pretsof

I'm relocating and have been delaing with Autosource.
We aren't in a position to buy so lease is the only option and the options autosource are offering are very limited.
On our scouting trip last week the Honda and VW dealers offered better lease terms than Autosource seem to be able to and say that a lease wouldn't be a problem.
Can the dealers be believed? Obviously till we land and enter on L1 visa we can't get a social security number, so can their quotes be taken as genuine?
Ford, Toyota and Dodge wouldn't run figures in advance of arrival but as I say Honda and VW were quite willing to quote based on an employment letter and address.

NatashaB

I'd be surprised if you would actually get the lease. We found that most dealers were more than happy to quote and say they 'could probably do something' but i don't think they really understood that we had a completely blank credit history until they ran it and found nothing at all came back. They just didn't understand that we were literally starting from scratch (although they would have been happy to help if we had a guarantor, can you ask your employer to do that?) Although if they can genuinely help you then you'll get a better range of cars and probably a slightly better deal, i think we pay about $30 a month more than the equivalent lease would cost if we had gone directly with VW.

pretsof

Yep, easy for a salesmen to say no problem.

It sounds like if we want to have something arranged in advance of our arrival then we are going to have to use Autosource.
VW do have an international programme but if you want to go through them then you have to wait until you enter on your visa and then go through their checks so no guarantees.
Also, with the VW programme they will only lease for the visa term.
Mine is 3 years with a 2 year extension (L1-B), so there is also the possibility of having to leave the country before the lease runs out if there is a mismatch on timescales.
We don't want to risk not having cars or being able to get cars when we get out there. We have 3 kids so enough to deal with.
What a nightmare.

Sharleene

Hi, we will be moving into Houston around mid August and are also contacting International AutoSource to see about leasing. Is anyone able to tell me an approx or average cost per month to budget for a car and possibly even the insurance.

Trying to work out our monthly spend and have no idea in this region so greatly appreciated. Also, if you have an average spend on fuel that would also be appreciated

OldJuddian

I've been considering them as well, but the choice is not great. I also want to see the car before paying which is even harder when so many cars are not available in the UK.

I have a car from my company for 30days and hope that is enough to sort something out.

lansbury

The insurance is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question. Unlike in the UK there isn't a straight choice of comprehensive, or third party etc. You get to choose the deductible, what is covered and the maximum amount of coverage for each item. I've been here 4 years and I think I have good (by that I mean everything for an amount that is likely to be enough) coverage but I'm not sure. We contacted a local agent for Farmers insurance before we came over and they walked us through the minefield. Such considerations as if you own your home you need higher cover in case you injure someone in an accident so if they sue the insurance covers it all and you don't end up selling your house to pay the bill. Something you don't think about in the UK. Some insurance companies also give you a discount if you insure your car(s) and house with them.

I.A. can also arrange the insurance for you before you leave, so they are a good place to start getting an idea of what you need.

Fuel cost depends on where you are going to live, how near to work, shopping etc. An idea of average fuel milage. My wife gets 25mpg average with her Subaru Legacy mainly around town. My Grand Cherokee does about 17mpg average split between highway and town. Gas at the moment between $3.30 to 3.80 a gallon depending where you live. Current national average $3.58.

HarryTheSpider

Hi Sharleene

Totally understand your question - that was us about a year ago!

We have a VW Tiguan, leased via Intl Autosource from VW. We have it leased for 2 years (We're on a 3yr L1, but I didn't want to be messing about with returning lease cars around that date...)

We put $1K down, and pay $478 pcm. It's a $25K car. Insurance is pretty comprehensive and that costs $91 a month - we live in a 'good' part of Phoenix, AZ. I've just had somebody reverse in to the side of me. My insurance company has been very good so far - 21st Century, also arranged through Intl Autosource (who we went to via AIG's Inbound programme).

We didn't have the spare reddies or knowledge to buy a decent used car as soon as we arrived, and for a loan over 2 yrs would have been 20% down plus $800 pcm - ouch!!

I hope that helps, and know that your insurance rates may be different...

Good luck!

