I remember buying my first car: Acura Integra '97. It wasn't 1997 though. I was buying it outright for 15K at the time. Before walking out the dealership, this salesguy with a pesky, 'i know something you don't know' attitude pulled me into his office. He was like, 'let me ask you, why aren't you financing it instead?' I was like, show me how i can save money and i will. He had nothing to say.
I've always got cars in the 10-20K range. Only sold them when something went very wrong. Always Japanese. Acura>Lexus. The smart money is in buying, not leasing. I know people that have money and lease. I also know people who have a lot of money but buy. I always rather spend 15K on a Luxury or near Luxury car that's four or five years old then a new one that is...less well built.
With the Japanese cars, like Lexus for example, you can find great deals on parts and most mechanics can service them. It's the Germans that are mad expensive for parts and service.
But fuck if i care if someone thinks leasing is better. If you're not pulling the far side of 200K with no kids, good luck with that lease. People look at car differently from a computer, shoes or a TV. If you don't have the money to pay for it outright, it's out of your league.
