[Don Plumley]

It's just math. A lease is a financial transaction, it either makes sense for you, or it does not. The primary benefit of a lease is the ability to write off the lease expense to offset income versus depreciating an asset -- i.e. the lease payment is more than depreciation allowance. This is complicated by the artificial residual value established by the manufacturers to push certain vehicles off the lot. But it is still just math.

Despite this, the primary reason most people lease is it enables them to get more car for the same monthly nut. So for the same payment as an Accord, you get a Mercedes. Which causes most buyers to ignore simple facts: Leases cannot (easily) be broken, exceeding the annual mileage limit is quite costly, and you do not (typically) develop any equity in the vehicle. You are renting the car.