A Hyundai dealership worker J Rod (@jrodsellscars) assisted a customer in returning her lease. While everything looked great with the vehicle save for a minor chip on the windshield, the odometer was a nightmare.
Well, specifically the amount of miles the car had accrued. In his video which garnered over 568,000 views, he shared how much money she was now on the hook for.
How many miles over?
“So I had a customer come in, she said she wanted to drop off her lease. She did not want a new car,” he begins. “I said OK perfect. I grab her keys, I go out to her car, look at it, no damage except for a chip on the windshield.”
So far, so good—but then the dealership worker says he checked the mileage on her lease return.
“Her car, her lease had 87,000 miles on it, bro,” he says. “She was only allowed 45,000 miles. She was 42,000 miles over on her freaking lease.”
As part of car lease agreements, customers are not only expected to return their vehicles in “excellent condition.” Otherwise, drivers can expect to incur additional charges for any scratches, chips, or dents, they happen to put on their car.
But another lease stipulation that customers need to be cognizant of as part of their return checklist is mileage. Each leased vehicle agreement comes with an allotted amount of miles they’re allowed to drive before they bring their vehicle back. Typically, dealerships negotiate anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 miles annually. The more miles you get, the more you’re going to pay per month for your car.
@jrodsellscars 42k miles over 😳.. #carsalesman #approved #dealership #carbuyingtips #jrodsellscars ♬ original sound – jrodsellscars
Lease fees are no joke
J Rod says this particular Hyundai customer found themselves on the hook for a lot of cash. That’s because their leasing agreement stated there was a 20 cents per every mile over fee. This means the customer was now on the hook for an $8,400 return bill.
“I asked her again if she’s sure she wants to turn it in because Hyundai’s gonna send her a fat bill,” he says. “She said ‘yeah.’”
The dealership worker couldn’t seem to comprehend why any customer would want to do this. “Bruh that’s crazy,” he says before the clip closes out.
Leasing has haters
Plenty of financial analysts and car-buying experts have slammed the idea of leasing in various write-ups. Money With Katie likens the temporary car ownership agreement to “setting money on fire.”
The piece’s author highlighted how a used vehicle she purchased in 2020 for $19,500 had an MSRP of $36,000 when new. Its previous owner was someone who leased the vehicle for three years. This meant they were stuck with the premium of paying the highest possible amount for the car’s most valuable years. The personal finance enthusiast highlighted a more cost-effective alternative than leasing.
“If you’re going to buy a car, buy…a car that’s a few years old,” she added. However, you should ensure it’s a reliable vehicle you can squeeze 10 years out of. This way, she says, you’ll “mitigate the utter thrashing you’ll take by buying it new or leasing it.”
Money Under 30 also points out that insurance costs for leased vehicles are almost always higher. So while you may be getting an attractive monthly charge for your lease, you’ll be forking over more to insure it. Then there are always the lease closeout fees. Dealerships will scrutinize every inch of the vehicle to see what they can nickel and dime you for “damage” wise. Not to mention “lease disposition” fees, which are charges simply for returning the car, even if it’s in pristine shape.
TikTokers share their leasing stories
One commenter shared a method a lot of drivers get out of their lease return charges—by leasing another vehicle.
“I was over 12000 miles on my Audi would have cost me $3000 penalties,” one wrote. “I turned it in and took a atlas from the sister dealership and they waved the mileage penalty and $1000 return fee.”
Someone else wondered what happens when you bring a car lease back under mileage and if you’re entitled to compensation. “If you’re under in miles do you get something for it?” they penned.
One joked, “A hug from the used car manager!”
However, someone else said some auto manufacturers actually do send you money for unused miles.
“Depends on the brand,” one claimed. “I returned my Mercedes and leased a new one. A week later Mercedes sent me a check for $3600 for the miles.”
One viewer just couldn’t understand why the customer wouldn’t hold onto the car. “Might as well keep it at that point,” they said, intoning the $8,400 they’d spend would be better going to any payments on that vehicle.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Hyundai via email and J Rod via TikTok comment.
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