I have listened to Clark Howard, it there are many people who do have
problems. If you keep the car well maintained, keep documents of following
mfg. suggested schedule, park your car away from others in the parking lot,
keep the interior spotless you should not have a problem.

Since I keep my cars as long as possible, I do all that already, but there
are some who think you can let things slide, ignore the dings on the side of
the car, and not worry about it because you are returning the car in 2 or 3
years. They normally are very very surprised at what they charge to repair
these items.

Don, since you have just closed on the deal with the Ford dealer, I would
ask them to put the "credit card gage" in writting. It is much easier to do
that before, but even now, would be better than at the end of the lease.



--

Reggie


"basskisser" wrote in message
oups.com...

JohnH wrote:
On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 12:34:18 GMT, Don White
wrote:

Reginald P. Smithers wrote:
Then you should be in the clear about using it to pull your light
boat,but
make sure you keep it clean, without any dings or dents, from the
parking
lot. Whatever you do don't stain the carpeting or cloth seats. I
have
heard horror stories where the dealer wanted to charge so much for the
"extra wear and tear" which the owner thought was "normal wear and
tear",
the owners found it cheaper to buy the car and the resell it on their
own.
These were attorneys who used the car for work, and it picked up the
normal
small dings in the parking lot.

It sounds like you got one hell of a deal, and hopefully you will come
out
ahead in the lease. My personal cars I have always kept as long as
they
would runs reliablly, so I have never considered a lease.

Oh, and you really are a *******. ; )


This is the first time I have ever leased a vehicle and you're adding to
the anxiety. They tell me the local Ford dealership is very forgiving
when it comes to 'wear & tear and they have a credit card sized gage
that they use to judge any body metal dings etc. If the ding is
smaller...you're in the clear.
I'll baby that truck over the next three years....should be good as new.
One complaint... I'd rather have the regular cab. I find the 'Super Cab'
as too many blind spots when backing up.

I once rented a car in Seattle and when I took it back they tried to get
me
for a couple pre-existing dents. I told them I'd call my brother to come
and verify that the dents were already there. They let me use the phone,
figuring (I guess) that they'd just argue with him also. So I called him.

My brother showed up in his police cruiser. They decided to take the car
back without argument.

Have them jot down on your contract the bit about the credit card sized
measuring tool!
--
'Til next time,

John H

There's a consumer advocate around these parts that I listen to on the
radio sometimes. He's quite a smart guy. I've learned from people
calling in with horror stories that I will never, ever, ever lease a
vehicle.

Reginald P. Smithers wrote:

I have listened to Clark Howard, it there are many people who do have
problems. If you keep the car well maintained, keep documents of following
mfg. suggested schedule, park your car away from others in the parking lot,
keep the interior spotless you should not have a problem.

Since I keep my cars as long as possible, I do all that already, but there
are some who think you can let things slide, ignore the dings on the side of
the car, and not worry about it because you are returning the car in 2 or 3
years. They normally are very very surprised at what they charge to repair
these items.

Don, since you have just closed on the deal with the Ford dealer, I would
ask them to put the "credit card gage" in writting. It is much easier to do
that before, but even now, would be better than at the end of the lease.




The end of lease allowances are readily available in advance. Even
though I lease most of my cars, I still take care of them as if they
were the last car I'll own. If you abuse you car, leasing isn't for
you. I have heard that different manufacturers are tougher at trade in
time but I haven't paid a dime to Honda, Nissan, Acura (Honda), Toyota,
Jeep, or BMW. This gauge you refer to is usually a simple ruler.
Nissan actually sent me one prior to my lease expiration. No dents over
2" in diameter, no more than one dent per panel, tire wear less than xxx
thousands, etc. It's really just normal wear and tear.

The one thing I have learned with leasing is that you need to pay
attention to the tires. I made the mistake of buying new tires for a
Jeep when I lived up north only a few months before I turned it in. I
should have done it several months earlier so I would have benefited
from their better performance. On the other side, I have waited a bit
longer to change tires on my BMW's so I don't have to buy a third set
right at trade in time. That can save you north of $1000.00.

Dan

Reginald P. Smithers wrote:
I have listened to Clark Howard, it there are many people who do have
problems. If you keep the car well maintained, keep documents of following
mfg. suggested schedule, park your car away from others in the parking lot,
keep the interior spotless you should not have a problem.

Since I keep my cars as long as possible, I do all that already, but there
are some who think you can let things slide, ignore the dings on the side of
the car, and not worry about it because you are returning the car in 2 or 3
years. They normally are very very surprised at what they charge to repair
these items.

Don, since you have just closed on the deal with the Ford dealer, I would
ask them to put the "credit card gage" in writting. It is much easier to do
that before, but even now, would be better than at the end of the lease.



Actually, I took delivery of the Ranger on March 30.

"Don White" wrote in message
...
Reginald P. Smithers wrote:
I have listened to Clark Howard, it there are many people who do have
problems. If you keep the car well maintained, keep documents of
following mfg. suggested schedule, park your car away from others in the
parking lot, keep the interior spotless you should not have a problem.

Since I keep my cars as long as possible, I do all that already, but
there are some who think you can let things slide, ignore the dings on
the side of the car, and not worry about it because you are returning the
car in 2 or 3 years. They normally are very very surprised at what they
charge to repair these items.

Don, since you have just closed on the deal with the Ford dealer, I
would ask them to put the "credit card gage" in writting. It is much
easier to do that before, but even now, would be better than at the end
of the lease.



Actually, I took delivery of the Ranger on March 30.


I think some folks here assume that you cannot think for yourself Don. ;-)

JimH wrote:
"Don White" wrote in message
...

Reginald P. Smithers wrote:

I have listened to Clark Howard, it there are many people who do have
problems. If you keep the car well maintained, keep documents of
following mfg. suggested schedule, park your car away from others in the
parking lot, keep the interior spotless you should not have a problem.

Since I keep my cars as long as possible, I do all that already, but
there are some who think you can let things slide, ignore the dings on
the side of the car, and not worry about it because you are returning the
car in 2 or 3 years. They normally are very very surprised at what they
charge to repair these items.

Don, since you have just closed on the deal with the Ford dealer, I
would ask them to put the "credit card gage" in writting. It is much
easier to do that before, but even now, would be better than at the end
of the lease.




Actually, I took delivery of the Ranger on March 30.



I think some folks here assume that you cannot think for yourself Don. ;-)


If the dealership stays under current management, I doubt I'd have a
problem. If some new hardass took over...who knows.
My first thought was to lease a vehicle I planned on keeping.....
or find enough of a downpayment to keep the monthly purchase payments
reasonable. Couldn't decide if I wanted a new RAV4, a Sienna or a
Tundra 6 cyl 2WD. I compromised.
This Ranger deal just seemed too good to let slide.

Reginald P. Smithers wrote:
I have listened to Clark Howard, it there are many people who do have
problems. If you keep the car well maintained, keep documents of following
mfg. suggested schedule, park your car away from others in the parking lot,
keep the interior spotless you should not have a problem.


You also can't drive it hardly at all. Believe me, I've known people
who've leased, three different people, and all three say never again.
They look for reasons to ding you at the end.