I am looking for some insight and advice on purchasing a 2010 Prius. I am currently in a lease which ends in October, the car is in excellent shape I am under my lease by about 10000 miles but it might need some tires. It is a lease thru US Bank which I have heard are notorious for charging penalties for no reason at the end of a lease. Would I be better served to trade the car in July or August with only 1 or 2 payments or get the new tires, and possibly be charged by US Bank for fees and other things. I am asking now because I would like to get a prius before the 2011 roll out. Also I am looking to buy this time not lease if that helps.
I can't speak for what US Bank does. But, I can describe the process I went through with Honda Finance when I turned in my Accord. 1) Called and scheduled an inspection. An independent guy contracted with Honda came to my office and inspected the car. He went over it with a fine-toothed comb (not literally) noting mileage, dings, scratches, tire wear, etc. and checked that everything in the car worked. I had heard others say that I might need to provide maintenance records, but he didn't ask. 2) He filled out a form to send to Honda and gave me a copy. In a couple of weeks, I received a statement/invoice from Honda listing items for which I was being charged (in my case, it was only excess mileage). 3) I scheduled an appt. at my local dealer, dropped the car off, handed them the keys, signed a receipt and walked away. In your case, I can tell you that if the tires are worn beyond the limit (don't recall exactly what it was), you will either have to replace them (be careful that all 4 tires match per mfr and model) or they will do it and charge you. Also, you will not be credited for miles not used. Whether you should sell, trade or simply turn in your car depends on its market value and the purchase option price in your lease.
if you need some 'insight', you'll have to go to a honda dealer ... sorry(!) i'd buy the cheapest, but acceptable by your contract, tires that i could and plan for a r/t to california to use up some miles b4 oct.
I'm getting a Prius, just want to find out what would be the cheapest. I also asked because it seems alot of people on this site are very knowledgeable about car purchasing.
I got my best deal in town (all of SoCal) by emailing 30 dealers and negotiating there first. Some salesman/dealers are hungier then others. Know what you want - color, extras, and go to edmunds or a few other sites to see the avg.prices paid - and try to do better! Good luck ... Bart
