*** SC430 lease

Hi Folks,

I've just started looking for a new car and am considering leasing an SC430. The costs of leasing the SC seems pretty steep to me and I was wondering if anyone out there could offer some opinions (on the lease, not on my taste in cars ;->).

Basically, the dealer is offering a 36 month lease for $900/month (tax included - but are there any taxes with leases or is he just hosing me?) with a drive-off of $2500 (includes 1st month lease + reg + license). The residual value was given as 58% of MSRP (around 37K, give or take) which looks like a simple interest rate of a bit more than 5%/year. Mileasge allowance is 12K/year.

Are these reasonable terms? I know that the sc is in demand but this seems really high to me. I live in Los Angeles and I am not sure how rates vary depending on location. Of course there are alternative ways to buy or finance a car (cash, home equity line, etc), but I just want to get a feel for this particular option.

I am also planning to test drive a number of other cars, including the BMW X4. I know these are two very different cars but, by way of example, I have seen the BMW X4 lease being offered at around

Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Zag