Thinking about buying a newish car

[G.Irish]

So what you're saying is.....leasing is the American way? Buying more than you can afford? :lol:

Not at all, because you aren't buying anything. Put another way, if you've got a business, maybe you'd lease office space instead of buying it because:

A. Your revenue may be better spent elsewhere
B. You don't want to be committed to the space/location long term

Another way to think about it is that you are paying for depreciation whether you lease or buy a car. The difference is that when you buy the car you are paying down principal as well. The thing with leases is that it only makes sense if the car's depreciation rate is low, or if the manufacturer subsidizes the lease deal (a la BMW and MB). You wouldn't want to lease something that has a hideous depreciation rate like a Hyundai/Kia.