$350 "Lease Termination Fee"

My lease is due in a couple weeks. Called PCNA to discuss options and they mentioned $350 termination fee when ending a lease. I'm not turning it in early either! I'm sure it was in the fineprint but I think this is BS.

Challenge it, especially if you are getting a new Pcar.

I haven't decided if I'm turning it in or not. If I keep or lease a new one I think I have a good arguement. But in the case I turn it in soley what would I base my arguement on?

small print in your lease contract!!! Just leased a M+BMW X5 and I read the same thing....350 return deposit if you decide not to keep the car!!....it is a great negotiation tool....if they want your business again....let them take it out of the new lease and give you another 350 discount on the new lease!! the ****ers!!! like 65 bankfee, 45 financing fee, 13 admin fee etc etc BS isnot enough.....if I try this with my clients they will just shake their heads walk away and go somewhere else for 1/2 my rate!

I'm always one to adhere to a contract I agree to but this is one of those circumstances where I don't think most people would expect a termination fee. In my eyes I'm not "terminating" anything but only fulfilling my part of the contract which was for 39 months. I'm pretty miffed.

Unfortunately a lease tremination fee (a.k.a. end of lease fee) is usual and customary, but that does not mean it isn't negotiable. However, that negotiatiing needs to be done before you sign the lease.

You have a great argument if you return it with less miles than the max allowance. 3 weeks ago I returned a leased vehicle (SAAB 9-5 Aero wagon) and had the same crappy fee, but I got a credit since I returned it with about 2K miles less than the allowance (45K miles on 3 yr lease). My out of pocket was only $120 for some stupid paint/scratch dent on the rear bumper. I liked the Saab a lot but the wifey wanted to try something different and we picked an X3 Bimmer for her -- fun little car. Good luck!

X3 is a great car....I bought a X5...but the X3 has the same engine and is faster!!! and the X3 handels great!

You want to get out of a fee you agreed to at inception? I lease all my new car purchases (various reasons, please no flaming about leases here!) and $350 is more than fair given that on turn-in they're accepting the residual risk for you, taking care of reconditioning, any pending mechanical issues, minor (non-chargeable) cosmetic issues, etc. etc. $350 is a pretty good deal, the majority of American car-buyers would be in much better financial shape than they are today if they could stroke a $350 check and walk away from their automobile negative equity. Honestly the criticism I have with P-car leases is the horrifyingly-low residuals and criminally-high money factors, that's where the robbery takes place, thus my reluctance to get a brand-new one instead of used. I almost got a new 997 some months ago until I saw the posted rates from Porsche...

I once sat in a meeting in Winnipeg with a bunch of car dealers who were discussing how they were going to "improve the purchase process and increase openness and honesty with the customer". One of them said "we're still going to charge the $100 dock fee, right?" I'm thinking, we're nowhere near a dock here - the cars come in on a train. You know the "Dock fee" was actually a "documentation fee" !!! They were all charging their customers $100 for the paper their contract was written on! Sorry if anybody here is a car dealer, but they all suck, and desreve their well-known reputation as bottom-feeders.

I absolutely refuse to pay "doc" fees, or any other B.S. charges at closing. I tell them up front when I negotiate the deal that they need to include all their overhead in the agreed upon price, and that I won't sign if any additional charges show up anywhere. If everyone did this, these stupid fees would disappear. I'm sure most of us don't charge "doc" fees in our line of work, even if considerable paperwork is involved. I do think it's OK for dealers to charge a fee for taking care of your plates, if they do that in your state.

If you are going to buy/lease another pcar start talking about the $350 during the sales cycle as you are looking test driving. I promise one or all of the dealers will pick this charge up for you. D-Train

My wife also drives an X3 . The P-car scares her! (of course she loves the passenger seat!). The X3 is definitely a more fun drive than the X5, in spite of it's considerably more spartan interior. More cargo room as well.

I agree with the lease end fee if it states, $350 is the charge ONLY if you retunr it to a P-Car dealer other than the one you purchased it from. To just show up at a dealer you have done no business with and then think they are going to waive the fee on something they are required to accept from you show me the fairness in that. Not sticking up for the dealers in this case, just the one's you have no realationship with. If you persoanl dealer that you have a good realtionship with charges you that, then there is a problem.

Have you ever seen an attorney charge you for the time in takes to prepare the final bill, and then charge you for the stamp it takes to send it to you? Also, Lease termination fees are not a dealer charge, they are a bank charge. My experience has been that most lease companies waive that if, and only if you lease a new car through them. Doc Fees are different, as they are a dealer fee, so it may be more negotiable.

Have you ever seen an attorney charge you for the time in takes to prepare the final bill The fees that car dealers charge are absolute chump change compared to what lawyers charge. Hourly charges for the lawyers I work with run in the $250 - $400 range, broken down in increments of tenths of an hour. I remeber seeing one of my lawyers at a business dinner and talked to him for about ten minutes as we walked to the meeting about an ongoing issue. A couple of days later I received a bill from his office for $80. It's getting to the point where I'm afraid to say hi, how are you to one of these guys because I may get billed for their response.

Your e-brake mod costs more than that... pay the $350 and call it a day.