Dreading the Turn-In Inspection?
Lease Turn-In Damage Charges vs. Buying the Car
Dents, curbed wheels, worn tires. How buying the car compares with paying turn-in damage charges.
Key takeaways
- Damage beyond normal wear can mean charges at turn-in.
- Buying usually skips the turn-in inspection.
- Compare buying as is, paying charges, and repairing first.
Full transcript
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This is the Lease End Minute. I'm Joe from Champion Auto Finance.
Worried about the turn-in inspection? Dents, curb-rashed wheels, worn tires, a cracked windshield. When you return a leased car, damage beyond normal wear can mean charges.
If you buy the car instead, there's usually no turn-in inspection, so those charges don't come up. The damage is still there, of course. It's just yours now, and it lowers what the car is worth.
So get a rough repair estimate. Then compare buying the car as is against returning it and paying the charges. Sometimes fixing it first is cheapest of all.
Champion Auto Finance is not a lender. Approvals and terms are subject to lender underwriting.
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Champion Auto Finance
Thinking about buying out your lease? Learn more and get started at championautofinance.com.
Champion Auto Finance is a NJ DOBI-licensed financing partner, not a lender, coordinating lease buyout financing for drivers nationwide. Approvals and terms are subject to lender underwriting. Nothing on this site or in these episodes is legal, tax or financial advice.
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