Car dealers accused of price-gouging customers who exercise option to buy leased vehicles
Customers who leased their vehicles before the pandemic are finding that they can save thousands by exercising their buy-out options at the end of their terms compared to buying the same car at retail prices. That’s because used-car prices skyrocketed over the past two years amid a global new-car supply shortage. But recent lawsuits charge that some local dealers are violating terms of customers’ lease contracts by adding hundreds of dollars in extra fees.