Looking for 18 months or less, could even be as short as 6 months, late model smallish vehicle with excellent safety features like crash protection, etc. for $350/month or less. I’m in TX, so from reading the forums, it sounds like I want a lease that already originates in TX so I don’t pay sales tax?
I tried leasetrader.com and paid the month membership b/c there was a deal then once I registered it was already under transfer. We have excellent credit.
I’ve been hunting in forums but it seems more geared toward luxury leasing - and we already have a couple of high end cars Open to make/model - I was originally looking for Toyota Corolla/Rav4/Nissan Rogue/Ford Escape/equivalent… would prefer under warranty, needs to be midsize or smaller, with all the safety features. Don’t care about fancy - cloth seats, etc. are fine. Just want smallish, safe and short lease.
Are there brokers for this? I want to avoid any surprise fees, etc. This is a short term car for us to use with our (permitted) teen to practice driving (with us) so we are looking for a short term.
Does this exist? Any tips for me? It looks like dealerships typically don’t do leases for less than 3 years.
Yes, but there’s a chance he will decide he doesn’t want to drive or won’t be as successful. He has Aspergers so he’s competent to drive - it just makes him nervous, and we need to see how comfortable he can get before actually investing in a car to buy. Once it’s time for that, we’ll purchase rather than lease. So this is really just almost a long term rental to practice on, take his drivers test, and then drive a bit independently to see if he’s comfortable with being an independent driver. Thanks y’all!
Agree - we are just in a unique situation with our Asperger son! Not quite ready to pull the trigger so we are looking for a short term safe car to try it out. He drives my car (with me) but it’s a Yukon XL so it’s a lot of car to try to maneuver into parking spaces, etc.!
Part of the reason I find these kind of posts difficult is b/c driver’s assistance features don’t necessarily make a car safer in a crash (so crash-test performance may be something quite different than accident mitigation), and there is not consistent terminology across diff car makes.
If you consider blind-spot monitoring to be a must, then Toyotas (incl the Corolla) often only have those as a part of an option package. And a Corolla is a rather different size or shape than is a RAV/Rogue/Escape.
Also, and not quite my business, but will your son, b/c of his condition, be disturbed by randomly blinking lights, warning sounds, and auto-braking? (not something to answer publicly, but perhaps worth thinking about privately)
Agree with others who have suggested taking over a lease.
He actually doesn’t really have any sensory issues - so blinking lights, warning sounds etc. won’t bother him. He’s been driving with his learners license for over a year (he’s 18), so he’s experienced and does a good job. It’s more about if he can not feel anxious driving. He’s careful and cautious and does a great job.
We were considering a Corolla initially and probably still would - we’re pretty open. I had looked on lease trader.com and swapalease but was a little wary of taking over a lease in another city.
We may just end up buying if we can’t find the right deal.
Thanks y’all! I appreciate any and all ideas or input.
I have ADHD and there are occasions (on my Yukon Denali) when I start to zone out a little, and the lane minder, or rear backup warning, etc. alerts me and it’s helpful. That’s what I think would also be helpful for him in the same way. But we of course wouldn’t allow him to drive if we didn’t feel very confident in his ability to manage a car, etc. - it’s more about HIS comfort level.
I like this idea because it’s more of a confidence-booster than a short-term lease, for any kid IMO. You’re telling them you’ve got faith in them to have something of their own, to take care of it, and to feel pride in its ownership.
Oh, in that case, then purchasing doesn’t sound so bad. A Corolla will last forever, if he decides he wants to keep driving independently. And, if not, it should hold its value decently. Also, if $ is not a huge issue, it might be handy to have a smaller, cheaper car on hand when you want to run a quick errand.
Open to make/model - I was originally looking for Toyota Corolla/Rav4/Nissan Rogue/Ford Escape/equivalent… would prefer under warranty, needs to be midsize or smaller, with all the safety features. Don’t care about fancy - cloth seats, etc. are fine. Just want smallish, safe and short lease.