Buy a Pickup Off Lease??

[Alamogunr]

I'm thinking about getting a "new" pickup in a year or two. My present PU is going on 14 years old. I don't drive it all that far, maybe 5K-6K a year. We keep a car about 10 years. What I'm leading up to is that I don't know too much about current problems with different brands. I would like to get a crew cab and don't have any prejudices about brands.

I'm thinking that getting a used PU off lease might be a good deal but am concerned that a lease vehicle might have been abused. Any thoughts or recommendations?

By the way, I'm retired and will be 70 or 71 by the time I'm ready to buy and there is the likelihood that it will be my last truck.

John
W.TN

 

[JHZR2]

I wouldnt get an off lease car. Everything is minimized in the name of profit.

I'd buy a repoed car I think before an off-lease.

I'd much rather do without this or that and just buy new and keep it.

 

[MrCritical]

I don't think the lease truck will have been abused nearly as much as a daily rental (a.k.a. Hertz, Enterprise). It must be returned in decent shape or the lessee pays to get it that way.

I would be watching prices. Trucks now should be way WAY under book price. There are a ton of them on the market, and you can get a heck of a deal on a new one.

 

[needsducktape]

I think people lease because they want NEW without the commitment. -as in the commitment to pay for maintenance.

Personally, I buy private owner every-time. I will wear my shoes out looking for a 1 or 2 owner car WITH SERVICE RECORDS. To me there is no substitute for seeing where the car came from, the type of person that owned it and physical evidence of upkeep.

 

[wkcars]

Whereever you end up buying it from, I think checking out the car thoroughly is key, bad used cars can come from anywhere. And I have also noticed good deals on trucks lately as well when I browse craigslist, I'm not sure exactly why, maybe people with trucks are starting to change to economy cars to save gas or the economy is slow and they don't need trucks, but their seems to be deals out there on trucks for sure, just keep an eye out.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Just be careful of a car that might have been flooded with all the rains this summer

 

[bepperb]

On off lease car/truck with 30,000 miles... what maintenance could have been avoided or done at "the least possible cost"? There shouldn't even be any, besides oil changes. And most dealers give them away free.

I'd look for an easy life over the specifics of how the car was financed. Even moreso with a truck. Some people who really love cars just want the latest and greatest every two or three years.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I wouldnt get an off lease car. Everything is minimized in the name of profit.

I'd buy a repoed car I think before an off-lease.

I'd much rather do without this or that and just buy new and keep it.


seems like a good idea. Maybe you'll get this guy's car!

My Freestyle was off of a two year lease. 18K miles in 2 years, 4 oil changes documented at the dealer--he even dumped the factory fill early! That was the only service that was due. The car was CPO, so it came with a 5/60 warranty on the drivetrain, a year on the entire car, and I paid about 50% of the sticker price. I'm having a hard time seeing how buying this car new would have made sense?

I might be a little more wary with a truck, but I imagine 90% of truck owners never use theirs for truck-like stuff. If it had a documented service history and checked out OK, I'd go for it. If is has some of the factory warranty left, all the better.

I have a hard time believing a repo'd vehicle is going to receive better care. I know a few folks who lease cars, and they're all the 'careful' types who follow the owner's manual so they don't incur any charges when they return the cars. And obviously, my own experience buying a lease return was a positive one.

 

[MrCritical]

He didn't have a tire rotation due by 18K?

 

[cchase]

Originally Posted By: JOD
I know a few folks who lease cars, and they're all the 'careful' types who follow the owner's manual so they don't incur any charges when they return the cars. And obviously, my own experience buying a lease return was a positive one.


There are a LOT of people who beat the snot out of lease cars as well. I've seen plenty of lease cars get neutral dropped, redlined cold and early in the engines life, burnouts, brake stands - all the kinds of things that don't do any immediate damage but can cause expensive issues later.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Go to the professionally run auctions. If you don't know someone who can buy there offer to pay 100 bucks and most dealers will buy you a car.

You get to preview the cars before bidding, and you can get some terrific deals on low mileage vehicles.

Or, if you have tons of time, work the local ads. I also prefer to buy from an owner, but the auction has never failed me and the deals are really there.

 

[Lyman]

I bought a lease return truck once. It had 50k on it when I bought it and 160k when I sold it. Never had a single problem with it. As a matter of fact it ran great when i sold it.