Life after Venza
I'm quickly approaching the end of my lease on a 2023 XLE. I've kept it in great condition with only 20,200 miles on it. It's worth about $30K and my payoff is around $25K
For those that have recently reached the end of your lease, which direction did you go? Did you buy? Lease something else?
I've narrowed myself down to 4 options
#1 - Lease a RAV4 Limited. The interior is not up to the standard of the Venza, but i like the new RAV4 better than the old one. Lease deals are meh for a better trim to get at least close to what I had with the Venza. I would need to wait - almost every RAV4 limited incoming is spoken for at my local dealership.
#2 - Lease a Crown Signia XLE. This matches up with interior on the Venza. It is a longer vehicle which makes it a tighter squeeze in my tiny garage. Essentially no lease deals. The payment even on an XLE almost prices itself out of being a contender.
#3 - Toyota BZ Limited. The incentives on this are GREAT. Fit and finish on the inside leaves something to be desired, but Limited at least gets all Softex. If XLE were all Softex, i'd consider it, but it's only Softex trim on XLE. Being that i came nowhere close to my 36,000 miles, I think I can do the electric life. Most of my driving is just a few miles around town. Only a few times a year do i go on longer drives. With my excess equity in my expiring lease, subvention and lease incentives, I can get this vehicle about $13,000 off MSRP. My insurance would also drop about $600/year going with a BZ vs keeping my Venza. I'm leaning this way right now.
#4 - Buy out the car. This one probably makes the most sense. I would need to finance it, but it could be worth it to keep it for another year or two. The battery warranty is only a 3 year, but i don't think there will be battery issues in the next year or two. I do like the thrill of something new. I kept my last car for about 7 years and it drove me nuts to own it that long. I usually turn cars every 4 to 5 years.
What did you do? What would you do?
Posted Jul 21, 2026, 3:16 PM UTC