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Buying your Air at lease-end

At this moment, it is $45,100. but could possible negotiate lower buy-out--However, they won't discuss discount from residual value until last payment is made. However, I see 2024 Tourings with same or less mileage in same price range, with more original warranty in this price range. It is a toss up. That said, my original plan was to lease another new one, I will see what the programs are at end of August. Life is full of choices.
 
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donfenn said:
At this moment, it is $45,100. but could possible negotiate lower buy-out--However, they won't discuss discount from residual value until last payment is made. However, I see 2024 Tourings with same or less mileage in same price range, with more original warranty in this price range. It is a toss up. That said, my original plan was to lease another new one, I will see what the programs are at end of August. Life is full of choices.
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For a $45,100 residual, your monthly payment must be low.
My 2026 Pure leased in Sept 2025 has a residual of $33,100 for a 3 year lease with 15K miles per year. And my MF is only 1.5% so bulk of the monthly payment is depreciation.
 
MapleMan said:
Quick update on lease buy-outs. Looks like BOA not currently interested in negotiating lease buy outs. Mine is up in 45 days and a LFS person called to see what I wanted to do. Told them if buy-out was more aligned with market value would seriously consider it. Put me on hold for 5 min and came back with a $100 reduction from what the automated system told me I could do (which was what my lease agreement stated.

I told them that wouldn't work as it is significantly higher than current market re-sale. If others on this thread are getting great deals, congrats. My experience was a total dead end.
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Some additional insight into LFS process and suggestions if you are looking to negotiate buy-out at lease end.
- Definitely wait until final lease payment made. Trying to negotiate before that is a waste of time. If you call automated number it will just reiterate what is on your lease doc.
- After last payment I contacted LFS rep, said I was open to purchasing and could they give me an updated buy-out price.
- I also asked if there was a supervisor or mgr to discuss this with and rep said it was all automated, she inputs my request into system and out comes number
- As I indicated previously, when I did this prior to my final lease payment, they reduced the buy-out by $100. This time it dropped about 10% ($6k), which was in my target zone.
- Make sure to ask if that payment includes sales tax (depending on state car is registered in). I confirmed this multiple times with rep. They then send out revised purchase doc.

I ended up purchasing the car. Price was very competitive with other AT's on the web site and I knew how well I took care of it. Also had all of the options I wanted: color, stealth, SSP, DDP, alum roof, 19 inch wheels, etc. Overall process was pretty painless and I felt I got a fair deal on a really great car.

Hope this helps and will save folks some time and aggravation.
 
MapleMan said:
Some additional insight into LFS process and suggestions if you are looking to negotiate buy-out at lease end.
- Definitely wait until final lease payment made. Trying to negotiate before that is a waste of time. If you call automated number it will just reiterate what is on your lease doc.
- After last payment I contacted LFS rep, said I was open to purchasing and could they give me an updated buy-out price.
- I also asked if there was a supervisor or mgr to discuss this with and rep said it was all automated, she inputs my request into system and out comes number
- As I indicated previously, when I did this prior to my final lease payment, they reduced the buy-out by $100. This time it dropped about 10% ($6k), which was in my target zone.
- Make sure to ask if that payment includes sales tax (depending on state car is registered in). I confirmed this multiple times with rep. They then send out revised purchase doc.

I ended up purchasing the car. Price was very competitive with other AT's on the web site and I knew how well I took care of it. Also had all of the options I wanted: color, stealth, SSP, DDP, alum roof, 19 inch wheels, etc. Overall process was pretty painless and I felt I got a fair deal on a really great car.

Hope this helps and will save folks some time and aggravation.
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Thanks for the update. I have one more payment to make, and then I’ll reach out to see what their best buyout number might be. I like my car and know it well, but I do wish it had surround-view cameras, soft-close doors, and a few of the other features available on a later model Touring. If I could buy a low mileage Air with those features, more remaining warranty, and a price somewhere not far from the price range of my buyout number, that could be an option. I’ll have to see how the numbers shake out. If they hit me with additional charges when I return my current car, that could also become a tipping point in favor of simply buying it. The other alternative is leasing another Air. I’m keeping all three options open for now.
 
Macrocosmcwh said:
So... I am in the car biz. Specifically in the finance department in a car dealership. 30 years in fact. So I will gladly be the expert in the room on this.

