Two Ways to Unload Your Auto Lease

Sometimes life gets in the way of your car lease.

Maybe you've been transferred to a job in another country. Or a leased car is included in the estate of a recently deceased relative. Sometimes all it takes is sheer boredom with the car.

Whatever the reason, the car lease that's become an intolerable burden might be exactly what someone else is looking for.

That's the thinking behind companies like Leasetrader.com and Swapalease.com, which bring leaseholders and prospective buyers together online in a low-pressure environment.

Think of these sites as an eBay for swapping auto leases. Unlike the intimidating "hard-sell" approach you encounter in a car dealership, both the buyers and sellers who use these sites are in an advantageous position.

Both Swapalease and LeaseTrader allow visitors to browse their virtual showrooms without registering. But prospective buyers must submit to a credit check before contacting sellers.

"We certainly don't want to waste any of our sellers' times," says LeaseTrader spokesman John Sternal. "We want them to know that if they come into contact with a buyer that they have the credit to be able to take over their lease."

What It Costs

LeaseTrader charges prospective buyers $39 and gives them up to two months to contact as many sellers as they want. That cost also covers a credit check. Sellers must pay a $79 advertising fee to list a car, a one-time payment that's good until the seller finds somebody to take over the lease.