Driving me nuts

[reFO[C]USed]

Hello forum members. I think this is one of the most informative forums with the least amount of flaming. So I decided to join which is a rarity.

I have a situation which I need some help with. I have a leased 2007 focus SES sedan. I have it till October 2009 and I love the car so much, I am already close to my 20000 mile quota that is supposed to run up till next year but it's not even been a year yet . I was thinking about doing a lease to buy on it. What do you guys think? Should I give up the car after the lease or buy it? I also want to make some mods on it but since it's a I actually like the SVT better but I also don't want to buy a used car. Any feedback would be appreciated

[Bparks717]

welcome I would buy it or if you want go ahead and trade for a SVT from my experience used focus's for some reason hold up very well

[Omega Anomaly]

Well, what I would do is park it for a while and wait for the lease pull ahead to show up. Doesn't Ford charge 15 cents a mile for the miles that you are over? And don't get me wrong but won't you owe more than what a used one would be when you decide to buy it out right at the end of the lease or will the lease just turn over into a loan for 36 months keeping the payment the same?

If it was me and I am having second thoughts about owning the 07 SES or buying a SVT, I would go with the SVT. If you look hard enough you can find a good deal on a SVT with low miles. Just my opinion.

[reFO[C]USed]

I checked my contract and it's about .25 cents per mile over. So if I drive at the pace I'm driving now, i'll owe the dealership $5000 at the end of my lease. The residual I would owe is another 10000. Looks like I will have to bike to work from now on I think what I'm going to do is carpool and give back this focus at the end of the lease and get a svt next year with a manual tranny (my current one is auto).

[GapBoyPCS]

Originally Posted by reFO[C]USed

I checked my contract and it's about .25 cents per mile over. So if I drive at the pace I'm driving now, i'll owe the dealership $5000 at the end of my lease. The residual I would owe is another 10000. Looks like I will have to bike to work from now on I think what I'm going to do is carpool and give back this focus at the end of the lease and get a svt next year with a manual tranny (my current one is auto).

I'm a bit lost on your lease agreement. Is this a Ford Credit lease, or a third party? If it's a Ford Credit lease and you choose to buy the car out, you should just only owe the buyout/residual value of your vehicle (so the $10,000). Mileage charges should only apply if you choose to get into another car/truck or if you walk away.

I'm just curious why your mileage limit is low. Was it because of the lease rate? This is usually one catch that many get caught - they do more driving than anticipated and get hooked to a "nice monthly dollar amount".

It's up to you whether you want an SVT at the end of things or just keep your car. In either case, you'll have to finance up to $10,000. Another option is to buy the car for the $10K, but then try and sell it privately for the same (if market rate allows).

[danager]

Drive the car for now, and at the end of your lease, compare the milage penalty and the buyout. If you pay 5k, and walk away with nothing, or pay 10k and get a car? If the car is valued at 5k or more at that time, buy the car...

[reFO[C]USed]

Thanks for the feedback, helps me a lot in deciding. GapBoyPCS, you are right. I pay the buyout price if i choose to buy and no penalty. And yes I got caught in the trap I like the look of the sedan but I like the performance of the svt. So i'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. But what you guys said makes sense, I could try to resell the car, since it has a good fuel economy, it shouldn't be that hard. Also that way, I avoid the penalty. I will have to take some pictures over the weekend to ask for recommendations on some wheels. I am going to start making a list of things i need to do I have a black sedan 2007 SES. I am liking the EAP black 17's but I have drum brakes on the rear wheels i know eww

[reFO[C]USed]

Well what do you know... Had an accident pulling out of the gas station by my place. Got hit on the driver's side passenger door by a Chevy Trailblazer. THE CAR IS TOTALLED!! hahahahah. The insurance is paying off the lease. What are the odds. I'm now shopping for my next car. Stuck on whether I should go in for a used svt fofo or an evo 8. Anyone have an idea of how reliable the evo is? I'm inclining more towards the svt right now but faster means more fun for me

[GapBoyPCS]

I'd first see what your insurance would be on both the cars. That will depend on whose was at fault for the collision. The last thing you want now is handling a car payment but a super-high premium because your car was totalled.

[reFO[C]USed]

Well i had full coverage and i was at fault but my premium is going to go up regardless. Buying an evo or wrx is a pain though, actually buying any used car is a pain. blah i'm so frustrated

[reFO[C]USed]

Ok test drove a red svtf yesterday with bad brakes. The guy was asking $6000 and had 65000 miles. It was a decent deal so I told him i would get it inspected tomorrow, the chap calls me and tells me it's sold. He posted it yesterday! Anyways, I was wondering if anyone around the Michigan area is selling their svtf with a reasonable price. thanks.

[tallguy2.3]

As much as I like Foci and want to promote them as much as is reasonably possible, I wont reccomend anyone buy an SVTF anymore since replacement parts and such are getting more and more rare. Unless you have your heart set on one and are willing to go through some hassles and higher costs just to get one I'd say get an 04 2.3D hatch (if you're a hatch guy) or get an ST otherwise.

Do brake pads and SS lines, multimatic suspension, intake + catback, and you have almost the same performance for much less work.

[Johnny_P]

^yep. The 2.3 is the better choice IMO Just about the same performance, but better gas mileage and it takes regular