Is it better to buy or lease a new BMW?

[DaveNW]

What are the pros and cons of each? I love my '03 X5 4.4i, but I'm wondering if getting a new one would be even better. Hard to argue with "paid off" but some of these new options I'm seeing look really nice.

TIA,
Dave

[B-Line]

If you answer yes to all these questions, then it is better to lease than it is to buy.

1) Do you like to keep cars for a short time. (Less than 4 years?)
2) Do you take decent care of your vehicle. (Fix damage)
3) Are you willing to commit to a fixed contract?

If you answser NO to these questions, then you should also lease:
1) I keep a car until it dies.
2) I love to mod my cars and put lots of money into them.
3) My life and career is very unstable and I don't know where I will be living next year or how much money I will be making.


I have done some breakdowns and even if you drive a ton of mileage 15k-20k miles a year, it's still cheaper to lease a car than it is to own/finance one.

Now, you pay differently, but the TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP is cheapest when you lease, if you change cars every 3-4 years. If you buy a car and drive it 5-7 years, then buy it. But I like a new car every few years..

I can get into the specifics, taxes, interest, depreciation, etc. but for now, I'll make it easy for you. If you get a moderate lease deal. A three year lease is the cheapest way to get in and out of a BMW.

B