Lease return $687 bill!!!

[PowrRam]

They are weird with turn ins. They really care about cosmetics (scratches and dings or dents), mileage and tires to a degree. I do know that they don't care about brakes. I returned my last ram lease needing brakes and rotors. Dealer told me they don't care about that. Never owed a penny. I would guess that most would not notice. I don't think the lease inspector even drives the car.

When I turned in the Ford F150 I leased in 2008-2010 is a good example. I had parked in a parking garage that had those "Low Clearance" signs hanging from the roof. They looked pretty low and I was hesitant to enter but then I saw other pickups and SUV's parked in there so I figured it was OK and I went for it. Big Mistake. I heard and felt the signs dragging on the roof of my truck. When I got parked I took a look at my roof and it looked like 50 key jobs had been scratched into the paint on the roof.

When I went to turn the truck in I was ready to pay up for the damages, but to my astonishment the inspector never looked at the roof! Still, I figured someone would see it and I'd get a demand letter, but I never did. I have pictures of this somewhere, probably on the hard drive of an old computer I no longer use. If I can find them I'll post them.

 

[PowrRam]

Adressing the first par. if a frame is bent, it can be repaired as if it never happened. Not all that hard. can even be cut, and have new welded in.
Frame machines and the numbers involved do not lie. Numbers are simply numbers. if the numbers are right, the frame is right. that treuck was made by Man and can repaired to perfection, by Man, assuming he knows his stuff. and therein liee the Rub.

If th truck does nto feel right, after a frame repair, it was either not repaiered properly or its in the Head.

Not repaired properly or in the head--it's your truck and you are stuck driving it until you get rid of it.

Yes, at teh end of the Lease, you can return and walk away, AFTER PAYING WHATEVER SOMEONE ELSE DETERMINES THAT YOU STILL OWE.
There is simply no way around that last. someone else gets to have final say on how much, if anything, you pay before you walk away from your vehicle (Rental)Lease.

Yep, so make sure there's nothing they can nick you for.

again, there times when leasign makes sense. One person in this tread stated a 12 month lease saved him $1K on a truck he was going to buy anyway. Just as there are times when it makes sense to finance, instead of paying cash. However, as I mentioned earlier, just as teh numbers of folks who can pay cash, in full, are very few in number, so to are teh number of folks for whom leasing makes sound fiscal sense.

It's true that leasing isn't for everyone. But it fits me like a glove. Business owner leasing for business purposes. Need new truck reliability and can't be bothered with expensive repairs. Prefer to invest the money I would have spent on buying a truck and make money on it instead of outright purchasing a big ball of depreciation. Only pay for the depreciation I use. I've had a Dodge Dakota lease (1995) seven F150 leases (1997-2015) and I'm on my second Ram Big Horn lease.

 

[16RamHemi]

When I turned in the Ford F150 I leased in 2008-2010 is a good example. I had parked in a parking garage that had those "Low Clearance" signs hanging from the roof. They looked pretty low and I was hesitant to enter but then I saw other pickups and SUV's parked in there so I figured it was OK and I went for it. Big Mistake. I heard and felt the signs dragging on the roof of my truck. When I got parked I took a look at my roof and it looked like 50 key jobs had been scratched into the paint on the roof.

When I went to turn the truck in I was ready to pay up for the damages, but to my astonishment the inspector never looked at the roof! Still, I figured someone would see it and I'd get a demand letter, but I never did. I have pictures of this somewhere, probably on the hard drive of an old computer I no longer use. If I can find them I'll post them.

exactly. All depends on the person inspecting it. My last turn in had a decent scratch on the lower part of the front bumper from a snow bank. It was tough to see but easy to see if you get down there. Never had to pay to fix it. In general, they seem lazy. Scratch or dent on the door...your paying. But anything that requires a little work and they dont bother. Which, to me, is very surprising. they are leaving money on the table they have every right to demand. Goes to show that what some are saying in this thread is false.

