Financing Your Leased Car Purchase
Unless you have the cash to purchase your leased car on your own, you will need a lender that will pay off your leasing company and set you up with a car loan. Oftentimes, leasing companies will accept money from any reputable lender for the purchase of their leased vehicles.
However, just because your leasing company will accept almost any payoff does not mean that you should go with any car loan. If you have been leasing for a while, make sure you understand car loan interest and all the terms of any auto loan offer you get to ensure you are getting a fair deal.
Estimate Your Car’s Buyout Price
Locate your lease contract and find the residual value of your car. This is what your car is predicted to be worth at the end of the lease, which might still be a few months or even years away.
To get a rough estimate of the cars buyout price, add its residual value to any payments that remain. For example, your cars residual value is $20,000, and you owe six more payments of $500. Your buyout price would be about $23,000. If your state taxes auto sales most do add that amount to your total. Your lender may charge additional fees, such as a purchase option fee that is levied if you decide to buy the car. Typically these lease-end items are not negotiable.
You should not expect to pay other lease-end fees, such as the costs of reconditioning the car for resale, or an over-mileage penalty if you exceed the allowed miles.
If your contract requires you to make the purchase through a dealer, expect to pay the dealership for its time and expertise. The paperwork and document handling are the same as any other car purchase. Different dealers will charge different prices, and some may not do this kind of transaction at all.
How Much Is The Buyout Price
Most lease agreements allow you to buy the car outright, and many list the specific buyout price on the original lease agreement. Others may not have a price listed, so you may need to contact the dealership for details.
Determine what is the residual value of a leased vehicle and use this information to decide if its a good deal.
Read Also: Car Rental 8 Legit
Depreciation Is Key To Leasingyou Can Likely Buy Yours For Less Than Its Worth
If you like the car, why get rid of it?
- Print icon
- Resize icon
As the final months of your car lease tick down, your decision is to buy your leased car or turn it in. In fact, the leasing company, or the dealer where you leased it, is probably already bugging you to turn in the vehicle early and lease another. Time is running out to pick: return or keep.
Other than the ease of writing off those lease payments as a business expense, if you qualify, the key reasons for leasing are lower monthly payments and the opportunity to move to a new car every two or three years. All three will factor into your return-or-keep decision process.
What does leasing a car mean?
The key to leasing is depreciation or the amount of lost value. It begins the moment you drive a new car, truck, or SUV off the dealers lot. On average, vehicles depreciate as much as 20 percent the first year, and by as much as 40 percent over three years. Chances are, youre sitting on a 36-month lease. Your monthly lease payment was calculated to cover that lost three-year value plus interest on that money.
Also see:This is how much Americas damaged roads are costing you
You will be on the hook for excess mileage and whatever the leasing agent estimates the cost will be to repair those dings, dents, and any damage to the upholstery. Hey, you didnt even notice that spot on the back seat, did you?
Five reasons to buy your leased car
1. You can buy the car for less than its worth
How to buy your leased car
Can I Sell My Leased Car
Choosing to lease, rather than buy, can help get you into a nicer vehicle for a lower price. But what happens when that vehicle, or the lease agreement, isn’t right for you anymore? Maybe you need a different type of vehicle. Maybe your personal finance situation has changed, the monthly payments no longer make sense for you. Maybe its time to pass the car on to a family member.
If you’re looking to move on from a vehicle before its lease term is up, you don’t have to break the lease to do it. You can return the leased vehicle to a dealership, sell it privately, or transfer the lease to a third party.
Also Check: Does Home Depot Copy Car Keys
Early Termination Vs Lease Purchase
There are at least two primary ways to get out of a car lease early.
One common way to get out of your car lease early is what is called an early termination. An early termination happens when the lessee returns the vehicle to the lessor before their contract is up. This can be very expensive because the lessor may charge an early termination fee and will often seek to collect remaining payments as well as any negative equity.
On the other hand, car lease buyouts are often a better option for most lessors. Lease buyouts are typically executed when the lessee decides they want to own and drive the vehicle beyond the term of the lease contract. They may even wish to sell it to someone else for a profit.
Most buyouts occur at the end of the car lease. The dealer will typically broach the subject at turn-in or shortly before, and the lessee can choose to accept their offer, decline it or negotiate a better price.
Can I Immediately Sell My Car After I Buy Out Its Lease
Some drivers may see dollar signs when they find out their leased car is worth thousands more than the lease buyback price.
However, youll want to do a little local research first. And yes, if you buy out your leased car, you are entitled to sell it.
