A lease is NOT a win!
Do you remember the old times, that when a contest said you could win a car, you actually COULD win it?
Sadly, it just doesn’t work this way anymore. Take a look at the recent DaimlerChrysler Canada contest I heard about at the 2006 Québec Auto Show, named "Get 2 Know Caliber":
If you just take a quick glance at the image, you can see that the prizes are either: 1. A 2007 Dodge Caliber or 2. 5 iPod Nanos plus 3. A free music download (everybody gets this just for participating). But let’s have a closer look at the 2007 Caliber on the image:
Ah, so you don’t ACTUALLY win the car! It’s not YOURS, it’s a 24-month lease! Therefore, that’s worth nothing. Absolutely NOTHING. To me, at least.
Let me explain: let’s say I win the car. (And that’s plausible, since I did enter the contest) OK, I have a brand-new car for 24 months. Yay, I’m the happy new owner… er, lessee of a new 2007 Dodge Caliber! This implies I have to sell my old Dodge Spirit because I can’t keep two cars on the road. ($$$) I drive the Caliber for 2 years. It’s not mine, and I can’t modify it in any way, it’s a lease. Can’t add XM Satellite Radio, can’t add or remove nothing, and my mileage is limited. (In case you haven’t made it out yet, I really hate long-term leases and I personally think it’s the stupidest way to get into a new car ever thought of).
Now for the killer question: What happens after 24 months driving the Caliber? Since I don’t own the car, I imagine I’d have to buy it back from DaimlerChrysler Canada if I want to keep it. They’re not going to give it to me for free, that’s for sure. And if I can’t buy it back, because at that time I’ll be in university and much poorer than I am now (and I can’t even afford a new car now), I’m going to lose the Caliber. And I won’t have my old Spirit either. So I won’t have any car at all, and won’t be able to afford one. The contest win would prove to be a hell of a tainted gift in the end.
That’s why contests where you win a car long-term lease are worth absolutely nothing. They’re even a pain in the ass if you ask me. And frustratingly, they’re becoming more and more common. What drove car manufacturers to become such cheapskates with contests? It wasn’t like that in the old days. Why can’t you just win the car anymore, and be the rightful owner? Why does it have to be a lease, where you’re either going to lose the car, or owe money to the manufacturer when it ends?
I don’t get this. And if I do win the Caliber, I’ll ask for the equivalent in cash. Now that’s going to help me in university. And I’ll be able to keep my trusty old ‘94 Dodge Spirit.
If I can, of course.
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