RM> There are also a lot of short term leases these days, 2 or
  > 3 years, and if you get lucky you can find one in good
  > shape without too high mileage on it.

AA>The short term leases must be early-terminated leases?  I've
  >never heard of anything shorter than a 4yr one.

When dealers have too much stock they will do any number of things
to move cars off the lots. I've definitely seen 3 year leases and
my car was a return from a lease after 3 years. I assumed it was
at the end of the lease but I guess I can't be certain.

That is newer though. Back when I was working full time for other
people I leased a Thunderbird and it was on a 5 year lease which,
coincidental to this conversation, I terminated after 1 year when
I left that job unexpectedly and didn't want to be locked into a
car that costly..

A few years later I bought a Ford Pickup from a lease a couple of
years before the lease was up. That was tricky because the dealer
who leased it didn't know it was being sold out of the lease.
It was all above board and the only difference it made to me was
instead of paying sales tax on the current value of the truck I
paid it on the lease buy-out amount which saved me a fair bit.
It was a lower amount than the MOT had as the Minimum value of
that vehicle but, because it was through a dealership, they
didn't force me to pay the tax on the higher amount.

I think the dealer could have blocked the sale and just taken
the truck back but they did me a favour letting me buy it instead
at a lower price than it would have sold for on their lot.

In that case it wasn't a matter of the leaser not able to handle
the payments, they had decided they needed a bigger truck.

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