If you are a car enthusiast then you should know that the new thing to have in car lease specials is a drop top automobile. Ever heard of the Audi A3? Or what about the BMW 1-series convertible? If not, we are pretty sure you have heard of a drop top and have been waiting for ages to get the latest from the market.

The great thing is that the two aforementioned vehicles are just two of the latest drop-top models that are set out to be the best of car lease specials for the year. The Audi A3 Cabriolet and the BMW 1-series convertible are set to start a new kind of standard in their class of vehicle. So what have they been waiting for? The two manufacturers were once known to offer such models at huge prices, cutting off their mid-end and lower-end of the market. But these days, it seems that two companies have become a whole lot more understanding.

These car lease specials are much more affordable now with the Cabriolet starting at just about $40,000 and the BMW slightly a bit more. Yes, it may seem that price is still up in the sky but add about 10 to 20K to that and you will end up with the price of the same kind of compact cabrio a few years back. So as far as pricing is concerned, this is a major improvement.

Of course, prices were kept down with a few sacrifices. In both cars, fabric roofs were used as well as underpinnings. While the A3 is based on the three-door hatchback, the 1-series convertible is based on the coupe that was launched a year back. They are both 4-seaters that will be available as car lease specials within a month of each other. One can expect them to be out in mid-May. And going back to roofs, if you like it down fast, it’s suggested the Audi has one of the worlds fastest. Evenly matched on paper, it remains to be seen if these car lease specials will be evenly matched in the market.

Looking for the best car lease deal in a Ford but haven’t quite struck the deal between an SUV and a sedan? Then you should definitely have a look at the Kuga that seems to have been inspired by the Ford Focus yet it resembles a mini-SUV in every way.

The Ford Kuga is Ford’s promise to be back and competitive in the 4×4 market and things are definitely looking up for the manufacturer with the recent introduction of the Kuga. This cool crossover is a combination of dynamic driving mechanics from the Focus and the muscle looks of a 4×4. And just looking at it will make any driver drool to drive it.

Definitely worth the wait, it is the way this car will handle on the roads that will determine if it’s a best car lease deal or not. So far, road tests have proven that it handles quite well and its chassis quality is something to marvel at on the road. It sits high yet the steering responds accurately making the Kuga a very agile vehicle. It’s obvious that this is what Ford took care of the most.

More on handling and driving dynamics, the Kuga actually has three different settings for electro-hydraulic power-steering. Modes cannot be chosen while driving, though, so one has to stop the car before changing the settings. However, standard settings seem to be just fine and drivers will not likely complain about the shifting problems.

Buyers will most likely get the Kuga as a family car although it does have off-road credentials that can certainly beat out many mini-SUV models in the market at present. With a whole lot of storage space, the Kuga will come in two forms, the Zetec and the Titanium models. This is going to be one of the best car lease deal options to beat once the Kuga starts selling to the general public which is pretty soon.

It’s pretty obvious that this is one of the car leasing secrets and scams that are most common in this business practice. Sales people will always try to capitalize on a person’s trusting nature, combining it with overly complex calculations and thus leading to a bloated price for a vehicle. And this is even before the calculation of the actual lease payments.

How is it done? Simply put, you might be able to negotiate like crazy. This is when a salesman will start to complain and say how you are such a great negotiator and then goes into the office only to be back with a price higher than you negotiated. Although the price may not seem like a lot, it adds up to something quite large in the long run because that salesman has just included for himself a bonus as he calculated the lease payments. The best of car leasing secrets is to check all the numbers yourself.

What you can do is insist on the unveiling of the residual price of a vehicle, or interest rate. In fact, get all the numbers that you can get before you start negotiating. Calculate the payment yourself and then start to negotiate once you have an idea on the price of a vehicle.

Italy’s giant, Fiat, is set to release yet another of their mini car lease specials with the Fiat 500 Estate. Although it’s due out in 2010, Fiat is confident enough to already start showing pictures of it to the world (view link below to see pics). By the looks of it, this mini car might look a tad too small but it’s promised to pack a little extra.

The pictures don’t give up too much of the car but it’s built to be quite spacious for its class even though it has no rear passenger doors. What consumers can expect is a two-door city challenger with a sleek tailgate and an extended roofline. It’s the raised roof that will offer lots of headroom front and back, also providing more luggage space, making this car sensible and practical. It’s speculated that the car will carry the same Giardiniera logo that were worn by the Sixties, a range that has most likely inspired the current design of the Fiat 500. Fiat hopes to keep development costs down by using the same front and wheelbase found on the Giardiniera, and it definitely isn’t something to complain about. The new model will have a more upright tail and alloy roof rails to set it apart from its predecessor hatchback.

This one of many car lease specials from Fiat won’t be the first of new mini hatchbacks to be introduced to the world. The firm has already brought to the showroom its new vision for the Castagna, another city car that is built for the load. Fiat has always been known to be a tough competitor with any class of vehicle, having deisng a whole range of mini’s in the past.

As far as power is concerned, customers will have the choice of a 69 horsepower 1.2 liter gas car and a more powerful 100 horsepower 1.4 liter or 75 horsepower 1.3 liter multijet diesel engine. Should the demand rise, Fiat is prepared to release an Abarth version of the Estate but until then, expect to see this wondrous of car lease specials unleashed in the 2009 Geneva expo and in showrooms in 2010.

Pictures of the Fiat 500 Estate here.