I have a car lease that is up in 3 months I am already over mileage allowance by 3000 miles at 0.15 per. Does it make sense to trade in against new lease if my buy-out price is higher than retail and there is a 350 dispo fee?

Depends on the car, but if the buy out price is higher than retail i would do it!

OK, a few questions to ask yourself. Do you really like your car? The cost to pay for the excess mileage is $450, if you turn the car in there's a fee of $350? There's usually a negotiated amount at the end of every lease to purchase the car. OF COURSE THEY WANT YOU TO SIGN A NEW LEASE, THIS IS HOW THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY. What kind of car is this? And, how do you know you're paying more than it's worth, Kelly Blue Book and NADA are guidelines, but, the real story is what they actually sell for privately and as certified cars by dealers. When you lease a car, you're paying for the depreciation in the first three years, a real accelerated amount of money. As the car ages, this slows down. Think of it this way, when you lease, you're buying three fifths of the car. You have the benefit of driving a new car and are breaking it in with the mileage and and know how this car was taken care of. If you're driving habits are to put on a lot of miles, you shouldn't be leasing as it will lead to you going over the limit, which is what you did, but, not by much. I've heard and known people that went so far over the limit, the dealer gave them two choices, pay thousands of dollars or sign a new lease and waive the excess charges, they signed a new lease. It was like the dealer was holding a gun to their heads. That's what they would prefer to do, in most cases. Purchasing and acquiring a vehicle is the most expensive part of getting a car, and once it's paid for the maintenance and repairs are less expensive than recurring monthly payments that seemingly never go away. Cars can last 15 years if you treat them right, so, that's why there's such a large market for certified and used cars. Dealers know this and when lease returns come in they sell the cars all over again and make another commission. The least expensive thing you can do is buy out the lease and keep your car for 10 to 12 years. You won't have any car payments and you'll save a lot of money. Of course, there may be some repairs, but, it's not going to be every year and you won't spend more than the equivalent costs it would be in those car payments. Resale-value is only important when you intend to sell. A lot of people say, I have to sell my car while it still has value, but, they fail to understand that as long as the vehicle is serving your needs it is of value to you. The main reason people turn in their lease for a new one is that they like driving the newest model and it makes them feel good. If that's important to you, by all means trade in your car, but, you won't be saving money.

Want to use the old lease as buying leverage for different mfg's new lease. Even if negative equity in old lease with overage on miles. Car in excellent condition and can easily be sold in used car sales. Question is: would it be better to run the old lease out for the remainder while still adding miles and turn in at end or jump out now by "trade in" on a different mfg's new lease

You're only talking three months, you'll wind up paying the mileage fee plus the disposal fee. I guess you have decided to do another lease? Just curious, what's your current car and which car are you jumping to? Make sure you have a negotiated number for the buy out, but sounds like you don't mind perpetual car payments.

You don't have much leverage in these situations, the cards are always in the dealers favor, just like Vegas.

Current car is 2012 Nissan quest SL new car is 2015 Kia Sedona SX-L. My company needs the payments for tax write off.

Sure, no problem, since you're writing it off, perfect. That's probably the best reason for leasing. Did you consider the Subaru Outback?

We did but not enough seating / cargo in the outback, nice car though! I'm just trying not to let the dealer pack my payment in the new lease in any way, that is why I asked which way would be better.

They have ways to hide everything, be very careful.

Get GAP insurance. It's worth it.