Should lease or buy a car?

You should lease car if your planning change the car within four years or purchase the car if you planning keep the car for five or more years, Accounting Brampton. Conventional wisdom says if you lease you’ll have nothing to show for your money when the term is up. But that ignores the opportunity cost inherent in  buying: after all, the money you pay up front for the car could be invested  instead. Our worksheet will determine whether leasing or buying is the better  overall investment strategy. Bear in mind that the calculation assumes you  would buy the car outright rather than finance it.

The  Advantages

Low  Down Payments — Even though a lot of the advertised lease deals assume a down  payment, you can often get the dealer to limit it just by asking. Of course,  the more cash you come up with initially, the lower your monthly payments.

Low  Monthly Payments — Since you are only paying off the depreciation on the car  — not its full value — your monthly payments are much lower than if you opt  to finance the purchase of the entire car over the same period of time.

Easy  Turnover — Assuming your car is in good shape, when your two or four years are  up, just stroll into the dealer, hand over the keys, and drive out with a brand  new car and a new lease arrangement. You don’t have to bother with selling the  car or haggling with a dealer over trade-in value. That was all taken care of  beforehand.

The  Disadvantages

No  Equity — Similar to paying rent on an apartment, your lease payments don’t go  towards owning anything. Unlike traditional financing, you can’t look forward  to the day when the payments will stop and you can drive your own car free and  clear.

Lack  of Flexibility — You pay a big penalty if you want out of the lease before the  full term. Bailing out early may cost you as much as six extra months of  payments, depending on your leasing company.

You  May Pay Extra — Most leases charge an extra 12 or 15 cents for each mile you  drive over a certain limit. Typically the lease agreement grants 12,000 to  15,000 miles per year. (Drivers average 15,000 miles per year.) Also, you’ll  have to pay up for any damage to the car beyond normal wear and tear when you  turn it in. One way to avoid the mileage charge is to buy more miles at a  reduced rate (of around 10 cents) up front, by accounting brampton.

Insurance  May Come Up Short — If you total the car or it gets stolen, your insurance  will only reimburse you for the car’s market value, which might not cover what  you still owe on your lease. You can buy extra “gap coverage” to  protect against this, and some lease deals include it automatically, accounting Brampton.

For  more information:

http://www.smartmoney.com/calculator/autos/buy-or-lease-a-car-1302833645461/