TTMaverik

lease of '01 225 roadster ending soon, 8500 miles on it (no comments pls), Audi says $27k to buy it out, kellybb says $25k value on retail. what say you - buy, car max it, or turn in? Love the car, not very practical to keep tho.

TTempted

With that few miles on an '01 225, how is the buyout so freaking high compared to the real value. Typically in this situation with a low mileage car, the buyout price is cheaper than the value, which would lead someone to buy it (and then possibly sell it or keep it afterwards). However, the way Audi is playing it is very backwards... makes it seem as though there are a lot of miles on the car and the value is low.

I haven't been to the kellybb site recently, but check out edmunds.com... the website will give a much better estimate as to the value of the car, because it takes into consideration the color of the car based on where you live, and also has the choice of adding each specific option that you've got on the car.

Maybe they'll give you a deal on a new one?<ul><li><a href="http://www.edmunds.com">edmunds.com</a></li></ul>

TTMaverik

thanks for the edmunds link, saw roadsters 24-26K for sale at leith (NC), the same dealer who says 27K to me ..

bubba j

With the perfect lease (from the consumer's point of view), the residual will be higher than the value, implying that you paid less than the car depreciated.

This seems like a classic case of "walk away." Your low mileage simply drives home the point that you don't need this car.

Audi effectively eats the difference between your buy out and the true value.

If you wanted to keep the car, you'd have to pay what the car is worth, plus the amount you didn't buy under the terms of the lease.

TTschwing

A high residual means you paid less then actual cost to own the car...No bad if you always lease..

TTempted

right, but the car *should* be worth more because of its mileage

M power this!

the bank sets the value of the car based on term and mileage. you need this to be set, because that way as the selling price comes down so do the payments. regardless of the miles you drive the car, the residual is the same. you, the owner need to find out if it's above or below market value on your car.

TTschwing

It does indeed vary depending on how desperate or deep the incentives are for the manufacturer to move the iron at that point in time (on OEM lease programs)...It's the old "pay now or pay later" issue....

TTempted

the value should, in theory, be higer than the redisual based on the mileage and the assumption that the car is in good shape

jm1fd

Sounds like you did. Ooops. Not supposed to do that....