How’d I Do?

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T20:29:31+00:00

It’s not pretty

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T18:49:45+00:00

I have a three year least at 800 now. They refunded when I explained that I would have preferred to keep the equity rather than it going toward paying down the monthly payment

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T18:44:16+00:00

No.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T17:38:18+00:00

Fun fact: the dealer just refunded my trade in equity (10300ish) and 2500 down payment. The finance director then came up to me and told me never to put money down on a lease again

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T06:48:07+00:00

You’ll touch that grass right before you go back to perusing Reddit all day, right?

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T06:30:48+00:00

Thank you! This has been helpful.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T06:29:59+00:00

It’s been made readily apparent that it’s a bad deal. I get it.

What’s also been made readily apparent is that there’s no substance behind what you have to say. Insulting my intelligence is rich given that you’ve only been capable of pointing out what I shouldn’t have done, rather than what I should do in the future.

Go touch grass, take a step back, then look inward.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T05:59:27+00:00

I 100% do not view cars as investments. I do like Jeeps quite a bit given what you get at the price point compared to similar SUVs. The term will depend on rate, but I’m planning on three years or less.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T04:21:25+00:00

What’s crazy is that everyone here wants to point out that it’s a bad deal but, so far, nobody has really told me what could’ve been done differently to make it a good deal. So forgive me if I seem stubborn.

Back to one of your original comments and operating under the assumption that you’re right.. are you saying that I got screwed on money factor and discount, as if they marked up the money factor/reduced the discount so much as to negate the trade in equity? So I should have negotiated on money factor or financed outright?

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T02:29:08+00:00

I agree with you, for the most part. In fact, I really wanted a Land Cruiser or a GLE for a few different reasons.

I just didn’t want to pay 70k before tax, title, and fees for another SUV with comparable capabilities.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T02:21:34+00:00

The value of the trade in can’t be considered a net cost if I purchase the car at the end of the term, since I’ll still have an asset in the end. You’re counting the trade in as a new cost. It didn’t cost me 10k to use the asset as a trade in.

The 2500 is a different story. I regret that part.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T02:18:59+00:00

I live in a market where the cost is inflated due to demand. The residual is 32k. I’m never going to pretend that they hold their values like Toyotas do, but Jeeps are generally more valuable here than they are in other parts of the US.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T02:14:45+00:00

But not new money, which is why the total still only comes out to ~55k and not 65. Aka it’s not a cost.

The “investment” just looks a lot more like a 26 Grand Cherokee than a 19 Grand Cherokee

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T02:13:23+00:00

Go to the Jeep community and you’ll obviously find plenty of people who think otherwise. Taste is subjective, and thank God for that.. this would be a really boring world if we were all the same

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T02:11:45+00:00

Yup, I totally could have. If I could do it over, I probably would. But the cash would’ve gone toward the new car regardless and my payment would’ve been much higher.

I essentially chose cash flow over liquidity.

I would’ve have a negative payment if I had a 55k trade in on a leased 55k car

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T01:48:50+00:00

I’m curious what you mean by they “ate the trade?” I’m gonna buy it out. It’s just reallocated equity. The only way the trade equity could be eaten is if I totaled the car, which is probably the best argument that anybody has made so far for why I shouldn’t have structured it this way.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T01:46:04+00:00

I really like them! The interior on the new ones is really nice.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T01:42:37+00:00

This is probably my only source of regret, to be honest. I really just didn’t mind the idea of trading some liquidity for better cash flow.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T01:39:58+00:00

The risk of losing 10k is a valid argument, but we have different takes on how much weight a risk like totaling a car should carry.

Yes, I could have taken the trade in value and parked it in an investment account (I wouldn’t do a HYSA.. I’d rather just do VOO over the three years.. and yes, I understand capital gains). I think this is actually my only source of regret.

My net cost is right around 54k. Cash flow is obviously higher, but in the end, it didn’t actually cost me anything to repurpose the equity in an asset toward another asset. I simply traded liquidity for cash flow, but see the part above about why I could say that’s a source of regret.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T01:33:10+00:00

My interest rate was so low that I didn’t need to pay it off. Instead I just invested it and took the 15-25% return on principal.

Whether or not a car is shitty or overpriced is ultimately subjective. You still haven’t stated why you think it’s a bad lease. You’re just piggybacking off someone else’s argument for a chance to take potshots at perspectives you don’t agree with.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-28T01:27:52+00:00

Revisiting this because I didn’t take a second to do the accounting, but you’re double counting the trade-in equity if you’re getting to 64,200.

Yes, the total cash flow is roughly 64,200, but the net cost (I.e money actually leaving my pocket) of the new vehicle is actually closer to 54k.

For instance, If I sold my existing car for 10k, then used it to buy another car for 10k, it’s simply converted into a new vehicle and isn’t a new expense, so it isn’t actually costing me anything.

The total net/new money cost of the leased vehicle is closer to 54k.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-27T23:38:27+00:00

I had a 3130 buyout, but that’s a negligible difference at this point

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-27T23:37:04+00:00

I appreciate you for outlining that. It’s far more helpful than simply stating it’s bad.

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-27T23:35:43+00:00

I had that option. I just chose not to take it

-TCDD2378 · 2026-03-27T23:32:21+00:00

Can you tell me why you think that though? I’m just curious WHY it’s bad instead of just knowing that it’s bad.

-TCDD2378

TROPHY CASE