con5tant

iTrader: (4)

Once again i am on the market for a car . I've come across a few that show "Fleet, rental and/or lease" on the AutoChecks. This one particular one that i am interested in said "Lease" next to the registration. Is this really a leased vehicle or is it a loaner? I ask because i checked this other one out and it was a "personal leased vehicle" but the AutoCheck did not have the blue caution sign stating "Fleet, rental and/or lease".

This also brings me to my next question, would you buy a vehicle that was leased (not leased by you or someone you know)? We all know leased cars are not usually as well taken care of as owned cars.

jwr0ng626

iTrader: (1)

what kinda visual condition is it in? and how many miles does it have? is there any way you can find out what maintenance has been done to it?

Timb227

iTrader: (3)

My car came off a lease. It was a 3 year lease that was drivin by an older man. I know, all used car salespeople tell you this, but it's true. I looked in the navigation at recent destinations and they included country clubs, restaurants in NYC, and places in Deleware. The customer also had all service records in the glove box showing that the maintence was performed at the Acura dealership which is were I bought it from.

I would be careful if it was company fleet or a loaner car, because noone really owns them, so whoever will drive them may beat them up.

LoveMyTL-S

Wow, he didn't clear out his Navi history before turning it in? I guess his address book is still there, as well as his phone contacts. Not smart.

LoveMyTL-S

My wife had a leased Honda Civic once and it was in immacalate condition when we turned it in. So, I'd say it's a hit or miss as far as getting one with no issues.

Chessie724

The lessee is bound by the terms of the agreement to keep the car in good condition, under a certain mileage, etc. So generally speaking, an off-lease vehicle is a relatively safe purchase. Are there exceptions? Sure. Would I buy a rental or fleet car where the drivers are less accountable for how they treat it and the owners are usually lax in their maintenance? Never.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

I'd say you're running the same risk as when you buy a used car not off of a lease. It's all going to come down to whether the person took care of it. You could find cars in great condition or awful condition in both circumstances. Just do your research, know what to look for, and be patience and don't compromise and you'll be fine.

corumz

I probably wouldn't buy a leased vehicle only because I know plenty of people with a lease and they treat it like shit. "its not my car... what does it matter?" Smh

TLFTW

I recently bought my car 3 weeks ago that came off a lease. I have a 04 TL with 84k. I did the oil change and spark plugs. I took it to Valvoline for the transmission oil check because my friend works there. The oil just recently got changed. So honestly, buying a car off a lease is the best way to go. It's pretty much guaranteed maintenance even if the car was beat on

dannyboy10

Depends where you are buying the car from ......

Guess where the 2008 Acura CPO cars come from ? The Acura dealer cherry picks the best ones coming off lease.

Buying from a used car dealer ? Good chance it may have come from a Acura Remarketing auction (cars Acura dealers passed on). You generally find the cars to be in so so to average condition. Hard to find a pristine car these days at these auctions.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

Man people worry about stuff too much. Seriously who is going to use that information to do anything bad. Im sure there is a criminal out there that specifically test drives used cars to see if addresses are stored in the nav system you do realize that anyone driving in front of your house can see your address right? lol or anyone driving behind you can see your license plate number.

I bought my 2008 Type S from a dealership and everything was still in the nav from the previous owner.....guess what, I didnt go kill him...he is still alive today hahaha

To answer the OP's question I would buy a car off lease sure. It all depends on the condition and how it was maintained.

James

VQPower37

if buying a preowned car, leased would be ur best bet, because even if it was beaten on u know that it will atleast have had its services done

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

The vehicle i'm talking about is a CPO at an Acura dealership. It was actually owned by another member on this board (he sold it to the dealership). He was the one that purchased the vehicle off a lease. I really wouldn't mind if it were a lease honestly it's just that for some reason the AutoCheck blue flags it as "fleet, rental and/or lease". This other vehicle i checked was also a lease but no blue flag. I found this strange. Thanks for everyones inputs.

LoveMyTL-S

Good point. How about the garage door opener?

pkarandi

This is basically your best answer. You never know for sure how a car has been treated when buying used, leased or not. I do agree that rentals/fleet cars are a little more risky, but it's all part of your risk/value threshold. Do your homework, and you will save money and get a good car for the money. If you don't want to do the homework, or take the risk, you should buy brand new. Simple as that.

For the record, I bought my 2007 TL-S as a CPO from an Acura dealer. It's been good. In the end, I think the risk was worth saving the $2-3K I saved over buying brand new. (The car was less than a year old with 10K miles).