Consider this... I purchased my GT for 53000.00. Its original MSRP was approximately 160,000.00 so in four years it went down 67%. Keep in mind my GT was HARD LOADED AND HAD 6000 MILES WHEN I PURCHASED IT. If I purchased it for 53000.00 I am pretty safe to say that the trade-in (wholesale value=ACTUAL CASH VALUE) would be around 48-49000.00. I later confirmed this with Carvana. So that makes the ACV 30%. The Air has dropped in value 70% with 6000 miles on the car no accidents. So that puts a per year depreciation at 17.5%. So consider your value carefully. BEFORE you buy out your own lease, find out what Carvana or the like would give you to PURCHASE IT FROM YOU DIRECTLY. DO NOT TELL CARVANA THAT YOU OWE ANYTHING ON THE CAR... Just the vin description and miles. THEN determine what your buyout INCLUDING FEES AND TAXES WOULD BE.

In MOST cases it is better to purchase another one than purchasing the lease out. Leasing companies use ALG (automotive lease guide) to determine the residual then the manufacture will subsidize that dollar amount to control the payment. I am happy to talk with you further about it if you want. Send me a message I will gladly give you my cell phone number.
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Hi Macrocosmcwh,

Really appreciate the dealer perspective -- thanks for chiming in.

I have a 2025 Air Pure with 18-month lease, and 2 payments remaining. I am already hearing both from BofA and Lucid, but haven't entered any negotiations.

I love my Pure, but at time of lease I resisted Touring/GT due to cost. The extra power would be nice, but cooled seats (Tucson), massage seats, and better lane keeping/assisted driving would be appreciated.

Has anyone ever heard of "trading up" with BofA during the lease-end process? Or any insights how to find a dealer who can pursue a lease return at auction?

If that is not possible, I might be interested in buying someone else's lease-end AT/GT.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I just checked, and there are currently 381 Lucid Airs listed nationally on Cars.com, with similar numbers on the other major car-sale sites. That inventory is likely to keep growing as more of the cars leased during the federal EV-incentive era begin coming back at the end of their leases.

I have about a month left on my Lucid lease and will probably extend it month to month while I watch where the used market goes. For me to buy out my current car, the price would have to be substantially lower than that of a comparable 2024 model—especially since mine would leave me with only about one year of full warranty coverage.

I would also consider leasing another new Lucid if they offer an attractive program that allows me to order or locate a car that meets my specifications. I have a particular combination of options and colors in mind, and none of the cars currently shown on Lucid’s site appear to fit what I want. Unless they release additional 2026 inventory, I may have to wait and see what becomes available for 2027.
 
donfenn said:
I just checked, and there are currently 381 Lucid Airs listed nationally on Cars.com, with similar numbers on the other major car-sale sites. That inventory is likely to keep growing as more of the cars leased during the federal EV-incentive era begin coming back at the end of their leases.

I have about a month left on my Lucid lease and will probably extend it month to month while I watch where the used market goes. For me to buy out my current car, the price would have to be substantially lower than that of a comparable 2024 model—especially since mine would leave me with only about one year of full warranty coverage.

I would also consider leasing another new Lucid if they offer an attractive program that allows me to order or locate a car that meets my specifications. I have a particular combination of options and colors in mind, and none of the cars currently shown on Lucid’s site appear to fit what I want. Unless they release additional 2026 inventory, I may have to wait and see what becomes available for 2027.
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At least some of those many cars are listed in both places
 
Used values seem to be softening, likely because so many lease returns are hitting the market right now. I’ve been getting online quotes from CarMax, Carvana, and AutoNation, and they are all very soft—generally in the high $20,000s to low $30,000s.

I have a very nice Pure AWD with 26,000 miles, 20-inch wheels, and Surreal Sound Pro. Bank of America gave me a preliminary lease-buyout figure in the mid-$30,000s, although it is still only an estimate because I have one payment remaining.
 
donfenn said:
Used values seem to be softening, likely because so many lease returns are hitting the market right now. I’ve been getting online quotes from CarMax, Carvana, and AutoNation, and they are all very soft—generally in the high $20,000s to low $30,000s.

I have a very nice Pure AWD with 26,000 miles, 20-inch wheels, and Surreal Sound Pro. Bank of America gave me a preliminary lease-buyout figure in the mid-$30,000s, although it is still only an estimate because I have one payment remaining.
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I was ready to turn my car in and lease another --or buy another used Lucid... I made a call today and the negotiated buyout price dropped below 34k. It is hard to resist the buyout at that price.
 
Wow, that us a game-changer.

My last payment of 18-month 25 Pure, 10K miles, is Sep 25. Can't wait to hear what BofA has to say on Sep 26.

Currently, Carvana offering.much more--if i sell it in TEXAS instead of Arizona. Hope to replace it with loaded 24 or 25 Touring.
 
donfenn said:
I was ready to turn my car in and lease another --or buy another used Lucid... I made a call today and the negotiated buyout price dropped below 34k. It is hard to resist the buyout at that price.
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I love hearing things like this. Then my car has another quirky problem that I need to have the service center address and I begin to think owning this car out of warranty will more than make up for that "cheap" buy-out offer price. lol. :(
 
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