Lease vs buy car with cash?
If you are talking straight dollars then leasing is always a losing proposition when compared with purchasing. The financial workings of leasing are so confusing that people don’t realize that leasing invariably costs more than an equivalent   loan. And even if they did, the extra cost is difficult to calculate.   Still, many people can’t afford the higher payments of a typical loan,   at least not without putting a substantial amount down. If payments   are an issue, consider buying a lower-cost vehicle or a reliable used   car. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/12/buying-vs-leasing-basics/index.htm If you are talking about convenience, lifestyle, ability to purchase a car you could not pay for outright, then you will have to evaluate that. "A lease is a rental plain and simple.  You borrow money to finance the expected depreciation over the course of the lease term.  This arrangement will almost always cost more over time of your ""ownership.""  That does not mean that a lease is always a worse ""deal.""   Cars are almost always a losing proposition; save for the oddball Porsche or Ferrari that is too scarce relative to demand.  You accept ownership of a car and it starts to lose value.  New cars lose value faster than used cars.  Typically, if you were to purchase the car, then sell it after 3 years, the total cost over those three years will work out to less total money than the equivalent 36 month lease.  But, you will have to come up with a lot more money down, or a higher monthly payment, and/or sell the car after 36 months (assuming the pretty standard 36 month lease).  With this in mind, some cars lease better than others because the projected depreciation is more favorable than other brands or models.   Personally, I bought a slightly used car certified pre-owned with a agreeable factory warranty extension.  My next car I may lease.  Late model cars are getting so unbelievably expensive to maintain that more and more I feel like a long term rental has merit. Just understand that for the convenience, for the freeing up of your cash flow, for the unlikelihood of maintenance, to not bother with resale or trading the car in, a lease will cost a premium over a purchase over the same time frame."
&gt;Case in point with Uber: Let's say you decide you want to drive for UberX. You lease a Prius, and thus are on the hook financially for $350/month + $100/month insurance + $300/month gas and other car expenses, and you'll have that for three years. That's a $750 nut.  I'm not that familiar with the workings of Uber, but I assume people wouldn't lease a car specifically to become an Uber driver.  I figured Uber drivers were people who already had cars.  If you'd be paying a car lease anyway, driving for Uber doesn't really add that much to your costs. "Tricky question.  Many car leasing companies like to quote payments by the week or twice a month to make the car sound cheaper to carry.  If the lease or loan is calculated such that interest accrues monthly ""not in advance"" then any payments made prior to the date on which the interest is calculated will reduce the balance and therefore the interest. However, many loans and leases are calculated at the beginning for the whole life of the agreement.  In that case, splitting each payment in half doesn't do anything to reduce the interest built in to the payments because the interest is calculated ""in advance""" "I've got a Chevy Bolt, and can confirm that handling is much better when the weight is down low in the center. I've never driven a car like it, and it doesn't even have the ""best"" handling type of suspension.  As far as moving parts go:  Report from a teardown, comparing the Bolt to a conventional VW Golf. http://www.advantagelithium.com/_resources/pdf/UBS-Article.pdf  Powertrain findings (Bolt vs. Golf):  * Moving parts - 24 vs. 149 * Moving parts in engine - 3 vs 113 * in gearbox - 12 vs 27 * other moving parts - 9 vs 9 * Wearing parts - 11 vs 24 * Moving and wearing parts - 0 vs 6  * Total - 35 vs 167  They found the Bolt requires no maintenance or replacement of these parts over the life of the car." Trade-in values are generally below what you can get in a private sale. To directly answer your question, you should sell the crossover yourself and use the balance to purchase your new vehicle. I would encourage you to use the $9k to finance directly without a lease, especially if you are planning on financing after the lease term. The lease will not save you money over the time you drive the vehicle in this case, and worse, will likely expose you to risk of having to pay additional fees if you break certain terms in the lease (mileage, wear and tear, etc) Best option mathematically is to use the $9k to purchase a vehicle for cash. This provides the lowest total cost of ownership.  Even if you are afraid of purchasing a lemon, leasing a vehicle is awfully expensive insurance against that possibility. You would have to rack up some significant repairs to justify the cost of the lease vs cash over the term of operating the vehicle. Very generally speaking if you have a loan, in which something is used as collateral, the leader will likely require you to insure that collateral.   In your case that would be a car.  Yes certainly a lender will require you to insure the vehicle that they finance (Toyota or otherwise).  Of course, if you purchase a vehicle for cash (which is advisable anyway), then the insurance option is somewhat yours. Some states may require that a certain amount of coverage is carried on a registered vehicle.  However, you may be able to drop the collision, rental car, and other options from your policy saving you some money. So you buy a new car for cash ($25K or so) and store the thing.  What happens if the car suffers damage during storage?  Are you willing to save a few dollars to have the loss of an asset?  You will have to insure the thing in some way and I bet if you buy the proper policy the amount save will be very minimal. Sure you could drop the road side assistance, rental car, and some other options, during your storage time but that probably will not amount to a lot of money. "It is going to save you more money in the long run to pay at once with cash. If you take out a loan, you will pay interest on the balance, costing you money. If you pay off the balance immediately, there is no difference between the options and your question becomes irrelevant.  There is no credit rating benefit to placing large purchases on your cards, especially since your credit is fine. My advice is to pay in cash in this case, mostly because it makes you 'feel' the purchase. This is what you are describing in your question. This instinct helps you recognize potential problems, instead of masking them with debt. Questions like: ""Do I need this?""  ""Am I overextending myself financially with this purchase?""  ""Am I holding enough cash-on-hand for emergencies?"" You may be fine in these areas, but I would still argue that cash makes you a better buyer because the expense feels much more significant, making you more cautious and discerning.  You are right to feel these things before dropping a large sum of money. Let it inform you and help you make better decisions. Don't mask it or be paralyzed by it!" "You are correct to be wary. Car dealerships make money selling cars, and use many tactics and advertisements to entice you to come into their showroom. ""We are in desperate need of [insert your make, model, year and color]! We have several people who want that exact car you have! Come in and sell it to us and buy a new car at a great price! We'll give you so much money on your trade in!"" In reality, they play a shell game and have you focus on your monthly payment. By extending the loan to 4 or 5 years (or longer), they can make your monthly payment lower, sure, but the total amount paid is much higher. You're right: it's not in your best interest. Buy a car and drive it into the ground. Being free of car payments is a luxury!" Your short-term time frame makes buying used the best option, but it seems you already are aware of that.  Look into a certified pre-owned model if you are concerned about lemons. You will usually get some sort of warranty.  However, be aware that any car can be a headache with repairs.  I would not recommend a lease because basically you are still paying for the depreciation on the car plus interest. Generally, this is the most expensive way to drive a car. You may find the numbers look good for a lease but beware of the 'gotchas' in the terms that can put you way over budget (over mileage, wear and tear, etc.).  My best recommendation is to buy gently used with cash. This gives you the most flexibility and best resale value. If you finance a late-model vehicle, be aware that depreciation can leave you upside-down on your loan. That would put you in the position of having to shell out cash just to get rid of the car.