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Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
What's funny to me is this whole concept someone long ago made up that cars are "investments". They are not financial investments and never have been. Rather, cars are a transportation tool. They are an appliance. Using the cost-per-mile as the financial metric, in general owning a car for an extended time period and extended miles is less expensive than leasing every 3 years. The cost-per-mile is the only metric to use to evaluate the cost of a vehicle because it standardizes the unit of measure regardless of vehicle type or method of acquisition. My 18-year old E90 has cost me just 31 cents per mile. If I were to drop $2,000 in maintenance this year, which I may do, it will increase my cost-per-mile by just 0.47-cents per mile. Peanuts.
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If we were just driving cars as transportation tools we wouldn't be posting on car forums about cars lol.
The issue with your math is "peanuts" means different things to different people. I don't want to drive an 18 year old E90...and to me the $1,850 payment on my new S580 is also "peanuts".
Quote:
Originally Posted by kudos
 You will forever pay an inflated price for eternity. Maintenance for cars really isn't that much per a year as long as you take care of them. This idea maintaining an owned card is somehow equivalent to someone paying a stupid monthly lease payment is laughable. Justify it however you want in the end someone who owns long term comes out far ahead financially.
None of this is even factoring the enjoyable experience of modifications which good luck on a leased car. You could do it I guess, but more money down the drain when you turn it back in. |
Again, I don't even think about being ahead financially when it comes to cars. I work hard and I'm successful and I can easily afford nice cars I want, so I get them. The easiest way for me to drive new nice cars and do so in the most cost effective way is to lease, so thats what I do. I don't modify my cars outside of window tint, so thats not a factor.
Of course you come out far ahead financially if you buy and keep cars for a long time, but I don't want to do that...and I don't have to do that. You also come out far ahead financially if you never eat out, never take a vacation, it goes on and on. What good is money if you don't spend it? If you don't have the money, or its not something you get enjoyment out of then fine...but I have the money and I get enjoyment out of it...so I spend the money.
What you do works for you, but it wouldn't work for me. I want new cars, and I want a new car every 3 years. So, I lease new cars. You are happy driving an 20 year old 3 Series and thats great, I am not happy with that.
Whatever it costs is what it costs, it doesn't impact me financially at all. If it did impact me financially I wouldn't be doing it.
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Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
You are talking about business leasing vs. personal leasing.
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When you own a business they are the same thing.