Frustrating few weeks and relieved to find this site/forum as there really is no where else to turn for answers. I am looking to get out of a lease on my 2018 Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited (lease ending March 2021). I got (and accepted) an offer from Vroom for $30k. My current buyout is $28k. However, Ally gave Vroom a “dealer buyout” number of $33k. Many frustrating calls to Ally, ultimately to learn that they can basically charge a dealer whatever they want to charge and refuse to disclose what goes into their number. KBB trade in range is $28k-$30k. A vroom supervisor told me they could go off of the private buyout number (even double checked with her supervisor to be sure and had me email in the buyout letter from Ally showing the $28k buyout). However, that supervisor has not responded to emails and it’s impossible to get anyone on the phone from Vroom’s acquisitions or document departments. Since initial offer, Vroom has taken two weeks between every correspondence so in this time, I’ve wasted a month’s time. About a week of trying to get anyone at vroom on the phone and I’ve given up. I thought that instead I would just do a lease transfer but again I run into problems because I have Ally (who’s no longer doing transfers).
I’m looking for any suggestions on how to get out of the lease at this point. The jeep is in really immaculate condition so I’d obviously love to capitalize on the little bit of capital I have, but not sure it’s even an option at this point.
Also curious to hear from other’s with experience, how buyers respond to buying a car that’s in a lease contract. To sell it privately, I need to first buy it out myself, then turn around and sell it privately, correct? Without a (very patient) buyer on hand, not sure I want to take that risk.
Exhausted! Grateful for any advice! Thanks all.
Which state are you in?
Unfortunately USBank and Ally have the one buyout for you and one buyout at “fair market value” buyout for a 3rd party. Pretty much the 3rd party buyout is close to what the car would sell for at a dealer.
In California there is some wiggle room with buying a lease and selling it within 10 days and not paying sales tax on it, but who knows how that works with timing and COVID etc.
I had a lease through USBank that was like this. It was a 2015 GMC Terrain. My buyout was like 14800 and a 3rd party buyout was something like 18200. I had gotten an offer from Carmax for 17,200 and found out about the two different buyout at this time. I put maybe 150 miles on the car over the next 2-3 weeks to hoping keep my offer as close to 17,200 as possible when I knew I would come back in for a reappraisal. I bought the car out from USBank, was sent the title, went to the DMV in NC (they had same day title transfer services for an extra fee) and had to register the car. Then I immediately went to Carmax and sold the car for I think 17,200 or in that ballpark. I then applied for a prorated refund of the registration/property tax. All in all I still pocketed about 2k but it was a lot of headaches and aggravation waiting on the title, going to the bank, trips to UPS etc.
USBank and Ally do this with their buyouts and it is very frustrating. It sounds like you might break about even if you buy the car out and then turn around and sell to vroom or carmax. I would be leery of selling to an individual of their financing falls through or they lose interest in the waiting game. Good luck to you!
I’m in Texas. I probably should’ve also added to the original post that I had a very dishonest dealer sell/lease me the car originally. So going back to them is not an option.
Thanks. Yeah I’m a bit leary of how vrooms offer might change in the time it takes me to buy it myself and turn around and sell it to them. And CarMax offered $4k less than Vroom.
The question is how badly to you want/need to get out? Have you contacted a few Jeep dealerships to see how much they can offer you?
I just sold my Honda CR-V EX-L to Carvana for 27,200 3 weeks ago and Vroom only offered 23,500. Vroom is usually lowest of the 2 but it depends on stock they need. Especially right now many new car dealerships are short on new cars so certain models are jumping. Carvana offered me 23k only 2 months before so becareful. The market is starting to right it self and these numbers will crash! If your going make deal do it before November when there will be average amount of 2021’s coming. Jeep will have inventory fixed. Good luck
I don’t want out desperately except that I’m just over it at this point. I have had such a bad taste in my mouth for dealers because of the one I dealt with in the original purchase, that I haven’t gone back. It’s a good idea, though. I’ll take it to a few this week.
If it’s in great condition you can probably just email the used car manager with the details and save yourself some time.
What trim / options?
I’m looking at Jeep’s right now
Unfortunately, Ally has 3 different payoffs, and it’s really annoying for dealers as well
D-L: Dealer to Lessee
D-R: Dealer to Return
D-I: Dealer to Inventory
This is the ultimate answer. Dealer will have to purchase for the Dealer–>Inventory quote. The only way that they will be able to buy for the Dealer–>Lessee quote will be to prove that the vehicle was resold to you, by way of a purchase agreement and a signed affidavit that the vehicle was sold to you and you only for the Dealer to Lessee price. So, in short, without a dealer breaking the rules, they will have to go for the market-based quote.
It’s a 2018 Unlimited JK. Has the t-top style hard top. I have it posted on a few sites, including one with a free Carfax. Am I allowed to share that link here?
Just went through similar situation with Ally lease on my 18 Challenger. Payoff is $32746 to me and Vroom offered $33250. I took this info to an Alfa dealer and their payoff was $37475!! So I did my homework with “my payoff” and we are exactly $150 away on monthly payment.
What kind of homework, if you don’t mind sharing? I did a good amount as well (found online what Ally uses as their algorithm). The number I came up with was still pretty close to my pay-off…not anywhere close to what Ally is giving dealers. But Ally dealer-side isn’t willing to answer any questions.
Yea it’s weird. I work at a dealer, Subaru, asked the sales manager about it and he said ally will sell the car to the leader for a certain amount and sell it to the dealer for a different amount based on what market retail should be. So instead of the leader making money on the trade in, ally does and makes money from the lease agreement basically. They also monitor title work in case someone tries to bypass their process
Interesting to hear your experience from that side of things. In my case, the number Ally gave to Vroom was $5k over market and $3k over what I paid for the car two years ago. It doesn’t seem legal that they could inflate to that extent but they seem to be in a demilitarized zone, so to speak.