Rebate Check! What R U doing?
by David Migoya on June 2, 2008
Denver Post
As you might have seen in a previous posting I’ve falled into line with the high-tech movement and purchased a (small) HDTV with fund from our rebate check.
It’s opened my eyes to the nonsensical nickle-and-diming the television/satellite industry does to lure us into the better-sharper-crisper game.
Still, I found it less a surprise that in this rebate-driven market that those who are considering spending their new-found wealth are not likely to do it on a new vehicle.
With gasoline prices hitting the tank — how’s that for a bad play on words? — it’s no wonder, either. Unless it’s a hybrid or a much smaller vehicle, chances of a new-car purchase aren’t very good.
What amused me more, though, wasn’t so much the revelation that 81 percent of all car shoppers aren’t likely to use their rebate funds on a new car, but that the information was coming from LeaseTrader.com.
It seems almost self-serving that a business that’s dedicated to automotive leases would release a study saying people they polled — customers, you think? — were more likely to lease a vehicle for 12 or 18 months rather than grab a 60-month purchase agreement.
Still, there is some useful information to be had in this study: “a majority of people that shop LeaseTrader.com are looking to assume someone else’s lease so they can avoid paying a down payment as well as a lengthy vehicle lease term.”
Hmmm. I kind of like that thought. Pick up a lease on a newer vehicle (most began new) that its current holder can’t afford. Save your rebate check, or a good portion of it, and get into a lease that isn’t so long or in need of a hefty down payment.
For what it’s worth, it might be time well spent to take a look.
Do so at www.LeaseTrader.com or call 800-770-0207.
More to the point, I’m curious what others are doing with their rebate funds. A new TV? A car? A night out or a cruise? Savings? Bills?
This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com