Over the last 18 months, an increasing number of laid-off auto workers have been forced to sell or trade in their cars to save money. As employees, auto workers paid for their cars at extremely low in-house lease rates. These trade-ins have therefore subsidized the car shopper wading into what the industry calls the “secondary” car market. Because of this, the cars typically change hands at steeply discounted prices.
"One of the perks of working for a car company is the company rate at which you can purchase or lease a vehicle," said Sergio Stiberman, CEO and founder of LeaseTrader.com. "Many of these former employees now see an opportunity to trade away their vehicle and benefit from the discount they received by their former employer."
According to Stiberman, LeaseTrader is processing the most deals ever from former auto workers trading their employer-discounted leases. In fact, compared with what the company processes in an average year, the volume of lease trade deals on cars from auto employees has doubled so far in 2010. Car Lease contracts from former auto workers typically save $2,000 in monthly paymentsfor the consumers who take over the leases.
The majority of these LeaseTrader listings are posted by former auto workers at General Motors and Chrysler. A Dodge Charger with eight months remaining was recently traded at $149 per month, and a Cadillac CTS listed for 13 months at $225.
Auto workers pay LeaseTrader $89 to list their lease, followed by a $149 commission when the transaction is complete. Cars listed at these discounted prices often trade in less than a week.
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