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ABOUT LEASING
Leases at the Big Three auto makers account for about 20% of their total new-vehicle business,
according to Automotive Lease Guide. (WSJ 8/2/08)
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VEHICLE LEASING
Squeezed by falling used-vehicle prices, as well as continued tumult in the credit markets on Wall Street, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. are significantly scaling back their auto-leasing business.
Ford on Tuesday began telling dealers that it is essentially ending leasing deals on most trucks and sport-utility vehicles. GMAC LLC, GM's financing arm, is also expected to rein in leasing offers in the U.S. soon, possibly this week, people familiar with the matter said. On Tuesday, it said it will no longer offer subsidized leases in Canada. Chrysler last week said it is ending all leasing deals in the U.S.
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Vehicle leasing refers to leasing the use of a motor vehicle for a fixed or indefinite period of time. It is commonly offered by dealers as an alternative to vehicle purchase. The key difference in a lease is that after the lease expires, the lessee must return the vehicle to the dealer or buy it.
Leasing offers advantages to both buyers and sellers. For the buyer, lease payments will usually be lower than payments on a car loan would be, and qualification is usually easier. Some consumers may prefer leasing as it allows them to simply return a car and select a new model when the lease expires, allowing a consumer to drive a new vehicle every few years without the responsibility of selling the old vehicles. A lessee does not have to worry about the future value of the vehicle, while a vehicle owner does.
For the leasor, leasing generates income from a vehicle the leasor still owns and will be able to sell or lease again once the original lease has expired. As consumers will typically use a leased vehicle for a shorter period of time than one they buy outright, leasing may generate repeat customers more quickly, which may fit into various aspects of a dealer's business model.
Lease agreements typically stipulate an early termination fee and limit the number of miles a lessee can drive (for passenger cars, a common number is 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year of the lease). If the mileage allowance is exceeded, fees may apply. Dealers will typically allow a lessee to negotiate a higher mileage allowance, for a higher lease payment. Lease agreements usually specify how much wear on the vehicle is allowable, and the lessee may face a fee if that amount of wear has been exceeded.
The actual lease payments are calculated very similarly to the way loan payments are, but instead of an APR, the company uses something called the Money Factor.
At the end of a lease's term, the lessee must either return the vehicle to the owner or purchase it. The end of lease price is usually agreed upon when the lease is signed.
PROPERTY LEASES
A lease is a legal document, but can be an oral arrangement, which confers a right on one person (called a tenant or lessee) to possess property belonging to another person (called a landlord or lessor) to the exclusion of the owner landlord.
The relationship between the tenant and the landlord is called a tenancy, and the right to possession by the tenant is sometimes called a leasehold interest. A lease can be for a fixed period of time (called the term of the lease) but may be terminated sooner. The consideration for the lease is called rent or the rental.
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