Leased Vehicle Turn-in

[chasineyes]

Hey, I was wondering if anyone has any experience with turning a leased vehicle back in. I'm due to turn our Durango in next month and was wondering if anyone has ever ran into problems or Issues when doing this? I guess I'm curious about wear and tear issues. ps that's the last vehicle I would ever purchase!!

[jwhjr]

I leased once, and when we turned it in the only extra we had to pay was for the 200 miles or so we had gone over the allotment. There was a dent in the back where my wife had backed into our trash can, but it was small enough under their (GM) guidelines that it was normal wear and tear. That was back in 2002, and we'll never lease again. We drive too many miles, and I like to own them and run them into the ground.

[Scott K]

Small scratches and dents and stains are normal, and they shouldnt dock you for it. Look at it this way, if you went to the car lot and you were looking to buy that vehicle, look it over and if you would try to talk the salesman down on price because of a dent, or tear in the seat, they will do the same. If its small and hardly noticable, no problem. They can get picky about tires, or big stains in seats, or carpets. You can also contest what they say and bring it to a different dealer, if you think they are being unfair.

[backlash 1]

The one and only lease I had was a Dodge product and to turn it in I had to call a number, the lease adjuster came out to the house and went over the truck with a fine tooth comb, He giged me for some scratches in the bed of the truck, over 1/2"? ( imagine that) All in all, it was like $600. So I just went out and bought a bedliner for it at the cost of $200. and everything passed then. Live and learn I guess.

[Coach1310]

We turned in a lease back in 2002. It was a GM and didn't have an issue. My wife keeps her vehicles in immaculate condition so that helped.

A buddy of mine has a Colorado that is due to be turned in and the inside of his box looks like he has been in construction for about 20 years. There are more scratches then good paint. He was told that if it is the inside of the box, not big deal. I guess it varies.

[Powerstroke]

I've leased a few vehicles before and I've never had a difficult time turning them in. If there is something you'd like to conceal in some way, I would turn it in at night. My Ford dealer never hassled me over dings or scratches.

I had installed a contractor rack on one of the trucks and so there were holes drilled in the bedsides. I removed the rack and installed the plastic bedside protectors before returning the truck and they were fine with that.

Ford would send out a packet letting you know their criteria for judging wear and tear. I made an appt at my dealer and dropped it off. Make sure you've got a ride home.

[chasineyes]

Thanks for the tips, and words of encouragement!! Chalk this up as a lesson learned!!! I'll never do this lease thing again.

[jltimm]

Did you not like the Durango, or just the lease?

[chasineyes]

For the lousy gas mileage, price and sucky storage space, I could have bought a 2 year old suburban or 4 door pickup. VERY CHEAP INTERIOR. Also lost all of my "RAM" wheel caps (thank god for hsolist)

[Scott M]

So what is the way to go in the current state of the economy? Lease or lend/buy new or lend/buy used? Curious for some opinions.

[MuskieJunkie]

 Originally Posted By: da_chise31

So what is the way to go in the current state of the economy? Lease or lend/buy new or lend/buy used? Curious for some opinions.

I don't think there is any clear answer, for me it's all about the numbers. How much is it going to cost me to drive a truck per year.

When dealerships run lease deals they can be the equivilant of borowwing money at very low interest rates, so don't let believe a blanket statement like "leasing is bad". Another good thing about leasing is that you only pay sales tax on the portion of the vehicle you use, not the full purchase price.

If you are going to buy a newer full size truck I would suggest staying away from used. You'll see a lot of slightly used domestics for $20k+, when you can buy a new one for $25k that doesn't make sense to me.

If I had to answer your question in one sentence. Borrow money against your house (if you have one) for the tax write off and buy a toyota new, the resale on them is so good that you don't want to buy used. There's my 2 cents.

[jltimm]

Thanks for your reply, I was just curious as i have a couple friends that drive them that try to tell me they get 13-17 MPG with them. I believe the 13, but I question the 17?

[chasineyes]

I think because we live in mn it's a tough choice. I needed the durango because we had a boat and sleds and the wife wanted an SUV. Now with the boat at the cabin, don't really need the towing capacity. BUT remember you will have the vehicle for 5 years or more so... you may need to tow a boat, snowmobile trailer, if your a handyman haul sheetrock, landscape supplies etc.,. I think my next choice will be a 2 year old chev crew cab. Curently I drive a 97 accord and the wife drives a 01 accord. When you compare gas milage, were going to keep the two "commuter" cars and just let the larger (trip/special purpose) vechicle sit. All I know as I get older and wiser, IMAGE MEANS NOTHING, SIZE OF CHECKBOOK BALANCE DOES!

Good Luck

[NAMASafetyDirector]

I am currently on my second leased pickup. The first one was an 05' F-150. I had no problems with the lease turn in. At the begining of most lease periods the salesperson should run through what is acceptable "wear and tear" so you know where your at when you turn in the vehicle. I just went by that when I turn in the Ford and everything went smooth. I am now leasing an 06' Chev Silverado (which I love, by the way) and the sales staff actually gave me a packet that explains all the acceptable wear and tear items so I know exactly what is cool and what I would need to fix before the term is up. As far as weather or not I think the lease is a good deal or not, it works for me. I don't put on a ton of miles per year (less than 15,000) so it works good for me. The other thing I like is the warranty, anything goes wrong just take it in and they take care of it. It all depends what your driving habits and preferences are.

[fishermatt]

When I was a car salesman we loved leases, because you can charge like 110% of the retail price because it all gets hidden in the lease. We always made our biggest commissions on leases. I would never lease a vehicle now that I know how it works from the dealers side.

[Shack]

I all ways figured leasing a vehicle is kind of like using heroin. Once you start, it is very hard to get off of it. Once you finish a lease, most times they make it so much easier to get back into another, starting the cycle over again. In some ways you get trapped.

But, for some leasing is the best and sometimes the only way to get in a vehicle. On one end of the spectrum, people who have low paying jobs and need a reliable new car to get from point A to point B, but only qualify for a low lease payment. The lease situation gets those people in a reliable new car with a low payment. On the other side of the spectrum, are large companies and wealthy people. They want a new car every 1-2 years, with out the hassle of selling the old one and other things that go with a full out purchase of a new vehicle. I have a wealthy friend who owns a chain of furniture stores and has leased ever vehicle for the last 15 years. He likes it for the fact of that new car every 2 years or so and has the money not to care about leasing.

For most of us middle class, ownership is a big factor to anything. A lease is just not the thing for me, because I have always looked for newer model (lease returns or low mileage vehicles) at a good value to drive and then sell when done. I like owning my vehicles.

[Scott K]

I have leased a couple vehicles. Shack is right, it seems addicting at some point, to get a new vehicle every 2-3 years. If you only keep your vehicles for a couple years and you buy, all your paying for is depreciation anyhow, so then its cheaper to lease. If you like to make payments and drive new every couple years, its not bad to lease. If you like to drive your vehicles for 5-10 years, buying is the only way to go. I dont like making payments all the time. I have a 5 yr old truck, I maintain it well, it has 80k or so on it. It is in good shape and will last many more years. If I want to get a different truck, I will have a trade in as well.

[echotrail]

My son leased a pick up a few years ago and I happened to go with him when he turned it in. The inspection focused on interior conditions. Bad stains, burn holes in seats and carpet, cuts and damage to dashboard material and window breakage/chips. They also inspected the exterior real hard because his home address was in an area that been in hail storm during the lease.