How to get out of an expensive car lease you can't afford

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   riding out the lease until the term ends to avoid penalties
2. 2
   getting an appraisal from CarMax or Carvana to check trade-in value
3. 3
   switching to a cheaper used vehicle after the lease concludes
4. 4
   Applying for a personal loan from a credit union to cover the negative equity gap and selling or trading it in
5. 5
   Keeping the vehicle and continuing to pay it off over time
6. 6
   Listing the car privately to maximize resale value while managing the loan payoff coordination with the buyer
7. 7
   Canceling the extended warranty or service contract for a pro-rated refund

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.