I have a '05 Chevy Impala that is leased and it is up in March. My question, does anyone own one and know how reliable are they? Mine has been an awesome car, just now before the lease turn in the front suspension sounds loose, and when the heat goes on it sounds like water is running through the dash.
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I've never leased a car, but aren't they responsible for repairing the car until the lease is up? If so, get it to the shop and get it fixed. Also check the passenger side floor, if it is damp, get rid of the car, this means the heater core has gone out and it is a very expensive componant. When my son's heater core went out, it wasn't but a very short time that the car started over heating and soon he blew a head gasket and after being repaired the car never ran the same again.
Check your lease, your warranty and everything possible to get the car in the shop before the lease is up. You do not want to be stuck having to pay that kind of money for those repairs.
Personally, the way I look at cars, no matter what happens in life, you are always going to have a car payment. If you pay one off, something is going to happen to it and you are going to be stuck with a high repair bill, over and over again. It is frustrating, so my idea is to by pass the frustration and keep a car that is in good running condition and very dependable and once it starts having problems, trade it off.
The front sound could be the front struts, which are also very expensive to have replaced. The parts are not that high, it is the rediculously high labor fees because they are so hard to change. But it could be as simple as a pebble in the brakes, but don't bet on it.
I did have a Chevy Malibu years ago and I hated the car. But I do not like GM or GMC products. but that is my personal preference, I will say they are usually cheaper to repair than other vehicles.
Again, read the lease agreement, the warranty and get the car checked out by a dealership that is not holding the lease to find out what is wrong with the car, they might charge you around $100 for a diagnostics test, that should give you the exact list of the problems. That will give you something to present to the lease holder.
Good luck and please let me know how it turns out. I'm curious to know if I guessed right on the problems.
Tina
My experience with leasing was a nightmare and I will never do it again. I would turn it in when the lease is up and take any money to buy a good used car (preferably with a warranty). There is a standard warranty just like if you buy a new car, so any repairs that are needed outside of that are your own fault. The good news is that they are going to do an inspection of the car that is very cursory (if my experience is any judge), and shouldn't care about the problems as long as it drives and the car looks fine.
I don't believe that the dealer had much to do with the end of the lease, it was all done by the finance company (GMAC or whoever you send your bills to). We called, got the total to buy it (which was just a little bit lower than buying a used one from a lot) and there wasn't any negotiation allowed. Take it or leave it.
I would call the company directly and see what the actual payoff total is. I would also take it to a mechanic if you do decide to keep it to make sure it doesn't die on you as soon as you pay it off.
Because of the rising gas prices (with no end in sight), there are a lot of newer used cars on the market that people have traded in for a hybrid or more energy efficient car. You might be able to get an even more awesome car for less than $9500
Good luck, let us know how it turns out.
We had an 01' Impala. Worked and ran great for appx. 3/3-1/2 yrs and than little things started happening until finally in 07' we traded it in, not trusting the reliability of the car anylonger. I don't believe in leasing~ ANYTHING!
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