Spin off the buying a mini van thread, do you buy or lease?

[MegNAbbysMom]

We always buy. We put way too many miles on to lease plus I like to have something to show for what I'm paying on.

[Southern Mommy]

We always buy. I have heard horror stories about leased vehicles!

[happyme]

We buy. I never liked a lease because of the miles you have to watch out for and that you have to watch for damage. We keep ours till they fall apart.

[allgirls]

we buy used with high miles. Most peoples nightmare. We have never had issues. My dh can fix anything so that is not an issue for us. this is the first time in our almost 13 yrs of marriage that we have a car payment. we buy one car at a time and if we have a payment it MUST be paid off b4 we can get a newer vehicle.

everything I have read about leasing is bad for us. it depends on how you use your vehicle. we don't need to have newer vehicles and that is probably the best advantage to leasing. I know alot of people who got in over their head with leasing. Like Happymom a friend ended up buying her leased car and then needed to get a new car b/c the leased one was no good. she paid way too much for it and in the end needed to buy another one after just "paying for one".

allgirls

[blessedwith3boys]

The van we have now is leased. I prefer not to have car payments but you gotta do what you gotta do. The good news is it's got a really good warranty.

[KathrynHannah]

We buy used (with cash) about 3 years old and under 50,000 miles. Every month we automatically deposit money into our 'car' account so that when one dies, years later, we're ready to buy the next one.

I have lots of friends and families who lease but I like buying so it's one less monthly payment to worry about.

[treehugger]

We buy them. We keep our vehicles for a really long time and like to go without payments in between.

[ApollosMom]

I bought a used 10 year old Town and Country for $3,500 and it is ROCKIN'! I loved that it is used beacuse we never have a fear of driving it and parking it in NYC. We have been driving it in the snow and have no worries. It would stink to have anything happen to it but it would be a minimal loss. It has alot of miles but so what? Cars are made to last a long time. My first car was a 1984 calais with well over 200k miles and that thing is STILL running great. Admitedly it helps if you have a trusted mechanic, but leased cars can have problems as well, and then you are stuck dealing with the dealer. My MIL had a Volvo that had MAJOR engine problems and it was brand new. Gave her alot of hassle, and she ended up paying a bunch of hidden fees at the end of the lease. You pay to rent a car for a few years and at the end you have nothing left (I do understand that it it like renting an apartment, you need a reliable vehicle to get to work and all that) plus they insult you with hidden fees (to be fair they usually only give you a hard time if you are not getting a newer lease). After I used my cars for a few years, I sell them for a couple hundred or thousand dollars and that helps me toward the next car. Of course, you have to do whats best for you.

[brensmom]

we always buy and we pay cash...suzie orman on her show says you should never lease it is a bad financial move...don't know her whole thoughts on that she just told a caller not to.