Cheers
HTS

Sharleene

Thanks HTS, this is exactly what I was looking for

fatbrit

Stop wasting money. Here you go:

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2471385601.html

Bob

$500 a month on a lease? bloodyhell....that's BMW lease territory...you could, with $1K down and no credit history be having half that for a monthly payment on a couple year old Honda.

Petrol use, how much is a piece of string question there too, but figure in 15K miles a year not doing anything and an average of $3.60 a gallon with 20mpg average and you'd get a good rule of thumb.

Insurance, be doing good if you're spending less than $100 a month for a level of cover that you might feel comfortable with.

It's going to be expensive though with no US credit history or US driving history for a couple years.

MsElui

the only snag i can think of with IA is that they were fairly limited in the car makes they would work with. if you like something they deal with its great (we did) but if you dont - you may find the choice a bit limited.

HarryTheSpider

Very true - and hindsight is a wonderful thing! As I said elsewhere - it's not JUST about the money, at least, not for us... key criteria was new/reliable, safe, SUV (ish! some SUVs over here are the size of Nantucket!), available immediately, etc etc... and not everybody thinks BMW is the ultimate driving machine

That's about right - apparently new cars over here come with this calculation worked out for you and give you an estimate of what the fuel bill per year will be. In practice we're getting something a little better than stated, but not much. Bob's calculation errs nicely on the side of caution - a good thing when dealing with money!

A few colleagues have suggested we've got a good rate of insurance, so I agree with Bob here too.

The most immediate impact of this is security deposits for rent of a home, utilities, mobile phones etc - we have paid around $4K more in security deposits than somebody with credit history would have. The up side is that this money comes back to us in some form - for the utilities we get that back after 6 months - which is next week... for the rent, well, it's there until we stop renting, as you'd expect. We rented in the UK, and benefited from the gov't sponsored rent deposit protection scheme - I haven't found anything like that here... so mentally, be prepared to lose some or all of your deposit... I'm not saying you will...

Cheers

HTS

Bob

I know...but the point is....that's a lot of money for a lease. You could still easily find a 3 year old, certified with warranty SUV, with less than 50K on the clock for half that monthly payment.

Obviously you had your reasons and that's fine...but personally, it's still a lot of money for a motor that comes with a lot of strings that doesn't earn you any equity and for most people wouldn't help build up their credit history, though you appear to have been able to do so.

The rent deposit, that depends on the state, but often the money has to get deposited into a bank savings account, when you leave, you both sign off on it and the money goes back to you, with the interest.

The reality...well up in Maine, we just got our deposit returned with no interest and in the last place, and we're talking a good chunk of change for a deposit and potential of interest, we were there a long time...we got nothing back and to sue them for it, it just wouldn't be worth the cost and hassle, so we're chalking it up that karma will get them back

The whole rental application process is such a pain in the arse though and time consuming as well as being potentially expensive, when every landlord insists you use their particular trusted credit check service ($20-50 a shot) and you know the answer...and each time dings you further. So when checking places out, apply all at once, or if you can, with one service and fax out the results within 5 days to the other places of interest if they'll accept them, which in MA they have to.

Birt Tiddler

Used Autosource when coming over in 2007 and was underwhelmed. Didnt find them pushy, just expensive and slow to respond. They will do the bare minimum and are essentially only a middle man between you and an auto manufacturers leasing business. Getting yourself setup with them though is good practise for everything to come in the US, namely forms, forms and more forms ...

Dogbyte

Having used I A in May 2008 to buy our Dodge I would recommend them for their staff being very helpful, everything they said was true and any questions answered promptly.
However one item that caused us a small problem on arrival in the US was that before we could pick the car up from the dealers that IA had had delivered to, they,the dealers wanted one of us to have a NC drivers licence.No licence no car ! Had to sit my test in a rental car which the DVLC accepted with no probs.Once I had my slip on passing I could pick up the car. Insurance had previously sorted through IA so once I had the DL no probs. This may vary from state to state/dealer to dealer etc.Just check.
We bought through M & T Bank on IA's recommendation and have had no prbs over that, little interest so....good deal. Personally they did take out initial hassle out of getting a car and had no probs.. Definately recommend them.