Buy or Lease?

It’s the classic dilemma that faces every auto-consumer out there: Pay cash upfront or forego the ownership and pay monthly settlements instead? Buy or lease for a new set of wheels?

As is the case with every other common dilemma, there is no slam-dunk answer. Each option has its own benefits and drawbacks, and it all depends on a set of financial and personal considerations.

First, your finances. Affordability is clearly key, and you need to ask the question of how stable is your job and how healthy is your general financial situation. The short-term monthly-cost of leasing is significantly lower than the monthly payments when buying: you only pay for “the portion” of the vehicle’s cost that you use up during the time you drive it. If you have a lot of cash upfront, then you can opt to pay the down payment, sales taxes - in cash or rolled into a loan - and the interest rate determined by your loan company. Buying effectively gives you ownership of the car and that feeling of “free driving” that goes on providing transportation. If, say, you want to get into luxury models but can’t afford the upfront cash of purchasing the vehicle than you’re a good candidate for leasing. Unlike buying, it gives you the option of not having to fork out the down payment upfront, leaving you to pay a lower money factor that is generally similar to the interest rate on a financing loan. However, these benefits have a price: terminating a lease early or defaulting on your monthly lease payments will result in stiff financial penalties and can ruin your credit. You need to make sure you carve out the monthly lease payment in your budget for the foreseeable future, at least for the duration of the lease.

Besides the financial aspect, making a buy or lease decision depends on your own particular lifestyle choices and preferences. Think about what the car means to you: are you the sort of person to bond with the car or would you rather have the excitement of something new? If you want to drive a car for more than fives years, negotiate carefully and buy the car you like. If, on the other hand, you don’t like the idea of ownership and prefer to drive a new car every two to three years then you should lease. Next, factor your transportation needs: How many miles do you drive a year? How properly do you maintain your cars? If you answer is: “I drive 40,000 miles a year and I don’t really care much about my cars as I don’t mind dealing with repair bills”, then you’re probably better off buying. Leasing is based on the assumption of limited-mileage, usually no more than 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year, and wear-and-tear considerations. Unless you can keep within the prescribed mileage limits and keep the car in a good condition at the end of your lease, you might incur hefty end-of-lease costs.

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Go Green And Save On Your Lease
Beginning in 2006, businesses and taxpayers who lease, or pur...
go-green-and-save-on-your-lease.php

Leasing With Bad Credit
Credit score is a measure of your credit worthiness used by leasing agentsto determine whether you are ...
leasing-with-bad-credit.php

Lease Trading
Trading a lease is the best option for peo...
lease-trading.php

Auto Insurance And Leasing
When you lease, the vehicle that you will drive belongs to the leasing company. They want to make sure that their inv...
auto-insurance-and-leasing.php

Leasing Used Cars Explained
Leasing a used vehicle can be an attractive deal in many ways, no least getting you into that luxu...
leasing-used-cars-explained.php

Luxury Cars And Resale Values
The most determining factor when it comes to resale values is public perception of the...
luxury-cars-and-resale-values.php

Fees Involved In Leasing
At the beginning of the lease, you have to pay a refundable security deposit, typically equivalent to one ...
fees-involved-in-leasing.php

Leasing And Your Credit Score
The leasing contract stipulates that you make regular, monthly payments over your lease term. The credit score yo...
leasing-and-your-credit-score.php

How To Calculate Your Lease Payment
Actually, it’s not that difficult! Once you understand all the figures involved...
how-to-calculate-your-lease-payment.php

How To Spot A Good Car Lease
So how do you spot a good deal? ...
how-to-spot-a-good-car-lease.php

How To Lease A New Car
Check incentives: be on the look-out for factory –subsid...
how-to-lease-a-new-car.php

Leasing Glossary
Acquisition fee: A fee charged by a leasing company to begin a lease. Not all leasing compan...
leasing-glossary.php

How To Get Out Of A Lease Before Your Contract Expires
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Actually, ...
how-to-get-out-of-a-lease-before-your-contract-expires.php

Auto Leasing Scams
Here we look at some of these common scams and how to avoid them...
auto-leasing-scams.php

The Residual Value Of Leasing
Let us first start by looking at the meaning of residual value. The term “residual value”, refers ...
the-residual-value-of-leasing.php

Buy A Car At The End Of Your Lease
First, you need to know the cost of buying out your lease. Read the fi...
buy-a-car-at-the-end-of-your-lease.php

Using Lease Calculators
If you are considering a car lease, then you might...
using-lease-calculators.php

Independent Car Lease Companies
So which one is better?...
independent-car-lease-companies.php

Single Payment Lease
There are two amounts in a conventional lease that incur...
single-payment-lease.php

How To Avoid Extra Costs At The End Of Your Lease
$250 to dispose of your vehicle, $1000 for extra mi...
how-to-avoid-extra-costs-at-the-end-of-your-lease.php

Benefits Of Leasing
Benefit Number 1: Keeping up with the latest trends...
benefits-of-leasing.php

Lease Financing
Well, no quite! When you lease a car, you’re o...
lease-financing.php

Dealer Leasing Tricks
Here is a look at some of the tricks dealers use to pad their p...
dealer-leasing-tricks.php


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