Any hope for early termination on a BMW 440i?

Ask the Hackrs
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Hi all – New here. I’m currently in my second leased BMW, and while I negotiated both leases very hard, in browsing this forum I have realized I nonetheless have a lot to learn for the next time around.

But the purpose of this topic is to find out whether I have any hope of getting out of my current lease early. I’m in a 2018 440i Gran Coupe w/xDrive. It’s a beautiful car but doesn’t quite do it for me like the 335 that preceded it, and I’m really intrigued by the new M340i. Also, as my carsick-prone daughter is now big enough for the front seat (and so wouldn’t suffer in the cramped rear), I’m considering an M240i as well… They are so much fun.

My current 36mo lease doesn’t end until October 2020. The current payoff amount is $40,225. According to KBB the car is worth up to ~$35k as a trade-in, up to ~$40k private party (but what a hassle), and when I took it by CarMax yesterday they (of course?) lowballed me at $32,000.

I figure I am probably SOL but wanted to run it by the lease geniuses here in case you have any ideas/suggestions. This is already pretty frivolous so I definitely cannot justify (to myself or my practical, Nissan-driving-until-it-dies husband) eating the difference between the value & the payoff just because I’m bored with my car after 21 months.

The one hope I have is that I’m pretty sure I have read in the past that a BMW dealership can pay off a BMW FS lease for less than the official payoff amount, particularly in order to get a customer into a new BMW. Is that true?

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

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if you got a decent deal you could offer on swapalease

3

Definitely curious as to what your monthly is. My assumption with all the fire sale payments on 4 series right now, that it’ll be hard to transfer until those quiet down…

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Thanks. I thought I did at the time but after reading the forum here I’m not so sure! Payment is $556 including tax; MSRP was something like $64000.

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With some effort folks are leasing 440 GC anywhere from the high 300s to high 400s…My guess is you have to decide how badly you want out.

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I think swapalease is your best bet. It’s not terrible and most people have no clue what we are getting 440’s for right now. If it doesn’t sell on a few weeks, throw an incentive at it.

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Agree with the others–440i’s are going super cheap right now, that will probably make it tough for you to unload yours without some good incentives, especially around here.

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Thanks so much, everyone. I’ve seen Swapalease but never dealt with it; I’m a bit intimidated by that process, but I should look into it.

I’m still curious as to whether a BMW dealer can get a lower payoff figure from BMW FS. But… if they’re trying to unload 4 series right now, the last thing they probably want is another one on their lot anyhow.

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I’ve been told that the BMW dealer is able to get a lower payoff in the final 4-6 months of the lease. Not before.

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I researched this recently as well.
Apparently you can call BMW FS ask for a “dealer payoff” for your car.

11

Total your car. The easiest way of getting out of any lease early :slight_smile:

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Try to transfer on swapalease for sure. A $64k 440i will probably be attractive enough to someone to pony up

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Thanks - Just sent a message to them through the message center asking for this (even if it likely isn’t available this early in the lease, I may as well ask).

BTW, love your handle. :wink:

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Haha, thanks!

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The fire sale deals on the 440i’s are on the 2019s, inventory is running out. My guess is that in another month it should be mostly gone and would be easier to move this.

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Heard back from BMW FS…

We are happy to assist you. Dealer payoffs can differ from customer payoffs since dealers are exempt from sales tax. Since we do not collect the sales tax on payoffs in Missouri, a dealer’s payoff is identical to yours.

So… no joy there. :-/ Perhaps I will wait a month or two and then try listing on Swapalease.