A LOT of car buyers (both new AND used) are so stupid that ALL they want to hear is HOW MUCH PER MONTH will this cost me?

If they like the number they hear, and the auto dealer can stretch the payments out for 5-6 years, even on a POS car, they'll often buy.

Even works on brand NEW luxury cars!

You hear on the radio every day, the ads screaming "Yes, now YOU TOO can be driving a BRAND NEW Mercedes-Benz TODAY. for just $299 a MONTH!!!

You'll never even OWN it - 'cause what you are doing is LEASING it. The allowed yearly mileage is typically (out in California anyway) is absurdly low, only 10,000 miles a year - and the average yearly mileage in that state, driven by a Californian, last I heard, was 15.000 miles a year.

For EVERY mile over that allowed 10,000 miles, there's an excess mileage fee - usually 25 cents to 50 cents A MILE! That can really add up to a LOT! And real fast too!

PLUS, you don't even OWN the car, in essence you just RENTED it, by leasing it, for the lease term. And *IF* you liked the car, then MAYBE you can buy it back at the lease end. Maybe.

Yet:

Some people are dumb enough to actually then lease again! Back on the merry go round!


Most of this doesn't matter if you can write off the miles and use on your income tax, this works ok often enough for business owners.

But for an average buyer without those available tax breaks, a car lease allows them to drive a way nicer car than they could afford to buy outright or buy on credit.

But oh boy, do those folks PAY for that privilege.

I think that in this arena, for the prospective auto buyer, in the end, there is NO FREE LUNCH.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)