Auto Leasing Scams

Car-leasing has been lauded as a more attractive alternative to buying, offering in the process the flexibility to drive a new car for less. The reality, however, is that leasing is an option that is fraught with many pitfalls for the average customer. Leasing regulation does not require as much disclosure as buying a vehicle. This has given rise to many leasing scams that trick the customer into believing they are into a good deal when, in effect, all he is getting is a rough deal on the dealer’s terms.

Here we look at some of these common scams and how to avoid them

Artificially low interest rates:

Some dealers quote a lower interest rate when in reality it’s much higher. They do this by either purposefully quoting the money factor as the interest rate or calculating the loan without amortizing some closing fees, like the security deposit, into the loan lease. Take the money factor for example: this is typically expressed as a four decimal digit, something like 0.004. Some dealers quote this as a 4% interest rate when in fact you need to multiply it by 24 to get a rough idea of the interest rate on your loan. In this example, the interest rate is a much higher 9.6% than the “quoted” rate of 4%. Make sure you crunch the numbers and understand the formula they use to calculate their interest rate. Look out for any fees not factored into the calculation. If you are not satisfied, do not enter into the lease agreement.

Terminate your lease early for a low penalty

This is an all-time leasing scam. You ask your dealer how much you will pay if you want to terminate your lease and he tells you: “You want to get out early? Sure thing, you only pay an early termination fee of $300”. What he is quoting is only the small administrative penalty of early termination, there is a much stiffer penalty called early termination fee and this runs into thousands of dollars. Do not confuse the early termination administrative penalty with the termination fee. Read the small print carefully and know exactly how much you will get charged should you terminate your lease before its scheduled end.

Pay for an extended warranty you don’t need

This is another shell game to inflate the dealer’s profit at your expense. The dealer slides an extended-warranty into the deal whilst it’s already factored into the monthly payments, or he tricks you into buying a 36-month warranty on a 24-month lease. You do not have to pay extra money for a warranty already built into your payments or for one that goes well beyond your lease term. They might slip an extended warranty in. Don’t be fooled, the warranty is already factored in.

No security deposit

Any dealer who advertises a $0 security deposit is not telling you the whole story. A security deposit is always factored in the lease under the provision for disposition fees.

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Leasing With Bad Credit
Credit score is a measure of your credit worthiness used by leasing agents...
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Lease Trading
Trading a lease is the best option for people who want to terminate a lease e...
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Auto Insurance And Leasing
When you lease, the vehicle that you will drive belongs to the leasing company....
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Leasing Used Cars Explained
Leasing a used vehicle can be an attractive deal in many ways, no least getting ...
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Luxury Cars And Resale Values
The most determining factor when it comes to resale values i...
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Fees Involved In Leasing
At the beginning of the lease, you have to pay a refundable security d...
fees-involved-in-leasing.php

Leasing And Your Credit Score
The leasing contract stipulates that you make regular, monthly payments over your lease term. The credit score you le...
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How To Calculate Your Lease Payment
Actually, it’s not that difficult! Once you understand all the figures involved in calculating y...
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How To Spot A Good Car Lease
So how do you spot a good deal? ...
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How To Lease A New Car
Check incentives: be on the look-out for factory –subsidized lease deals. Car ma...
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Leasing Glossary
Acquisition fee: A fee charged by a leasing company to begin a lease. Not all leas...
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How To Get Out Of A Lease Before Your Contract Expires
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Actually, there is a number of options available to yo...
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The Residual Value Of Leasing
Let us first start by looking at the meaning of residual valu...
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Buy Or Lease
As is the case with every other common dilemma, there is no slam-dunk ...
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Buy A Car At The End Of Your Lease
First, you need to know the cost of buying out your lease. Read the fine print of your contract and look ...
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Using Lease Calculators
If you are considering a car lease, then you migh...
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Independent Car Lease Companies
So which one is better?...
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Single Payment Lease
There are two amounts in a conventional lease that incur charges and determine your mont...
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How To Avoid Extra Costs At The End Of Your Lease
$250 to dispose of your vehicle, $1000 for extra miles you put o...
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Benefits Of Leasing
Benefit Number 1: Keeping up with the latest trends...
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Lease Financing
Well, no quite! When you lease a car, you’re only using the car over a specified p...
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Dealer Leasing Tricks
Here is a look at some of the tricks dealers use to pad their profits and leave the customers shelling hun...
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