Love that leased car? Buy it from dealer

What's the best way to decide if it's a good deal to buy your car when the lease expires? Also, any tips on how to negotiate the best deal?

-- Dwayne

It would be really rare for it to be the best deal to buy your car at the end of a lease for the price that's specified in your lease contract. First, check your contract to see how much it would cost. Then check around in the local classifieds, or on Web sites such as Cars.com. You can get a good idea of how much cars like yours with the same model year and similar mileage are with in your area.

Chances are you can buy a used car similar to your leased car for a lot less than the buy-out price.

But everything is negotiable. If you really love your car and want to hang on to it, you can always make the dealer an offer. You should also know that it's possible that the dealer might be getting cash from the lender as an incentive to resell your used car at the dealership.

If the dealer wants your business badly enough, he'll work out something with you. It might get complicated -- as in, turning your car in and then buying it back.

To get the best deal on your next vehicle, you should decide whether you want to keep it before you buy or lease. After you lease, it's probably too late.