conversation: User (lonely_solipsist): "Hi /r/personalfinance, I just want to start by saying thank you so much, I've learned so much reading you over the past few years. \n\nI've been reading lots of articles about leasing vs buying over the past few weeks but I'm still very confused and overwhelmed. Maybe some of you can help. \n\nI'm looking to getting a car (Mini Cooper if that makes a difference). Male in my upper 20s, No debt, 3k monthly expenses, 50k in cash assets (including my emergency fund), and 130k gross income. \n\nI've spoken to some dealerships and they are offering me a lease for 2k down + $260/month for 36 months and 12k miles a year. I haven't tried to negotiate a price to buy but the msrp is around 22-25k. I have good credit so I imagine I'd be eligible for a low APR if I finance. \n\nI live in a large crowded city so I expect the car to get  some dings and scrapes. I don't have a very good guess of how many miles I'll be driving though I don't expect it to be very much. I also don't know how much longer I'll be living in the area, it depends very much on my job. A year or two is safe but beyond that I'm not sure. \n\nSo /r/personalfinance do I lease or buy? And if I buy do I pay out of pocket or do I finance? Some different perspectives would be helpful. "
  Self: "I don't see why you would lease, unless you don't expect to need a car after the 36 months are up. If you plan to keep the car longer than that, you should probably just buy it. Plus, you don't want to lease a car that is going to get dinged and scraped.\n\nGet your APR quote. If it is low, finance the car and prioritize your investments over paying off the loan. If it is high, pay cash.\n\nUnlike a lot of people in this sub, I recommend new cars to people who can afford them. You can easily afford this car. It is about 1/5 of your annual income. The payments plus insurance will probably come in under 10% of your monthly net income. You have plenty of savings in case you have to take care of financial emergencies. So if you want to buy this car, go for it."
  