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Should I buy or lease a car?

Quick answer

Buy if you keep cars 5+ years and drive over 12,000 miles/year — you build equity vs paying for use only. Lease if you want a new car every 2-3 years and don't drive much (mileage caps apply). Total cost over 6-10 years is almost always lower with buying than serial leasing.

More context

Buy if you keep cars 5+ years and drive over 12,000 miles/year — you build equity vs paying for use only. Lease if you want a new car every 2-3 years and don't drive much (mileage caps apply). Total cost over 6-10 years is almost always lower with buying than serial leasing. The exact answer depends on your specific situation — the numbers above are a strong starting point, but the right next step is to plug in your actual figures.

For a deeper analysis, use one of the related tools below — they take your specific income, debt, location, and goals as inputs and produce a tailored answer.

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