WILL lease it initially, just in case the workers are drunk when it rolls down the assembly line as they seen to have been when they built my current car. I do a lot of driving, so "lease and return" would entail a big penalty. If the car is a semi-lemon I'd rather pay the mileage penalty and be rid of it than get stuck.

-bill d cat

Thanks for the input bill, I was thinking the same thing you are, with leasing I get to see if the car is a limone before having to commit to it. If it is I walk away and it is someone else's problem. Thanks again.

I looked into lease deals a year or so ago. That's about the payment and terms I was looking at on a similarly equipped car. Good points to a lease include minimal upfront investment (downpayment stays in a mutual fund or whatever), and the depreciation hit is borne by Volvo Finance. Bad points include tight mileage restrictions and a never ending payment treadmill. I did not end up getting the V70 because it was too small for my family.

Regarding reliability, the '01 models exhibited the typical first year teething issues that many models do and seem to have improved in '02.

Thanks for the feedback wayne. its good to hear that I am in the ball park dollar wise.

I paid cash my 2000 V-70 and am sorry I did. Since we have always owned Volvos, I never considered leasing, but with the drop in quality it would have been the better route. At least I could have given it back.