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You have to hand it to some consumers: They know a good deal when they see one.

The numbers for vehicle sales in August show that U.S. consumers’ love affair with big vehicles, especially pickups, hasn’t entirely died.

Neither has the clamor for fuel-efficient cars.

Chalk up both trends to the fluid nature of the car business and continued dismay over the economy.

Huge discounts on new pickups from U.S. manufacturers and dealers — sometimes as much as $14,000, although the average incentive was closer to $5,300 — apparently outweighed concerns over gas costs and how few miles per gallon a driver may get from a V-8 truck.

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Perhaps the most dreaded time for people whose cars and trucks are leased comes when it’s time to turn the vehicle back to the leasing company.

Even if the miles on the odometer show the driver is under or at the allowable mileage, there’s that gray area referred to in most lease agreements as “normal wear and tear.”

The problem arises when it comes to who’s deciding what’s normal.

While a few paint nicks from parking lot door encounters may seem like normal wear on a 4-year-old car, the leasing company could decide that the door needs repainting and bill the customer after the car is turned in.

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