I have a leased 2025 Lexus NX450h+ with about $6k negative trade-in equity (so says KBB) that I would like to trade-in for a leased 2026 Subaru Solterra, which I would likely need to order; few are on lots yet.
In my ideal world, a Subaru dealership would buy out my Lexus lease ($56k buyout; $50k KBB trade-in estimate) and lease me a Solterra ($47k MSRP) with ratehackr informed incentives ($6k) and MF.
What steps should I consider moving forward? I typically read about negotiating the lease first and then the trade-in, but it feels confusing with negative equity.
Why are you trying to get out of the Lexus lease so early? Carrying over the 6k negative seems highly unnecessary, even if you want it eaten up by the incentives. You’ll be at ~$650/m on a Solterra, which sounds like a tough bullet to bite.
In 2025 I needed to replace my Subaru and wanted an electric compact SUV with range of 200+.
In 2025 there were limited options for that, so I went with the federal tax credit and leased an HPEV with intention to buyout.
Given what I needed, the Lexus NX450h+ was the best fit. It’s a great car, but every time it switches to combustion, I’m frustrated. So I didn’t buy it out.
With the 2026 Subaru Solterra out, I test drove it and found it to be a better fit in every way. It’s not cheap, but it’s less expensive than the Lexus.
So I want to see what the is the best way to trade, and decide what to do from there
I have an NX450h so I’ll try to wager a guess on what they mean–driving it in EV mode it’s very nice–somewhat peppy and quiet. When the ICE kicks in it’s loud and painfully slow.
Mileage is only around 37 miles around the city. Driving it on highway speeds severely decreases electric range.
Avoiding negative equity is the goal. My numbers are KBB estimates; I have not yet spoken with dealers to get their offers because I was hoping for suggestions here how to best approach. But the suggestions are “don’t.”
I don’t find Teslas to be comfortable to drive in for extended periods of time.
Based on what you’ve said, it seems like you’ve made up your mind on getting out of the Lexus and eat the negative equity. Get your offers from CarMax, Driveway, and Carvana. If you can get a dealership to offer you within $1k of the best offer from the sites, then that’s pretty solid. As previously mentioned, you are going to be paying nearly $25,000 to lease a $47,000 Subaru, but if the bad driving experience is worth over six grand to you then it is what it is.
I hope you’ve test driven the Solterra… it has its own driving and engineering quirks. Seems like you’ve already made one car decision without spending some time behind the wheel - don’t make another.
I spent a good amount of time test driving every 2025 PHEV/EV AWD in the area before leasing. The Lexus was the best fit at the time. The 2026 Subaru is a better fit. I posted here for suggestions about the best way to approach a trade-in given what I found via KBB and ratehackr, and I’m hearing that the suggestions are “don’t”, which are useful suggestions.
Based on reading this, it seems like you’ve made up your mind to leasehack a GT3RS. Post it in New Cars for Sale - Leads from LHers! once you’ve negotiated the deal.
In all seriousness, totally agree… its like those ppl who post their awful lease deals in Signed and then don’t hear what they want to hear. Just enjoy the car!
