re: Car Situation: Need Advice

What is she wanting when she graduates?

How is your current cash flow?

The swap a lease seems like a total waste to me, why not just finance the car and make payments rather than essentially renting a car for a year? If she can't get what she wants now, try to find a car that doesn't depreciate very fast and "rent" that to yourself. If you break even in a year, you're in the same place, but there's a better chance you can sell the car for more than what you owe in a year if you find a good deal.

A new tranny is going to be well over what the current car is worth btw.