Mild Dilemma

[LRnewbie11]

Without going into too much detail here is my dilemma:

My current lease on my 2011 LR4 HSE is up in October. There is a strong possibility that I may need some type of break work and tires when I take my truck in for service next week. Not super excited about spending upwards of 3K on a vehicle I am giving back in 7-8 months.

I do have positive equity in my vehicle at this point but there does not seem to be very many 2014 LR4's anywhere at this point. A few here and there but nothing I would say qualifies as a good selection. Further I'm not seeing many "deals" being had right now.

Has anyone faced this situation or is currently facing this situation?

 

[RBA]

You can easily cut that down to ~$1200. I just paid ~$680 for new rotors and pads and plan to install it myself. It's REAL easy. Then you can buy the OE tires used from someone who is upgrading their tires to something more aggressive.

If you changed your rotors during the last brake job you may be able to skip the rotors this time around, especially if you know you'll be returning the car.

 

[Quijote]

Agreed. It has been discussed many times here, but the labor fees for a brake job are absurd, considering how simple a job it is for someone handy. Similarly, used tires for the purpose of lease return is a good idea. I got a flat on my BMW a week before lease return. I bought a used tire for ~$150 shipped instead of nearly $400 for a new tire (low profile, summer-rated, run flat). They had no problems. It actually had a bit more tread than the other tires.

 

[LRnewbie11]

Used tires? Now that is something I had not thought of for this situation. I will definitely look into that for sure. As for the brakes I was lucky in that last year I was told they were "still in the green" as far as measurements go or however they evaluate them. So I have not had any work done on them so far. As for doing it myself... Well I know that would obviously save money but the reality is that is not going to happen. I don't have the time, the tools, or the inclination to do that. I wish I did.

 

[jptruck]

Considering what I'm hearing about the 2014, I'd just buy your 2011. My guess is that the pre-2014 models are going to hold value a little better due to all the gadgets and crap engine choices on the post 2014 models.

I've done this recently with my wife's car. I'll buy them at the end of the lease, hold them for a few more months and the sell them for a profit. The used car market is strong enough that i've made some cash to defray the cost of getting her in a new vehicle every 36 months.