Assistance Please!

[Anonymous]

Hi guys...after reading different lease articles and consumer comments etc I need a little more help please . Ideally what I'd like to do is email 4-5 dealerships directly with what I'm looking for and let them get back to me if the terms are acceptable. Rather pick a dealership and walk in with a pre-arranged deal than spend my time haggling in person. But I'm not certain on everything I need to ask about or how much room I have for negotiating. Here's what I have so far for my terms:
36 month lease
GAP insurance explanation - need to know if its included (not sure where to get it if not)
Monthly Maximum - $149
$1,499 maximum due at signing including acquisition fees and first months payment.
Maximum price $15,500 - truecar lists capitalized cost at $16,830, Mazda lists it as $16,265 on the ad
Mileage Maximum - seems like 10k per year on average is covered without incurring fees. Works fine for me but want to be certain.
Credit Card Payment Option - realize I can't demand they accept a cc payment but would be nice to get some cash back if I can.

What am I missing missing as far as information they need to provide me with before I walk in the dealership? Probably quite a bit but still learning so bare with me. Also if any of this is non-negotiable or seems unlikely please let me know! Thanks

[Creditaddict]

Find the exact car you want with the options you want at the dealership and email that vin number to them with your request for numbers.
They will probably say it will vary based on tier of credit... Tell them assume tier 1 for numbers.

[Anonymous]

Assume tier 1, got it. Include Vin #, got it.

How do I find out what scores qualify as Tier 1? I can't seem to locate that information when Googling at all. Planned to pull my scores that day and include them in the email if that helps move the process along.

Are they going to get slap happy pulling my reports or generally stick to one? Everything is on ice at the moment. Rather not thaw all three unless absolutely necessary.

[Anonymous]

Never mind about the Tier stuff. Found a bit of info. Not sure how accurate it is but seems helpful.

[Creditaddict]

680+ generally

[Anonymous]

I'm back. Couple more questions.

What exactly is the purpose of putting money down or due at signing for a vehicle I'm merely renting for three years?
Is it possible to get the dealer to change due at signing into a refundable deposit? Feels like I'd be throwing money away.
Does the amount thats due at signing depend on the overall cost of the car? Just trying to understand the logic here.
For example, a Camaro is $169 a month but $4500 due at signing where the Mazda 3 is $149 a month with $1999 due at signing. That means I'd be paying over $10,000 in three years for the Camaro O.o

[Creditaddict]

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@Anonymous wrote:
I'm back. Couple more questions.

What exactly is the purpose of putting money down or due at signing for a vehicle I'm merely renting for three years?
Is it possible to get the dealer to change due at signing into a refundable deposit? Feels like I'd be throwing money away.
Does the amount thats due at signing depend on the overall cost of the car? Just trying to understand the logic here.
For example, a Camaro is $169 a month but $4500 due at signing where the Mazda 3 is $149 a month with $1999 due at signing. That means I'd be paying over $10,000 in three years for the Camaro O.o

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it's capital cost reduction. you are paying down the total of what you are renting basically.

if you agree that you are paying $15k for a 3 year rental, that payment may be $300 but if you pay $3k upfront, then your rental becomes just $250 a month (my numbers mean nothing, just example)

and the specials you see that say due at signing also don't include the things you have to pay for usually, taxes, fees, first month payment, etc.

you don't have to put the due at signing money down but you do usually need to do minimum drive off which will be under $1k depending on your state usually.

but your payment will be higher.

[Anonymous]

The taxes, fees and everything else I understand are separate and have no issue with. But I need to figure out how much higher my payments would be without putting so much down...up to $2500 I might not stress over but nearly $5000 geez. Thanks Creditaddict.

[Creditaddict]

$25-$30/month for every $1k down.

[Anonymous]

Good to know