Rise In Lease Trades Good For The Aftermarket?

In the wake of high gas prices and the slumping U.S. auto market, LeaseTrader.com has experienced a 30 percent increase in transactions for its lease transfer program.
Such a shift could prove positive for the aftermarket, as new lease owners will not have the same relationship with the dealer.
Consumers point to a slowing economy and unappealing new car sales incentives as leading reasons why they’d rather take over someone else’s lease.
Some U.S. auto manufacturers have reported sales decreases from 20 – 40 percent on certain vehicles in recent months.
Even smaller, more fuel-efficient cars are selling at low, single-digit increases for manufacturers.
Since the beginning of 2008, LeaseTrader.com has tracked a 30 percent increase in transactions. Vehicle shoppers have the luxury of taking the car salesman out of the picture by negotiating directly with another consumer wanting out of a vehicle that still has several months remaining on the lease.
So far in 2008, the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class have been the most popular vehicles for lease transfer.