Bette to buy or lease a car?

If you intend to drive this car for more than 3 years and eventually own the car and hold the title it is ALWAYS CHEAPER TO BUY and not lease.

Leasing is the most expensive way to buy a car.

If you only intend to drive this car for 3 years or less and you don’t care if you ever own it or hold the title then leasing is a good plan.

It depends. If you normally like trading for a brand new car every 2-4 years, drive only about 10,000-12,000 miles a years, and take good care of your cars, then leasing should work well for you. You get a car that is always under manufacturer's warranty with all the latest styling, safety, and technology features. You only pay for the car's depreciation, which means monthly payments only about half of loan payments, and you save money on sales tax (in most states). At lease-end you simply return the car and pay for any excessive mileage or unrepaired damage.

Asking a question like this gets you lots of uninformed answers and opinions. It's best to educate yourself about leasing so that you don't have to ask strangers about which is better for YOU. I suggest you take a look at LeaseGuide.com for lots of good advice and information that will allow you to make your own decisions.

Tell Bette she ought to BUY a car. Leasing is more expensive in the end, unless she is CEO of a corporation.

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My studies show that if you are going to drive the car for 5 1/2 years or less , you should lease. If you are going to drive it for 5 1/2 years or more, you should buy. There are lots of variables, but this is what I found. I have owned 1 vehicle for 6 1/2 years and another for 16 years, and I am cheap.

BEST is to buy a car coming off a three year lease. That way you avoid the majority of the depreciation, get a car that is still pretty new and has been well maintained. Then you drive it until it falls apart in ten years. Then do this all over again.

If you own a company and are able to write it off against the company then a lease is fine otherwise you are basically wasting time and money.You lease a car for three years and agree to turn it back in with no more than average mileage on it and with the car undamaged and in excellent condition. Meet those conditions and you give up the car with nothing to show for the money you spent on lease payments. Fail to meet those requirements and it will cost you a bunch more in penalties. Soiled upholstery, bald tires, parking lot dings and damage all add up to cost you money.

Leasing is actually the most expensive way to drive a new car. You make monthly payments for 2-3 years and then give the car back to the dealer and walk away with nothing.

At least when you're done paying to BUY a car, you get to keep it.

In general it's always going to be better to buy a car financially speaking.

I suppose if you are the kind of person who "has to have" a new car every 3 years you might come out ahead if you get a good lease, but you are still going to be paying out a lot more then someone who buys a car every 5 years. When you sell a car after it's paid off it will be worth something. Don't forget at the end of the lease you can up paying for worn tires, brakes, every little ding on it (they always find some), and any miles you are over.

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