OP here. We went through the dealership and it was a smooth transaction. Thanks

DH did this. I think he said if you go to the same dealer then you don’t have to pay the tax again. I would call them and ask though. They were very upfront with him.

We just bought out our lease but I was 38 weeks pregnant and just went through the dealer because we also needed financing. You can just go through the lease holder. Mazda sent me lots of emails in the months and weeks leading up to the end of the lease. You also don’t have to wait until the actual end of the lease. You will have to re-title and tag the car which can be a pain. That’s part of the reason we just went through the dealer.

I’m not sure about taxes though. We had the car registered in VA, DC, and MD so we’ve paid it so many times and ways.

We want to buyout our car lease next month (Leased October 2023). Do we need to go through the dealership or can we work directly with the lease holder? I ask because I don't want to get nailed on sales tax twice. As per the lease agreement the sales tax was rolled into the monthly lease payment. The car is/would be registered in VA (FFX). I also assume all the DMV paperwork should be in order by now? So no issues with transfer of title, registration, etc? Anyone who has done this please advice?

Thanks