AMEX Card Auto Purchase?

[enharu]

Carmax doesn't negotiate on prices :/

What I've been doing is to get an appraisal at carmax, then bring it to other used car dealers that guarantee to beat carmax's offer. Sometimes it's a couple thousand more, if not it will still be a couple hunred more in the worst case scenario. Still not as good as what I could get if I had sold private party, but having to make multiple appointments with interested buyers and letting them test drive the vehicle just seemed to be too troublesome.

Main reason why I'm interested in finding more about the lease is that it seems that I would have lost less money for my SLK if I had leased it as opposed to buying and then selling it. I did get into an accident with that car though (someone rear-ended me), so that affected the price of the car as well.

[Open123]

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@enharu wrote:

Main reason why I'm interested in finding more about the lease is that it seems that I would have lost less money for my SLK if I had leased it as opposed to buying and then selling it. I did get into an accident with that car though (someone rear-ended me), so that affected the price of the car as well.

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Yes, in lieu of a tax benefit, the cost of ownership is higher if you had leased then owned the SLK, as opposed to owning it outright.  The purpose of leasing isn't really to own the car, but you negotiate the best price you can, just in case you change your mind at the end of the lease.

Leasing is ideal when it's tax deductible in a low interest rate environment for those who don't wish to "own" the car.

In your case, if the accident occurred during the lease, if there's a "gap" in the insurance reparation and pre-determined price you had agreed to pay, you may be liable for that difference, unless you had gap insurance coverage.

[Open123]

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@enharu wrote: it seems that I would have lost less money for my SLK if I had leased it as opposed to buying and then selling it. 

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Unless you can deduct the lease cost from your taxes, this is true.  If you were in a high tax rate in a State like CA, leasing would cost you less than if you had bought the car and sold it in two years after driving it.

[enharu]

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@Open123 wrote:

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@enharu wrote: it seems that I would have lost less money for my SLK if I had leased it as opposed to buying and then selling it. 

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Unless you can deduct the lease cost from your taxes, this is true.  If you were in a high tax rate in a State like CA, leasing would cost you less than if you had bought the car and sold it in two years after driving it.

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Ah I see. I'm in Socal, so yea. I'll definitely consider this option when I'm shopping for a car. Thank you so much! The info really helps a lot.