 

[PowrRam]

Goes to show that what some are saying in this thread is false.

You mean people that don't lease and are opposed to it? LOL.

 

[PowrRam]

When I turned in the Ford F150 I leased in 2008-2010 is a good example. I had parked in a parking garage that had those "Low Clearance" signs hanging from the roof. They looked pretty low and I was hesitant to enter but then I saw other pickups and SUV's parked in there so I figured it was OK and I went for it. Big Mistake. I heard and felt the signs dragging on the roof of my truck. When I got parked I took a look at my roof and it looked like 50 key jobs had been scratched into the paint on the roof.

When I went to turn the truck in I was ready to pay up for the damages, but to my astonishment the inspector never looked at the roof! Still, I figured someone would see it and I'd get a demand letter, but I never did. I have pictures of this somewhere, probably on the hard drive of an old computer I no longer use. If I can find them I'll post them.

Found the pics of my 2008 Ford F150 XLT with the scratches on the roof. I definitely dodged a bullet when I turned this one in!

 

[Pezrock]

Wow! That is as tough to look at as fingernails on a chalkboard.

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

My personal opinion here; but I've always held that leases are a rip offs. Leases are gamed so the dealership has all the rights and the you have none.
When I was young (and poor) and needed a good vehicle but my job didn't pay that much I looked into a lease on a 2wd base model Toyota pickup.
99/month. I could afford that. Mind you this was back in the mid 90s. They had the same truck on the lot for sale new for $10k. So I walk in and sit down at the salesman's desk and tell him I'm interested in the lease deal that was advertised. He hands me a agreement to "sign" and exits the office to run my credit. I wasn't about to sign anything until I read it. The terms in the lease were not only unfair but almost criminal. I wondered if the mob ran the dealership. The real kick in the teeth was the buy out option. At the end of the lease you could buy the truck for 12K. At which point it was a 2 year old truck that was selling NEW for 10K.
The salesman came back into the office having completed the credit check and with a big grin on his face thinking he has hooked a big fish. That was until he saw the look in my eye (which was kill him and rid the world of evil)
"does.......Does everything look OK to you?" He stammer
I threw the paperwork on this desk and said "I'm not interested in your rip off scheme" and walked out.

That's not a "leasing" issue. It's a dealership issue.
Once again, leasing is not for everyone but it works for some. I'm in different place now. I temporarily put on a tonneau cover and tires of my choice and take them off before returning it. I have a 50k truck for $280 a month with zero down. So, I'm paying about 3K a year to always have a new vehicle and always be under warranty. Sure, the payments aren't paying down a loan but at this stage in my life I don't want to own a 8 or 10 year old vehicle. I rarely do more than 10k a year in mileage so it's a great situation for me. I've never paid a dime when returning multiple leased vehicles. I have great credit, no credit card balance and good equity in my home - I'm not concerned about whether a lease is advantageous for the masses - it works for me.

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

I'm curious as well. Anything in your contract about accidents.

If you are in an accident, your insurance pays to repair it properly. Beyond that there are no repercussions. You do not get "punished" when you return it if the repairs are documented and meet standards.

 

[Pezrock]

That's not a "leasing" issue. It's a dealership issue.
Once again, leasing is not for everyone but it works for some. I'm in different place now. I temporarily put on a tonneau cover and tires of my choice and take them off before returning it. I have a 50k truck for $280 a month with zero down. So, I'm paying about 3K a year to always have a new vehicle and always be under warranty. Sure, the payments aren't paying down a loan but at this stage in my life I don't want to own a 8 or 10 year old vehicle. I rarely do more than 10k a year in mileage so it's a great situation for me. I've never paid a dime when returning multiple leased vehicles. I have great credit, no credit card balance and good equity in my home - I'm not concerned about whether a lease is advantageous for the masses - it works for me.

