Buying vs Leasing a Car 101: How to pick the BEST choice

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Here’s a common questions I’m asked…is it better to lease or buy a car, and which one is a financially better move? I’ve done both, and these are my thoughts as to which one is better - enjoy! Add me on Snapchat/Instagram: GPStephan

The short answer is that it really depends on your situation and how long you plan to keep the car, but I’ll describe the pros and cons of each and what might work best with you.

Lets start with owning and buying a car. First of all, you can buy pretty much whatever car you want, unlike leasing where it’s almost always a new or newer car. Generally, unless you just buy your car outright in cash, you’ll end up financing the car. This is when you take the cost of the car, minus your down payment, and get a loan which you’ll pay off over a specific period of time - the most common being 48-72 months. And then you’ll also pay whatever state sales tax is on top of your purchase. Factor all that in…and then once you pay off your loan, congratulations - you own the car free and clear. And then when you go to sell it, you’ll get whatever price the car is worth - minus whatever you might still owe on the car.

However, a few drawbacks of this - unless under warranty, you’ll generally be responsible for maintenance and wear and tear items during your ownership, especially on an older car, and this can add to the cost…you’ll also need to pay sales tax on the purchase price upfront…and totally separate from that, your monthly payments tend to be higher with owning than with leasing.

Leasing generally works best if you’re the type of person who always wants to have a newer car every few years. If you plan to get one car and drive it forever to the ground… don’t lease your car. But depending on how long you plan to keep the car, leasing could actually save you money. With leasing, you’ll generally be leasing a brand new or newer car. You’ll usually have a down payment and then generally you’ll have a 24-36 month term where you have a fixed monthly payment, along with a set number of miles you can drive each year. You’ll need to return the car with your set amount of miles or less or risk paying fees and penalties.

Now when you lease a car, you’re not paying the full amount of sales tax upfront - which can save you a TON of money. The lease price is determined but the depreciation the car is going to see during ownership, plus some finance charges. You’re basically just paying a monthly amount of the depreciation, rather than the entire cost of the car. Therefore, with leases, you’ll generally pay LESS per month to drive the car because your financing only the deprecation…not the entire thing like when owning a car. With a lot of leases, too, maintenance is often covered…so you can pretty much just pay a set monthly price and not have to worry about normal wear and tear/maintenance costs that come up. And when the lease is done, you don’t have the hassle of needing to sell it…you just turn it back and you’re done.

So here’s my thoughts. Both leasing and owning have their own advantages and disadvantages, and what makes one better than the other is dependent on your situation. If you plan to keep your car more than 5 years or so…it’s almost always better to buy the car. Whether you buy a brand new car or an old used one, the longer you plan to keep the car, the more it starts making sense to buy it.

But if you’re like me and you want the privilege of owning a new car every few years… it’s cheaper just to lease it - it means I pay less per month since I’m only paying for the depreciation, I don’t need to pay sales tax on the entire cost of the car - only on my monthly payment, and I can simply swap it out when the lease is done to get a new one.

Ideally, for most people out there who just need a car to get from A to B…the BEST option is to buy a car that’s 3-5 years old and has already hit most of its depreciation. After about 5 years, most cars depreciate at a much, much slower pace - so buying a car like this and keeping it forever would be the most financially “sane” thing to do. Then just finance it at a low interest rate, re-invest whatever money you would’ve spent on the car, and hold it. Then when the car falls apart and you can’t drive it anymore, do it again.

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am switching to bicycle! no payment, no gas, no insurance. whoever hit me i got insurance instead.

nguyencung
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Bottom line is, if you are broke, don't even think about getting a "nice" car.

nameunko
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I don’t know if anyone noticed but I like how u moved around during ur video rather just sitting in the desk. I have no idea why😂

nemander
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One big thing most people forget is Lease is actually great if you have habit of getting into accidents. Accidents greatly depreciates your car value which you don't have to worry about with leases as you simply return the car with the bad accident history.

alexandercrush
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I was just looking into both options and somehow graham makes a video about it perfect timing proud to be part of Graham’s community

taylordavis
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9:04 - And then just "HODL" it! That phrase still makes me chuckle. Great video again Graham, thanks for breaking things down for us!

realdeal
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Classic and Vintage cars of certain makes will also appreciate :)

BladedAngel
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Best review about this topic I've seen so far! Thanks for sharing your own experience with both!

alexvignola
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I drove my 86 trans am for 3 years and then sold it for 600 dollars more than I paid for it after the exhaust fell off! lol

ChaoticMatters
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I wish I could like all your videos a thousand times, just to show my appreciation for all your hard work on these videos

wendellgreenidge
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This is the best video I’ve watched on this subject. I finally feel I have a bit of the clarity

happysinger
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Decisions decisions decisions... Nice video man 🙌🏼

TannerPlanes
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Please never stop making videos! You’re an amazing mentor for all young people today.

jayeshmistry
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I am so happy you made this video bc this is something I've been debating over what to do for a few months now

evtv
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imma lease that jawn. cuz I treat cars like iPhones I need a new one every year!

iPodKingCarter
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Graham, I would love some more vehicle-related videos from you! It would be highly beneficial to hear your perspective on financing vs. leasing in today’s wild car market.

HaydenEccles
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Great videos man! You touch so many different topics and you do it all well.

nicklimoncelli
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Great video mister and I especially like the movement, angles, lighting and nice production value.

jpnyc
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A good idea would be to own a reliable, paid off car like a Rav4, Camry, etc. then lease whatever fun car or daily you want.

MrHavk
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"Want a new car often" ....there's your reason right there why people are in debt

ballathug