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Should I lease or buy a car?
Leasing usually has the lower payment; buying usually has the lower cost. Compare both over the same number of years — including what the car is still worth at the end, which is the part leasing never gives you.
The car and the timeframe
SHAREDLeasing repeats to fill this period.
If you lease
LEASESettled at the end of the lease. At a typical $0.25 a mile, 1,000 miles a year over the limit is about $900 on a three-year lease. Enter 0 only if you are sure you will stay inside the limit and hand it back unmarked.
Lower than owning, not zero: the warranty covers major repairs for most of the term, but tires, brakes, wipers and scheduled servicing are still yours.
If you buy
PURCHASEWhat you could sell it for — this is the equity leasing never gives you.
Enter a vehicle price and how many years you want to compare.
All four happen in your browser. Your figures are not sent anywhere — the email opens in your own mail app, already filled in.