We leased a 2020 Mazda CX-30 on 1/23/20. Now we regret it, since we don’t like the infotainment system and it isn’t fun to drive. Any options, besides look for someone to take over lease? The car we’d rather have is a Hyundai, fwiw.
You didn’t drive the car or try the infotainment? Chase doesn’t allow transfers.
We drove it, figured we could learn to love it.
Haven’t.
Both the Mazda and Hyundai are going to depreciate severely, unless you have 5k to 8k lying around to potentially eat any negative equity, you should learn to live with the car for the duration of the lease.
I don’t think Mazda allows lease transfers.
Here are your options:
- trade the car into the dealer, pay or roll over any negative equity.
- privately sell the car for market value, pay negative equity.
- get the car appraised by vroom, carvana, Carmax. Pay negative equity.
You’re hosed on this. It’s important to take your time deciding on a car purchase and do lots of test drives and research. There was something that attracted you to the car in the first place, highly recommend you focus on that.
Lesson Learned
As @StingerTT mentioned, you can trade/bury the negative equity (unlikely the Hyundai can absorb it but run the numbers) or sell to Carmax/Carvana/Vroom and pay the difference.
I had an early production CX-5 that was a factory order and a lemon (unsafe to drive, not something I caught on test drives but long after, and a problem Mazda acknowledged long after I dumped mine), and eventually I had to bury 8k in negative equity to get out of it. I had a prior Mazda3 I loved, but I understand your situation.
You may have to spend this Valentine’s Day learning to love your CX-30. But please don’t lease something you don’t really enjoy driving: rarely do you fall in love over time. It’s not a person.
Good luck!
Yeah, we liked the interior, thought it beat the Hyundai in looks, thought it was quieter, Mazda beats Hyundai in reliability …
It’s not horrible, just … no emotional tug there.
We researched for months, drove several cars. Mazda dealership a pleasure, Hyundai a horror out of some past decade…sleazeball mgr in fake camel hair coat, wouldn’t answer questions, etc.
Thanks.
My wife had a CX9 for a while. We grew to hate that car for much the same reasons.
It’s been replaced with a Hyundai and it is vastly superior in ever single way.
If you think the hyundai is gonna be fun to drive…
You’re not the first to have this problem and won’t be the last because insurance designated test-drive routes don’t tell you squat about the car.
Should be a program to rent the car for a week and really drive it before buying.
To add had a 3 - years ago. Came with a factory defect that services at dealerships weren’t able to fix no matter how much they tried. Made the car unbearable to drive. Suffice it to say last Mazda ever…after that experience
Definitely before buying but ideally before leasing. The only car I’ve leased twice, I originally had as a rental car and was surprised how much I liked it. The more you can drive something before you lease/buy, the better.
Amen!!!
Surprisingly I rent a lot and many rental car companies don’t carry Mazda’s anymore.
That’s gotta he saying something.
15 minute test drive and the sales guy is giddy AF: so how’d you like the car.
What are people supposed to say to that. Give me another 15 hours and I’ll tell you?
That their portfolio managers are trying to keep resale and residual values high.
Subaru FOREVER would not sell fleet to rental companies for this reason: they didn’t want to be in the volume game (yet) if it hurt resale. It wasn’t until they got their sales numbers up to a certain point.
I don’t think any cars comparable to the CX-30 is going to give you that emotional tug. Take it as a lesson learned and finish the lease. It’s not worth burying a ton of negative equity.
Not trying to be that guy, but what other cars did you test drive that were more fun to drive? Why didn’t you go with something else at the time?
What were the terms of your lease and how much are you paying?
When I was car shopping for a sedan a couple of years ago, I knew I could never ‘learn to love’ the dated infotainment system of the Acura TLX.
Anyway, your best option is to keep the car.
We have $8K, would rather not spend it. Car isn’t horrible, not a lemon (if it’s possible to know after 3 weeks).
If transfers are really out, then I guess we have it for 3 yrs. Will review lease agmt.
Deal was better than Hyundai’s. Paying $296.94 monthly with $3k down, for a Premium with power everything and all safety features.
Nicer car overall than Kona Limited. Just … doesn’t spark joy.
On the other hand, not spending $8K sparks some joy.
Turn the liability into an asset and get another car you like.
You don’t have to suffer through it.
Put it on car rental apps.
You can easily double your monthly payment.
Most modern lease contracts expressly forbid sub-letting (ala Turo).
When I worked in AZ we had something similar. Normally for 1-2 days. “Borrowed Car Agreement- BCA”