Lexus buyout admin fee - NC

[S4cruiser]

The lease is ending on our 2020 GX and we’re planning to purchase the vehicle. I understand that LFS requires leaseholders in NC to deal with a dealer for the buyout process.

Contacted the local dealer and they sent over numbers. Everything seems as expected aside from them tacking on a “Dealer Admin Fee” of $799.

I’m familiar with the Consumer Leasing Act and it’s requirements to clearly state the required fees in the initial lease purchase agreement….so I read through my lease contract. It includes a section 32(b) that states “all official fees and taxes, and documentary fees charged in connection with the purchase”

Is a Dealer Admin Fee a documentary fee or is It something else?

Interested to hear if others have pushed back and got this BS fee waived or if I should just pay it and move on.

[max_g]

@S4cruiser

Is a Dealer Admin Fee a documentary fee

Dealer will claim it is.

It’s up to you to push back with LFS.

[j_e_f_f]

It’s just a doc fee, pure profit for the dealer for doing about 10 mins work.

Call around and find another dealer that will do it for less.

Different state discussed below but the same principles apply:

Exercising lease buyout in FL - dealer fees

Every dealership will charge something, they won’t put pen to paper for free. That being said, Im also in SFL and shopped around until I found a dealership willing waive the dealer fee. Fwiw - if you’re financing with them vs outside/cash could make the difference. I financed with them then sold the car to Carvana.

[S4cruiser]

I ended up extending the lease for six months at the original monthly payment (455.46) and depreciation rate, effectively delaying payment of the silly admin fee. I did call around a couple other Lexus dealers in the state and none of them seemed interested in even doing the purchase.