I've always leased a Civic for $0 down and what I think a fairly decent monthly price, which on this 2021 EX has been $250/month. My lease is ending soon with less 18,000 miles on it (I know) but with some front bumper and muffler damage (the heat shield has been taken off in two pieces after running over a Midwest snow chunk on the highway that was clearly something else. Once the shield starting scraping the street, my local Midas guys said it was okay to pull it off, but explained why in general it was a good idea to get a new one/muffler that's not dented). I like the car, but know 0 about cars in general. Am I better just to return the car to the dealership and work out another $0 down lease or am I leaving too much money on the table? The contract says buy-out is around $17,000 but I don't know what that means in terms of equity or value or whatever. Mainly, I like to keep things convenient/easy for me even if it means spending a bit extra. If I'm going to be an idiot by returning/new lease or buy-out, I'd rather know in advance. Help please.
original posted by Final-Distribution-4 to r/personalfinance on Sun, 03 Mar 2024 15:43:59 GMT.