Just curious, would you mind telling us your numbers? That’s sounds impressive to be paying $280 a month with zero down. Is the tax, title, license rolled into that $280? Also, how long is lease for with how many miles? I’m at $460 a month for a $46,500 Ram Classic Warlock quad cab 6.5 bed with 12k a year. Tax title license were rolled into payment for 42 months.

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

Just curious, would you mind telling us your numbers? That’s sounds impressive to be paying $280 a month with zero down. Is the tax, title, license rolled into that $280? Also, how long is lease for with how many miles? I’m at $460 a month for a $46,500 Ram Classic Warlock quad cab 6.5 bed with 12k a year. Tax title license were rolled into payment for 42 months.

It's a 39 month lease which they classify as a low mileage lease (7500 miles/year) which is no problem for me since I don't drive it daily because my wife has a Jeep that we use more. The dealership I use is one of the country's largest in terms of volume (Westbury JCDR). They have a showcase full of FCA plaques stating #1 volume dealership in the country for multiple years. They told me they like to keep that status and will occasionally offer a limited number of extremely low lease specials to move additional vehicles - which I take advantage of. The lease terms don't fit many people's needs - but it works for me. They do a massive volume and you typically need an appointment to meet with a rep. I've used the same salesperson multiple times so I usually get an email around the time of my scheduled turn-in. She knows the deal...I say I'm not going to pay $400 a month to turn in a truck with 20k miles on it...so I'm only going with the special. As long as I'm ok picking from a few in-stock vehicles that qualify, then I get the special. I've always had black vehicles and wanted to try something else, so they had a Delmonico one (not fully loaded but nicely loaded. As long as it's a 4x4 crew cab I'm flexible).

As I write this, they actually have a 2020 Bighorn 4x4 on special for $259 a month, zero down. They have a 4x4 quad cab for $159. In NY you have to pay the tax up-front (only on the depreciated value). I think I got mine a little lower which is how I ended up with $280 a month.

 

[Puba08]

Can’t stand that a lot of the dealers now push the 39 mos lease. When I leased my wifes and fathers SUV’s both dealers tried pushing that. Told them 36 mos or I’ll find another dealer. Finally got what I wanted at the right price.


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[bm02tj]

I used to have a neighbour that had a deal with the dealer they picked the car he drove for a year and picked up the next one so they had a special used car to sell
The dealers want low mileage units on the lot so this way they control what they get

 

[PowrRam]

Can’t stand that a lot of the dealers now push the 39 mos lease. When I leased my wifes and fathers SUV’s both dealers tried pushing that. Told them 36 mos or I’ll find another dealer. Finally got what I wanted at the right price.


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The reason you don't want to go past 36 months with a lease is because the warranty expires. If something happens in months 37 through 39 you end up paying for the repair.

The way around this is to turn in the truck before the 36 months are up. Unless you can get the dealer to "pull through" your old lease, that is, pay for the remaining three months if you will originate a new lease with them, you are on the hook for those three months. Most dealers will, in fact, pay for the remaining months if you start another lease with them. You just need to be sure you do well negotiating that new lease.

Turning in your lease early is also a strategy if you are coming up on your mileage limit before the lease is up.

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

The reason you don't want to go past 36 months with a lease is because the warranty expires. If something happens in months 37 through 39 you end up paying for the repair.

The way around this is to turn in the truck before the 36 months are up. Unless you can get the dealer to "pull through" your old lease, that is, pay for the remaining three months if you will originate a new lease with them, you are on the hook for those three months. Most dealers will, in fact, pay for the remaining months if you start another lease with them. You just need to be sure you do well negotiating that new lease.

Turning in your lease early is also a strategy if you are coming up on your mileage limit before the lease is up.

Very true...That's exactly what I do....My salesperson usually contacts me 6 mos prior.

 

[Puba08]

Exactly why I will not do anything over 36 mos. But don’t think for one minute the dealer is eating leftover payments. They are hidden in you new lease somewhere.


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