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IntelliChoice Announces July Gold Star Lease Winners

22 July 1999

IntelliChoice Announces July Gold Star Lease Winners

    CAMPBELL, Calif.--(AutomotiveWire)--July 22, 1999--If you're in the market for a new car lease, "13" may be your lucky number! For the thirteenth month in a row, a Saab 9-3 leads IntelliChoice's Gold Star Lease evaluation list with an effective net interest rate of 0.76 percent.
    Although interest rates are on the rise, manufacturers continue to offer the best incentives of the year to entice consumers out of the summer heat into dealerships. With effective net interest rates as low as 0.76 percent, July may be a "cool" time to lease a new car or sport-utility vehicle.
    Heading IntelliChoice's list of the best automotive lease values for the thirteenth consecutive month is a 1999 Saab 9-3, this month it's the convertible model. The effective net interest rate is under 1 percent when all leasing costs are considered. These costs include lease term, monthly payment, down payment, end of lease purchase price, net capitalized cost, vehicle price, residual discount, fees and deposits, mileage penalty and maintenance discount.
    Every month, IntelliChoice announces the best deals (Gold Star Leases) across the U.S. for leased cars and trucks. Lease evaluations and reports are based upon information supplied by manufacturers and secured from nationally advertised lease offers.
    Each lease must meet two standards to receive designation as a Gold Star Lease recipient: it must be in the lowest 25th percentile of the lowest net interest rates of all evaluated leases; and the net interest rates must be at least two percentage points less than the average bank loan interest rate. This month, eight leases made the list; three of which are the same Saab model (9-3 5 Door) with different down payment/monthly payment programs.

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     The July Gold Star Lease winners are:

Model            Ttl Net  Ad Rate Term  Up Front  Expiration   Avail-
                   Int     Month        Costs(a)     Date     ability
                  Rate
1999 Saab 9-3    
 Convertible     0.76%     $399    36    $3,393     8.30.99   National
1999 Cadillac
 Catera          1.78%     $399    36      $399     9.30.99   National
1999 Saab 9-3
 5 Door          2.23%     $289    36    $3,183     8.02.99   National
1999 Saab 9-3
 5 Door          2.25%     $318    36    $2,237     8.02.99   National
1999 Saab 9-3
 5 Door          2.72%     $355    36    $1,325     8.02.99   National
1999 Isuzu
 Trooper         2.86%     $339    36      $834     8.31.99   National
1999 Chevrolet
 S-10            2.96%     $163    36      $163     7.31.99   AK, AZ,
                                                              CA, CO,
                                                              HI, ID,
                                                              MT, NV,
                                                              OR, UT,
                                                              WA, WY,
                                                           (and select
                                                            counties
                                                            in ND, NE,
                                                            NM and SD)
1999 Chrysler
  LHS           4.35%     $396    36    $2,244     8.02.99   National 
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    Note (a): Does not include tax, license or registration. Totals may be higher in some areas. Please see Gold Star Lease Evaluation for details.
    Founded in 1986, IntelliChoice is the only company that develops and distributes consumer automobile ownership and leasing cost data. Gold Star Lease evaluations and AutoLease evaluations are available at no charge in an easy-to-read format on the IntelliChoice Web site (www.intellichoice.com).
    Ownership information can be found in the annual editions of The Complete Car Cost Guide and The Complete Small Truck Cost Guide and are available (at a suggested retail price of $49 each, plus shipping and handling) by calling 1-800/CARBOOK (277-2665). IntelliChoice also publishes Just the Facts(tm) reports which are new and used vehicle purchasing summaries available on paper or at IntelliChoice's web site. IntelliChoice is a Primedia company.