Vehicle shortages mean your end-of-lease car could be worth more than you think
Those who lease vehicles and have terms coming to an end may be considering handing in the keys at the dealership and walking away, but now, car shortages and a demand for microchips has seen end-of-lease vehicles worth a lot more than one may think.
When the auto industry was drawing up leasing contracts three or four years ago, no one could’ve expected that a pandemic would create a vehicle shortage.
Now, as dealers scramble to find used cars, leased vehicles are worth a lot more.
Four years ago, Christine Denty of Brooklin, Ont. decided to lease a 2018 BMW 440i xDrive Gran Coupe. Denty’s lease recently came to an end and she was surprised to hear that, if she turned the vehicle back into her dealer, she would have to pay almost $2,000 in wear and tear charges.
"I would be paying BMW to take my car, but not only do they get my car, they would be turning around and selling it. So they would get two grand from me and sell the car for even more," Denty told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday.
Instead, Denty decided to use an auto broker to sell the car and she was able to pocket about $3,000.
"I will be able to turn a profit on my vehicle," she said.
Viraf Baliwalla is President of the Automall Network, an auto broker with a dealer's licence that helps customers buy and sell cars for a fee.
"Clients hire us to help with buying vehicles as well as selling vehicles," Baliwalla said.
Baliwalla said drivers that have leases coming to an end at this time should know that their vehicle may be worth more than they thought.
“COVID-19 has created this weird situation where there is a pent up demand, so vehicles today are actually worth far more than they were two years ago," he said.
Baliwalla said one of his clients had a 2017 Honda CRV AWD LX with 37,900 kilometres. When the lease ended, there was a buy-back end-of-lease price of $13,805, but another dealer anxious to find vehicles to sell agreed to pay $18,805 for it.
The client walked away with a profit of $5,000.
“Prices have gone up, so now you have the right to buy out that vehicle if you wish or someone else is willing to buy it out for a lot more because the market has gone up tremendously," Balliwalla said.
Leasing contracts vary, but Denty said what’s important is that anyone with a lease ending soon should know they have options.
"They can get the profit from their car instead of the dealership they are returning it to, which will have every intention to sell it for more, because the car is worth more than it was before" she said.
The current situation with leased vehicles may not be like this for long — possibly the next six months, or when dealer inventories return to normal.
Still, if you have a lease ending soon, it may be worth it to do the math and explore your options.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.