Tips on Buying Cars: lease, toyota highlander hybrid, 2007 toyota highlander

Question
hi jeff,

i'm active duty serving the military and i'm deployed overseas. i'm currently in california just for a vacation...and i think i made the biggest mistake of my entire life. a have a 2003 mitsubishi eclipse gts in very good condition it has only 19,000 miles on it since it was mostly in storage since i'm deployed overseas most of the time. i've been wanting to get a hybrid for a long time...to make the story short i traded-in my old car which i still owe $16,000 and leased a 2007 toyota hybrid (not the LIMITED one but they put a navigational system on it, which they said they have put it for free...yeah right). but still a bought in into their lies. i will be leasing a 2007 toyota highlander hybrid for $750 a month for the next 5 years. what are my options now...i bought it 11 DEC 06...i know that i cannot return it, so what are my options for the next years to come? is there such a thing as re-financing for a lease car? if there's such a thing, how can i do that. i really don't know what i was thinking...maybe i thought they truly respected what i do and they would not take advantage of me...since i didn't put any money down plus i'm upside down on my old car...and i don't have a good credit...but after i bought it and after asking some experts, that's when i realized that i made a mistake.

please, jeff...help!!!

thank you and God bless.  

Answer
The bad news: you signed a contract for a lease, and unless a lawyer can prove fraud on the part of the dealer, there's not much you can do.  The good news: you're a member of the American military.  I'd go back to the dealer, IN UNIFORM,  and let them know how unhappy and disappointed you are in their actions.  If they don't respond to a reasonable request (and I'm hoping this is a relatively large dealership), then I'd make sure the other customers within earshot understand your plight, if you know what I mean.  If that doesn't work, then I'd contact the local media and let them know.  The media doesn't like to broadcast stories that are negative about some of their biggest advertisers, so you'll have to find one of those "action team investigators" that are sympathetic to your cause.  Personally, I can't imagine anything lower than taking advantage of a member of our armed services, yet there are people in this country ready and willing to do it.