06-22-2002, 12:00 AM
I'm not a fan of leasing - you're basically renting it. When you finance, you're paying to own (like a mortgage). Sure, if you do a 5 year plan or something the chances of the car being worth what you paid for it at the end of the line are nill - but that's unavoidable with any car you buy. The best thing to do is look into cars which maintain a high resale-value (most are imports, like Toyota's, Honda's, Nissan's. etc.) and try to buy one that's a year old with low mileage. You'll pay a hell of a lo less, and if the mileage is low enough, it's essentially "new" - just make sure it's not a leased car that was traded-in, or a rental car that was sold to the lot (because people, myself included, always abuse rentals).
I bought my 1989 Honda Accord in 1997 and it had 45k on it - right now I'm pushing 112k. Sure, it's not that pretty anymore and it needs some engine work, but I don't plan on doing anything with it - I'm gonna drive it 'till it dies. I would buy a new car, but right now Mrs. Goat and myself are looking to buy a house (and she's got a 1999 Altima that we use most of the time anyway).
I bought my 1989 Honda Accord in 1997 and it had 45k on it - right now I'm pushing 112k. Sure, it's not that pretty anymore and it needs some engine work, but I don't plan on doing anything with it - I'm gonna drive it 'till it dies. I would buy a new car, but right now Mrs. Goat and myself are looking to buy a house (and she's got a 1999 Altima that we use most of the time anyway).