Quote Originally Posted by Cookiebaker
I work for a company that leases equipment to customers. So, I am very aware of the ins and outs of leasing, and exactly where the $$$ goes. I think it is safe to say that I personally will never lease anything. I WILL say that in certain situations, leasing is perfect. But, for the everyday customer, the company that you are leasing from is making a LOT of $$$$. (And from the selling perspective, I love leases!!)
I don't work for a leasing company, but what's stated above has been my feelings about leasing for a long time. In my opinion, for the normal average driver, leasing is NOT a good idea and I think I would have a hard time justifying leasing under ANY conditions.

Also, Terry and I ONLY buy used vehicles. The people who buy a new vehicle every two years are really throwing their money away because of the big depreciation hit cars take in the first few years. So what we do is let them pay the high new price - or better yet, we let them lease it - then two years later after they've either traded it in on a new one or their lease has ended, Terry and I come along and buy a perfectly good, practically brand new car for about 1/2 the price. Like Changharris, buying this way also makes it easier for us to pay cash, making the purchase even easier to swallow, and allowing us to spend the money which would have been spent on interest on something WE want......like a nice big motorhome.

In my opinion, cars are only an expense. They are a necessary evil, but are a depreciating asset so the least spent on them the better.