So, to answer your original question: Yes, I would buy a car off lease. I would (and did) inspect the car carefully, and pay a mechanic to do a pre-purchase inspection.

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

hrmm.. now that i think about it, a fleet or rental wouldn't be a manual transmission (or would it)? o_O

Shoot2Thrill

Did it twice, you have to look at the condition and collect as much data as you can. If I knew it was a rental then that would be a no!

SDSilverM3

Yes I would buy a leased vehicle but it would depend on the condition of the car. Looking at a Carfax will tell you nothing about how a car was treated during that time. You will need to go inspect the car or have a 3rd party do so. With that being said, I would have to disagree with your last statement. I take care of my cars whether it's a lease or purchase and treat it just the same.

Bearcat94

I agree that just because it was purchased then traded/sold doesn't mean it's any better than a consumer lease.

I would consider a consumer leased vehicle the same as I would any other used car.

Depending on the locale, I would also consider a fleet vehicle, particuarly if it was owned by a managed fleet service. They are usually pretty good about having the driver keep the maintenance up and keeping the car in good repair. A lot of repmobiles tend to be more highway miles - or at least less stop-and-go miles.

I would not touch a rental car with a 10-foot pole.

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

it depends on the person. you and i and everyone here(well most at least ) are car enthusiasts but for the most part people just see a car as a way to get to point A and point B. why should they care and maintain something when they're just going to give it back? it's like babysitting a kid vs your own kid. sorta.. lol

stevietennis

Man con5tant still looking huh... =P

How about this one.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

Since it looks like you were willing to travel maybe you can work a deal out with this dealer. Carfax record looks clean. The car was purchased as a CPO, not sure it you get the extended warranty. If the CPO warranty is transferable to you, you'll have bumper to bumper warranty till 8/2012. The Type-S is a 6speed like you want AND it has the A-spec kit already.

I just looked at it real quick, so i might have missed some things.

stevietennis

Did a little research on the CPO warranty and it is transferable.

"Yes. The Certified warranty is transferable to a new owner in a sale from a private party to another private party. Simply complete the Change of Ownership Card at the back of the Customer Warranty Manual and mail it in to Acura Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc."

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

hey stevie, i appreciate all your help lol. yea i contacted that dealership about that Type S and they didn't want to deal with me(i asked for shipping to CA and all this other stuff) lol. their loss

BlueAquarian

Unfortunately, this is my first car I purchased used and right now I regret it. I purchased a CPO car as well and it was a lease beforehand. My Acura TL has been in the shop for 2 weeks because the person who had the car befrore me (shipped from a New Jersey dealership) wasted so much coffee etc., liquids near the shift gear and since it is warm outside my car will not go in and out of gear . I have to use the emergency shift release to get my car out of park and reverse.

I am still arguing with the dealership because I really can't believe you will have the cup holder and (sunroof) by the shift gears if they are prone to damage the gears.

1995hoo

In 1999 I bought a 1997 Accord that someone else had leased. I checked it over very carefully and was satisfied with the condition. It proved to be a great car and I'd likely still be driving it today if it hadn't been totalled when I got rear-ended in August 2004.

You can never be 100% certain, of course, so what it boils down to is a question of what level of risk you consider to be an acceptable risk.

I tend to think that if you're considering a used car, places like Acura dealers, Lexus dealers, Volvo, Infiniti, etc., tend to be decent places to look—places where the people buying the car are more likely to be the type of person who will take car of the car, because then the odds are that the cars they're trading in (or handing back at lease expiry) were maintained correctly as well. Of course it's never guaranteed, but I think your odds are better at an Acura or Lexus dealer than they are at, say, a Suzuki dealer!


As far as the Navi issue goes—I'd wipe the personal addresses and the "Go Home" entry but I might not necessarily worry about the "Previous Destinations" (I might, I might not). Someone mentioned a thief stealing your car when you own it. Lots of people keep the registration card in the car at all times even when they're not driving it, so it's usually not going to be that hard for a thief to figure out where you live even if you put a PIN on your "Go Home" feature. (The law about registration cards is the same in every state, territory, and province except for some of the more remote areas of northern Ontario where the roads are not connected to the main North American highway system. Except in those remote areas, the registration card must be kept in the car while the car is being driven. That means you can, say, store it in your wallet so you take it with you when you're not in the car. Of course, if your wife ever drives your car that could become a hassle.)

txTL1019

I purchased my car from a guy in chicago about 2 weeks ago and the vehicle was leased by him, he took immaculate care of this car and the condition of it was one of the main reasons i purchased it. Cant say that would apply towards all leased cars nor would i say that would apply towards cars that are owned, it really depends on the owner..