Kizashi Club

I leased my SLS AWD Kiz with a 4 year term and an option to buy at the end at $14K. I just appraised it and it gets $26K dealer retail after owning it for 14 months. I think I have fairly good odds of getting a great deal being able to buy it at $14K come May of 2014.

Any of you car experts on here care to give a guess whether the SLS AWD Kiz will be worth more than $14K dealer retail come that time? Mind you I take pristine care of my car, which will have only roughly 44K miles on it at the end of the lease.

My guess is more. Maybe $17-18K
I'm no expert - but you never know what the market will be like in three years. 14K is a very good deal for a 44K mile car.
Your current appraisal seems high - has it only depreciated 2K or so after 14 months?

Used car prices are crazy high at the auctions here in PA, so it very plausible that you could be getting a great deal at the end of your lease. I was looking in to a used 34k mile 2008 SX4, conv. pkg, identical to the one we own. Bumper to bumper ready to expire, and no maint. records to use in case drivetrain warranty would be needed. So essentially a $14,600 unknown car w/o any kind of real warranty (they would not budge off that price). Ended up buying a brand new 2011 for a mere $2000 more with full warranty. CarSense simply paid too much for it at auction, period.

Don't see auction prices coming down anytime soon either as long as the foreigners are still allowed to come in here and jack the bidding up beyond the means of local (U.S.) dealers.

I think given the current state of the global economy, it's a real crap shoot trying to predict 3 years out.

Used car prices are crazy high right now, between people not wanting to spend more than they have to and steel scrap prices, even junkers are going for more.

While the value of your car now is great, higher than I would have expected, it could plummet in the next couple years, and, unfortunately, Suzukis are probably more susceptible to wide swings than other more popular brands.

I was surprised about how high my current dealer retail value was as well, but I imagine my low miles had a lot to do with it.

I realize that 3 years out is a crap shoot, which is why I stated in my OP that it was simply a "guess" that I was looking for. personally, I think I have pretty good odds knowing that my Kiz will likely be in pristine condition with low miles. Originally, I was set with option to buy at $12K, but the dealership messed up and they had to change it to $14K... after I had signed the lease. I wasn't too happy about that, so I would love to be able to get a steal on buying my Kiz when the time comes.

All in all, after 14 months I am still happy with my ride. I've learned to live with my acceleration peeve, and I love the handling and safety aspect, along with the comfy interior. As of now, I'm planning on buying it and keeping it for the long run... or at least for the 7 years that the drive train is covered.