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Then check to see what the same car with similar miles in similar condition would cost on the open market. "If you've taken very good care of it, it's low on miles and has

good resale value, then a place like CarMax (a used-car dealership chain) is willing to be very good on its pricing,” Montoya says. But don't be surprised if buying your car would be a

bad deal. Automakers often subvent the lease, which can happen by inflating the lease-end value — the turn-in or residual value — as a way of reducing your lease payments and making the

original lease deal more attractive. It's an incentive, but without the fire-sale stigma of shouting, “$5,000 off!” in bold headlines or on TV ads. Most leases are for three years, and

a 3-year-old vehicle typically is worth not much more than half its new value. Your 3-year-old car could have depreciated just 42 percent, retaining 58 percent of its new value, according to

Omni Calculator's car-depreciation calculator. Or, if it's a fast-depreciating car, it could drop about 50 percent in three years, according to AutoGuide.com You can get an idea

of the car's value on the used-car sections at Edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, Cars.com, Truecar.com and other websites. If the price you see in the lease paperwork is

less than what you consistently find on the open market, maybe buying yours is a good deal. If yours is priced more than the market, not so good. True, it's more trouble to shop the car

lots, and you know less about how some random used car was treated, but in strict dollars and cents, it could be a better proposition. TAKE A HIKE Not literally: You can't park your

leased vehicle at the dealership, leave the keys under the mat and bid farewell. Until you sign the paperwork, get the car inspected for any damage the leasing company considers more than

normal, pay for that excess damage and the turn-in fee, you're not out from under the car. But once that's all done, you can wander off, use your bike, take public transit, decide

to use taxis or car-hailing services or tap friends or relatives for rides. Keep in mind that you can get the inspection done yourself, using the inspector the leasing company specifies. And

the inspector sometimes will come to your location, Montoya says. If any excess damage is minimal, you might prefer to get it fixed on your own, have it inspected again and turn it in

without fearing a damage charge.