brfitzp

So the IS 250 was my first leased vehicle ever and in the next week or so ill be switching it for an is200t.

Currently I have 5 remaining payments and will be using the pull ahead program and paying the other 2 payments out of pocket.
my current mileage is 25950/27000 miles.
At this point would it matter if I returned the vehicle this friday with 26999 miles or 26100?

Also the car is currently pretty dirty inside and out. Do people normally clean up the car before it's returned?

I paid for the excessive wear and tear package and the interior is in perfect condition(just dirty) and on the exterior, 2 of the rims have some pretty bad curb rash. There are also a few small scratches around the car (i'd assume from parking lots and careless people with shopping carts). Will the wear and tear package cover all of this?

Just trying find out what i should expect going into the dealer.
Thanks!

Rudiculous

iTrader: (15)

Not the question you asked, but you could also try doing a straight trade-in and see how the numbers look that route

qiphlow

you could list it for sale, also. you can find out easily from lexus what your payoff number is. then, you can use a few of the various websites out there to determine a private party sale value for your car. if you could (on paper) get more than the payoff by selling, then use the money you make for the down on the new car. the disadvantage to this is you've got to find a buyer and then wait for everything to clear the bank(s), which could leave you without a car for a little while.
like rudiculous said, you could also do a trade in. again, you'd have to figure the trade value of your car and compare that number to the payoff from lexus. the potential downside to this is that you'd be upside down (trade value is less than payoff) and would have to come up with extra cash to cover the difference.
if you do end up doing a lease return, i'd definitely get the car cleaned before returning it. as far as the scratches go, review your lease and also your excessive wear package paperwork. it should state what kinds of damage you'd be liable for. some dealers may be willing to overlook excess miles or a few extra scratches if you're leasing a new vehicle from them.

Mike200T

Find out if the dealership will do an inspection BEFORE you turn it in. Maybe they can give you a list of stuff you may have to pay for and then you can see if you can it repaired/fixed/cleaned outside the dealership for less money.

When I was trading in my Jeep I let CarMax do an appraisal on it and they told me the problem areas and how much off the appraisal they deducted. In some cases the deduction didn't warrant getting it fixed (deduction was less than the repair cost). If the deduction was more than the repair cost then it's worth it to get it fixed. Not sure if a Lexus dealership would do something similar ... I don't see why they wouldn't ...

Woodrow

Don't think of it as a lease return. Think of it as trading it in or selling it, because that's really what you're doing. It's actually possible to get MORE for your return than the buyout. When I returned my IS 2 years ago, I got $4000 more than the buyout. I returned another car years ago, and expected to pay over $5000 in excess mileage. I paid nothing. So I know it works!

If you can't get more than you owe due to excessive mileage or excess depreciation, you can at least minimize the cost. Either way, you want them thinking you babied and cared for your car as much as possible. That's not what a dirty car tells them. Just my opinion.

I would suggest you clean it up. Wash it and clean out the inside. You don't need to go crazy, but it should be as clean as you can conveniently get it.

One more thing. Have you seen the photos of the 2017 IS? It might be worth keeping your car through the end of the lease, and look at a new one.

387

I would contact your Lexus dealer to confirm, but after paying that premium in your monthly lease, I would expect to just drop the car off and walk away if it had no serious damage. How much does it cover? I think you should be fine. If it is resold on their lot or even auctioned off, someone would spend money on reconditioning it prior to resale. I would just wash it and get it vacuumed, nothing fancy just $20 at a automatic place if you want to be nice.

387

Ok, I just read you are getting a IS200T.

You should be able to drop the car off as is, without washing and garbage in it. If you get charged, it would be really petty on Lexus or the dealers part. The car is dirty and has parking lot battle scars but looks like you took care of it.

rld14

Likely you have no equity in the car based on how I am buying these cars in relation to their residuals.

Curb damage on wheels is never chargeable UNLESS the wheel is so mangled that the car isn't safe to drive. Usual curb rash? No charge.

Minor scratches? No charge,.

Don't waste your time cleaning it.

I've posted this before... but this is what people get charged for:

Missing keys ($375 each)
Missing Owner's manuals (Laughable amount.. $15-50)
Serious dents, and dents that break the paint.
Tires with sidewall cuts ($250 or so on an IS)
Broken stuff... Mirrors, Windshields, torn seats, etc.
Tires worn down to the cords.

TrojanLBC

Wow, I'm on the tail end of my lease for my 2014 IS250 and this is super helpful. Thanks

rld14

Glad to help!

It's also very much worth pointing out that, as a dealer, I have ***ZERO*** control over lease end charges, absolutely none.

xsdeus

What about a missing front license plate? I realized I didn't include it when I returned the car in June.

rld14

Never seen anyone charged for that, if they did expect a bill for $10-20.

link13

That's what my dealer told me too and I believe them because they were solid on everything else they told me. I turned my '14 IS250 F Sport in and it was 2100 over on mileage, but in immaculate condition. They didn't need to vacuum the car. No dings. No dents. I still expect LFS to charge me for the additional miles, but they haven't yet and the car is on the lot for sale.

dbs600

Hmm...

How long ago did you return the car? Did you receive a final account statement yet? Were you charged the $350 disposition fee yet? If so and since the car is on the dealer's lot available for sale, it means you're not going to be charged for anything else.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if a dealer decides to keep a car for inventory, they take subject to any / all excess wear and tear, which the lessee will not be charged for, therefore...

Also, aside from taking photos upon drop off, can dealers provide a write up of the condition of the car upon drop off? If feel like they'd refuse to, as it's against their interests. Therefore, any other way to protect against additional damage after drop off and prior to LFS inspection?

rld14

If the dealer has the car for sale then they bought it. I can usually buy a lease return the next day after it's inspected. Drop a car off on Monday, it gets inspected usually by Wednesday, market price by Thursday and I buy it if I want.

There's 3 prices that I can buy a car for: Market, Payoff and Residual. Market price only gets offered after a car is inspected and it 's based on recent auction pricing.

If I buy a car for payoff then the Lessee owes $0. Sometimes we do buy cars for Payoff... examples would be LXs, GXs, some cars on lease extension, RXs coming off of a 4 year lease, etc. ISs? No. So if I buy at market price, the Lessee is responsible for anything deemed excess wear and tear.



That's an off lease 2014 IS250 AWD with 15K... you can see why no dealer is buying these for residual.