Buy out car with accidents?

We have a leased Toyota Highlander xle’16. We’ve had two accidents in this car, so the evidence will show on car fax. The damage was fixed by professional shops through insurance. Looking through similar cars for sale, the price drops significantly. Should I mention the lower value in an effort to get a lower buyout than was originally negotiated? Anyone have experience with this?

Was this lease with TFS?

You signed the lease contract. It clearly stated how much it would cost to buy the car at lease end.

You wrecked car, twice. You’ve diminished the value of the car you leased.

Think about that.

You’re lucky they’re not charging you MORE.

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Sorry boston but the buyout amount is established once you sign the contract for the lease. There’s no negotiating for a lower one.

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Don’t buy it. Don’t buy it. Don’t buy it.

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On what planet could they possibly charge him more, especially if, like you said, he signed a contract with specified value? Having said that, some captives allow renegotiating the buy out, very rare, but they do.

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Even more reason not to buy it.

He was just making a point. Dont take everything literally. Obviously the captive isn’t going to charge him more but it is silly to assume that he had 2 accidents in a car technically owned by someone else and now HE wants a discount. If anything the captive should charge him for damaging the car (they won’t).

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One of the key values of leasing is those accidents are Toyotas problem, not yours.

Buying out a car you wrecked would be pointless. If you love that era of Highlander that much and want to get out of monthly payments then find a nice sample privately and buy it from a private party.

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What was the point? Op’s question was whether buy out could be negotiated. I still don’t see anyone give a definitive answer, only reasons why not to do it. If fact I had a leasing company offer me a lower buy out due to accident, and it was a couple of grand lower.

You know who could answer this question? Toyota Financial Services. If you ask then, they should be able to tell you.

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Diminished value aside why would OP want to buy a cursed car already with two accidents?

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OP wants to buy the Car because he knows the extent of damages and quality of the fixes done. He also wants to benefit some $$ if he can negotiate a lower buy-out price. The wisest thing would be to gather all your documentation about both the accidents, keep them handy, return the car at lease end, track it down after it’s auctioned off and negotiate with the dealer who bought it. Generally, there are some special breed of used-car-dealers that bid for such cars with multiple accidents.

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I’d drop that car off like a bad habit

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I don’t see why some of readers here are that surprised by Op’s question, I’m in a similar situation as him, rear ended twice in a year, none of those were my fault. And also had (might still have) the intention to buy it out at lease end.

I like the fact that my current Accord is not packed with all that driver assistance “stuff”, and that the residual in my lease was the “best part” of the original deal i signed.

Pros:

  • Known car history (crash included :frowning: )
  • Oil changes made on time.
  • Not much tech (lane keep, smart cruise control, etc.)
  • Always been advised that if you want to buy, buy used, 3 yo car coming out of a lease.

Cons:

  • Monthly payment will be higher than a leased one.
  • Car crash history (just two rear bumper covers replaced)
  • Car won’t have warranty (repairs on me).
  • Others you might point out (I’m all ears).

Even without the accidents my intention was to at least try to get the buyout negotiated to a lower amount, now that the car has this two incidents more so over.

I got nothing to lose in trying, what’s the worst that could happen? That they say no?
If so, I’ll evaluate the whole picture and decide whether I buy it out or move on to another lease.

Regards.

Try to keep up:
I let you rent my brand new car.
We agree via contract that after X miles, and X months that you could buy the car from me for a price that I determine.
It’s also written in the contract that you will have full coverage insurance.
You will be responsible for any (predetermined) excess wear. Tires, dents, cracked glass, etc.

You contact me after this predetermined length of time.
You wrecked my car, twice.
It makes no difference to me whose fault it was. My car was wrecked, twice while you were renting it.
Now, you want to renegotiate the contract you signed. You want me to sell it to you cheaper.
You wrecked my car, twice.

If you’re smart, you walk away.
I’m a little salty because you diminished the value of my new car.
I’ll get over it. I rent a lot of cars to a lot of people. Most of them take care of my cars.

Hypothetical Example:
A hypothetical example is a fictional example that can be used when a speaker is explaining a complicated topic that makes the most sense when it is put into more realistic or relatable terms.

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I’d probably never buy out one of my leases, because I know I could find a car nicer than mine and lower miles. And I routinely skip the last oil change and just reset the light.

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giphy

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How was the residual the best part? If the residual was artificially high then you paid less during the lease and will pay way more than market to buy it out. Or if the residual is low then you had already paid the depreciation, no free lunch.

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LOL

You’ve got a point (lots of them).