But many states and counties have laws that prohibit anyone without a dealers license from purchasing a car to sell it immediately, Moody said.
Additionally, you will likely need to pay a new registration, and it may take some time for license plates, registration cards, or stickers to arrive. That may be enough to put the brakes on your plans to turn the car into an immediate profit-maker.
Still, once it is your car, youre free to keep or dispose of it as you see fit, Moody said.
Additionally, a dealership can work with you to buy the car out of its lease as you immediately trade it in to them. In that case, you may only own it on paper for a few moments. That could give your replacement car shopping the budget boost it needs. See new car models for sale
Related Car Buying and Selling Articles:
Read Also: Fastest Accelerating Car In Forza Horizon 3
Look Closely At The Timing Of The Purchase
The timing of your leased vehicle purchase matters a lot when it comes to how much youll pay for the car. You may have the option to purchase the car before your lease expires via an early buyout, which may make sense if youre regularly exceeding the mileage agreement or if car prices are expected to increase in the near future.
An early buyout is not always a good idea. When you opt into an early buyout, youll likely be required to pay some hefty fees and finance charges, though it will depend on the terms of your lease agreement. Before you take advantage of an early buyout on your lease, check the terms in your lease agreement to see what you may owe for doing so. If there are a ton of extra fees to contend with, you might want to waiteven if it means paying for the extra miles you drove at the end of the lease.
Canva
Have You Exceeded Your Miles Or Bashed The Car’s Interior Or Exterior
If you’ve gone way over your lease’s mileage limits, buying the car becomes a much more enticing option. Same goes for excess wear and tear. The reasons are simple: When you complete a lease buyout, you will not be penalized for going over your allotted mileage or having a dent in your fender. Factor in those penalties when you’re deciding whether buying your lease is the right move.
Recommended Reading: How To Program A Car Computer With A Laptop
Try Some Talking Points
Often, companies have a no-negotiations rule when it comes to the purchase price of a lease buyout, leaving little opportunity for haggling to get a better deal.
There isnt much, if any, negotiating to be done because all the terms are agreed to ahead of time in the lease, says Benjamin Preston, auto reporter for Consumer Reports.
Still, it cant hurt to raise the subject. After all, youll never know what kind of deal you could get if you dont ask. Theres no harm in asking the seller to think about making a few concessions, including:
- Waiver of the purchase-option fee.
- Purchase incentives.
- Financing discounts.
Experts point to the purchase-option fee as a sticking point that many sellers are willing to take off the table.
Pros Of Buying A Leased Car
- If the buyout amount is lower than market value of the vehicle, you may pay less to buy out your lease than to purchase a similar vehicle.
- You won’t have to spend time shopping around for a new car.
- If there is excess wear and tear, you may not be charged for it.
- You may not be charged for any mileage you went over.
- You get to keep a car you love.
Also Check: How To Fix Clear Coat
Buying Your Car From The Leasing Company Can Be A Better Option
If youre able to purchase your leased car directly from the leasing company, then do it. You can find the phone number of the leasing company on the lease contract and call them to find out the final purchase price for the car. Afterward, they will be able to tell you how you can pay for it and when the title will be released to you.
As you can likely tell, this process is much easier than going through a dealership to do the same thing. However, just note that not all manufacturers allow this, so be sure to check your cars lease contract before doing so.
Reasons Why You Should Buy Your Leased Car
As the final months of your car lease tick down, your decision is to buy your leased car or turn it in. In fact, the leasing company, or the dealer where you leased it, is probably already bugging you to turn in the vehicle early and lease another. Time is running out to pick: return or keep.
Other than the ease of writing off those lease payments as a business expense, if you qualify, the key reasons for leasing are lower monthly payments and the opportunity to move to a new car every two or three years. All three will factor into your return-or-keep decision process.
Read Also: Lightning Mcqueen Is What Kind Of Car
Why Dealers Don’t Love Doing Lease Buyouts
In a buyout, the dealership purchases your leased vehicle directly from your bank for the buyout amount, adds your vehicle to its inventory then sells it back to you for the same amount. The dealership will then handle your registration with the DMV and terminate your lease.
Since the dealership sells the car for the same price at which it bought it, it nets no profit. In fact, because of accounting rules at some dealerships, a lease buyout may even look like a loss of profit. That’s why dealerships might refuse to do the deal for you or may suggest they will do the paperwork for a flat charge. Some dealerships will do the deal for you as a courtesy if you leased the car there, but there is no guarantee of that.
