Car Leasing 401 - Researching Your Car

Homework - Your Vehicle

In your preparation, learn as much as you can about the car you’re seeking to purchase or lease. The Internet is a great medium to gain immediate access to a wealth of information on your make and model of car.

You should know everything about the vehicle – its history, anything on recalls, features, styles, maintenance, re-sale value, supply quantity of the vehicle - was there numerous produced or a select few, and general consumer feedback. There are numerous consumer guides available that will give you all you need to know about your ideal vehicle.

Vehicles that have a history of high resale values and, therefore, high lease residuals make the best lease deals.

Car models with a high number of recalls and / or safety problems should be avoided. Last thing you want when you purchase or lease the car is to run into maintenance problems that fall outside your warranty.

Newspapers and the web are good places to turn to research other important factors the consumer should know about the car, such as the popularity of the model, has the model being selling, average price range, common problems, etc. Also consider the geographic region of where you’re acquiring the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle spent most of it’s life out in Northern East Coast N. America, it may be subject to rusted frame work due to the high grade salt used on the roads in the cold winter seasons.

All of these, and more, are factors that have an impact on the kind of deal a consumer can get for leasing a car.

Part I: How Much Should You Pay for that Car Lease