Would you buy a lease vehicle?
 

Okay, so I am about to drive about an hour and a half to look at a 2000 base model that appears to be a decent deal ($19k). I spend the $25 to run the carfax and find out that it was a corporate lease vehicle for the first 3 yrs of its life until 25k miles. Then another owner had it for a year and racked up another 25k on it (in one year!). The last owner has made it a garage queen (3yrs, about 5k miles). I would defintately have a PPI done, but this seems a little scary, thoughts?

Should I even waste my time going to look at this??

Here's the link to the ad:
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=199457022&dealer_id=57687394&car_ye ar=2000&model=BOXSTE&num_records=25&make2=&start_y ear=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certifi ed=&body_code=0&fuel=&search_type=both&distance=10 0&make=POR&color=&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=p riceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=price DESC&address=40511&advanced=&end_year=2007&doors=& transmission=&max_price=20000&cardist=85

I sent you a PM.

Why not?

What else are your choices? Either someone financed, leased or bought outright, correct? As long as there is some histroy of maintenance and a PPI checks out, go for it!

Maybe I'm over-reacting? I've never leased a vehicle, but I just have this thought that if you didn't "own" it, you might drive it harder and be less careful. But I guess there would be no excuse not to do the maintenance that way. Also the owner that put 25k miles in one year bothers me a bit too.

I just don't want to make a costly mistake...

Judge the car on it's condition and records, and of course a PPI if you like it.
My S was an off lease car, no issues at all, full records.

Also, for example we lease my wifes Passat and I take excellent care of the car, not a nick on it and maintained as if it was mine.

Good luck!

I would have the inspection done, then go for it if the car looks in good shape, especially for a base Boxster. My sense is that folks are less likely to abuse a base model than the more performance-oriented S.

Ed

:cheers:

Agree totally with Marc. My '02 S came off lease and is in great condition, etc. We also lease my wife's Maxima and treat it like we own it.

It depends on how the previous owners treated the car, not how they paid for it while they had it!!

Jeff

okay, you guys have convinced me... i'm at least going to make the drive up and take a look (4 hours roundtrip, hope i like it!).

The 25,000 miles in one year is probably the least of your worries. The guy bought it and obviously drove it on some long trips. That should be better than starting it up repeatedly for a 5 mile drive to the store.

My S is also an off-lease car. 2002 with 34k miles on it. The previous owner really babied the car. It's in perfect condition (except for the tear in the rear window caused by your's truely).

I wouldn't worry about an off-lease car. Just make sure you get a warranty and the PPI.

My Boxster was a former lease car. Two owners, the first was a lease for a year, and I think Carfax showed it had about 15k that first year. Second owner had it for almost 5, but only brought the total mileage up to 40k. Aside from not keeping it very clean, and a few chips in the paint here and there, it's in decent shape. Not bad for a daily driver, IMHO.

And I landed it for $19k.

Hi,

I see this thread is about dead. But, one thing to consider is that many lease cars are actually better taken care of than if someone owned it due to the Wear & Tear Clauses in most Lease Agreements. Most leasees do not want to have to fork out several thousand $ at the end of the lease because the car was turned-in in ratty condition. Not always true, but often...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Need Advise please!
 

okay, i checked the car out and i may be close to pulling the trigger, what do you guys think about the price on this?:

2000 base
55k miles
3 owners (3 yr corp. lease 40k miles, 1 yr owner 10k, 3 yr owner 5k)[i misread the carfax originally!]
i would give it an 8 or 8.5 condition-wise from what i see - good condition, not perfect
new tires - michellin pilots

the only issue i noticed was a slight shake in the steering wheel on the freeway... alignment??

i will have a ppi done, hopefully they can check the body for accidents (the rims and carfax history were clean)

he's asking $18k, how reasonable is this??

thanks so much, hope to be in the club soon!

Hi,

That's about right for that MY and Mileage. Good Luck!... Jim'99

Wow, I know mines priced right for a buyer. I have mine listed on E-bay with no reserve at 18999.00 , would give it a 9.5 out of 10, no shake, sport package and oh yeah supercharged.

I would buy a lease return car if it checked out right. My previous truck and my recent car (C230) was a lease return. the reason why I would buy lease return than used or previously owned is, chances are, the lease return are most likely well taken care of, IMHO :)

Hey, OHIO..selling your S/C Boxster? If you are, the new owner would be really happy about it. What kind would replace the box?

I havent decided yet. I have narrowed it down to about four completely different choices. I always wanted to build a Cobra replica so thats a possibility, Viper, SSR or Z06. I will probably change my mind 27 times but who knows the Box may not sell.

Absolutely agree.

Most lease returns I looked at when I was shopping for my used 2002 S were in MUCH better condition then the others. Lower miles too.

- C

wow, ohio..completely different choices :D The Cobra or the Viper are excellent choice.
you might change your mind more than 27 times? Oh yah, the box is not going anywhere..hehehehehe!

Goodluck, dude! on your neverending quest of horse power or feeding the hunger to build toys :cheers:

Everyone else agree, or should I keep the quest alive for a while longer?

Also, is the steering wheel shake a big deal or just a bad alignment?

Thanks

The price seems right. Find someone to answer your shake question (the PPI mechanic, perhaps) and give you an estimate to fix it, then take that out of the purchase price. It's hard to answer such a question over the internet. Could be as benign as flatspotted tires that have been sitting on the seller's lot for a while. (Does the shaking frequency change with speed?)

Alignment should have been done by the seller, anyway, so have it done before the purchase and see if the shaking goes away.

Hope this helps.

Z.

I have a spare 2cents... after I saw this comment: ".. especially for a base Boxster. My sense is that folks are less likely to abuse a base model than the more performance-oriented S."

I spent a lot of time looking for a very expensive Box-S that came back in off lease. My theory was that a person who could afford $60k - could afford to take care of it, had a garage, etc.

It turns out he was a Doc in the Jersey burbs, only put 15k on it over his 3yr lease. The only negative was some wheel rash which I took care of myself. I'd be more afraid of a car that some guy may be over-reaching to make the payments on.

...we all have theories, eh?

j i m
jims-garage.com

Good point. Along the same lines, one would need to push a base Box more to get the same level of performance as a leisurely pushed S. So all in, I don't think there's much of an argument either way, but if one must be made, I would tend to go for an S likely being in better shape than a base, on average.

Z.

If the car is only 7 on on a 1 to 10 scale I would pass. There are some real cream puffs out there. I would also try for a S model with 18" wheels and HID (Litronic) lights. Those options are very expenisve to put on the car after you buy. Better to get them on the car before you pull the trigger. It may take a little longer to find everything you want in the car but there are enough Boxsters out there to be very picky and still get a good price.

The important thing is to make sure that any car with more than 40K miles has had all its major maintenance done. A car that is out of alignment and has a shaky steering wheel is not the end of the world but its a red flag that the owner is not on top of the car, particularly when preparing to sell it.