There’s a way to give a dealer an incentive to help you: Get your financing at the dealership. By doing so, the dealership will receive a small payment from the bank for setting up your loan. And because car dealerships have an array of lenders to choose from, the finance manager may be able to get you a lower interest rate for the buyout loan than you can get from your own bank or credit union.
To go this route, you should first get a preapproved car loan from your own bank or credit union. It’s best to know early in the process the rate for which you can qualify, even though you might end up going with the dealer’s financing.
How A Lease Buyout Works
If a buyout option was part of your lease agreement, you typically have the option to buy your leased vehicle at the end of your lease. The alternative is to return the car to the dealership.
If you opt for a lease buyout when your lease is up, the price will be based on the cars residual value the purchase amount set at lease signing, based on the predicted value of the vehicle at the end of the lease. This amount may also be called the buyout amount or purchase option price.
When you reach the end of the lease, you can decide whether to take an available buyout option or return the car to the dealer. If you decide to use the buyout option, you pay the set amount plus any additional fees.
Don’t Miss: What Percentage Does A Car Salesman Make
What Does Leasing A Car Mean
The key to leasing is depreciation or the amount of lost value. It begins the moment you drive a new car, truck, or SUV off the dealers lot. On average, vehicles depreciate as much as 20 percent the first year, and by as much as 40 percent over three years. Chances are, youre sitting on a 36-month lease. Your monthly lease payment was calculated to cover that lost three-year value plus interest on that money.
Leasing companies dont know exactly how much a new car is going to depreciate over the length of a lease. So, they make a calculated guess, based mostly on past depreciation experience with that brand and model. Like Las Vegas oddsmakers, there are some third-party outfits, as well, that weigh in with educated estimates of a new cars market value two or three years down the road. The remaining value of a leased car at the end of the lease is known as the residual in the residual value.
At the end of a lease, the best-case scenario comes when you have a well-maintained vehicle that hasnt exceeded the total annual mileage cap. In which case, you may hand the keys to the leasing agent and walk away. Its far from uncommon, however, that you have either exceeded the mileage, for which you may owe around $0.25 per extra mile, or there is more than normal wear and tear on the vehicle. The leasing company determines what is normal wear and tear.
If You Kept It In Great Condition
Changing cars can be exciting, but with used vehicles, it can also be risky. You dont know how hard the previous owner drove it, whether its been well-maintained or if it has any annoying quirks thatll drive you crazy.
An advantage to buying your leased car is that, if you treated her well, you dont have to worry about any frustrating surprises.
You May Like: Keep Car Doors From Freezing
What Happens At The End Of A Lease
At the end your lease contract things couldnt be simpler, you hand your keys back and then either walk away or choose a brand-new vehicle and fall in love all over again! Sometimes customers ask about either extending their lease agreement further or purchasing their lease car outright. Whilst this will usually not prove cost-effective, we understand it can sometimes be hard to let go. If that sounds like you, pick up the phone and have a chat with one of our expert account managers, they will be able to outline your options and find out whats best for you. To discover more about the leasing process, including what happens at the end of a contract, read our helpful guide.
How To Pay For The Car
If you’ve decided that buying out your lease is the right choice for you, you have two ways to complete the transaction: with or without a dealership’s participation.
If you’re not financing the vehicle or you’re financing the loan with a credit union, you send the check to the lender for the payoff amount, and then go to your Department of Motor Vehicles to pay the taxes and registration fees. This option works well for those who are paying in a lump sum or have bank financing and don’t mind the trip to the DMV.
To avoid the DMV visit, you’ll need to work with a car dealership, which may not be keen to help you. Here’s the explanation.
You May Like: Who Accepts Car Care Credit Card
Think About Whether You Want To Avoid Car Shopping And Haggling
One of the perks of buying a vehicle after your lease is over is that you have a clear idea of the purchase price beforehand. That means you can avoid haggling over the purchase price of the vehicleits typically just a cut-and-dry deal. Shopping for a new car can also be overwhelmingand in some cases it can be extremely tough to find what you want, especially when theres a shortage of vehicles from which to choose.
On the other hand, buying a leased vehicle can be thought of as the path of least resistance. You know the vehicles track record, you know the cost, and you dont have to search for what youre looking for in a vehicle. Its right there in front of you, and you dont have to deal with the stressful haggling or shopping process.
RELATED
Leasing a vehicle doesnt have to be a guessing game. CoPilots lease navigator tool will help you find your next leased vehicle, and tell you whether youre better off buying out your current lease.
Canva
