Hey guys-
I have been posting a lot on buying a new Max- and debating over Leasing vs purchasing it. I'd like to do SOME mods- nothing major- mainly stereo (which, I can switch back out if I lease).

Seems as if the lease option is the way to go for me- I own a business. I do a LOT of driving- I'll have to suck up the mileage hit I guess. I would like a new car every 2-3 years. Tax breaks are a good thing. Lower payments are great.

Now- I plan on possibly leasing the car, and when the time's right- buy out the lease. IF for some reason I want to turn the car back in (and here's the main question here)------------>>>>

How well/critical is Nissan on a returned lease? I have heard good stories about people had the normal wear/tear, dings, scratches, etc and they didn't really care. I've hear horror stories about Ford, and how they charged up the a$$ for every little speck of bird poo on the thing, and they got totally screwed turning the car back in. I'm just curious, since you guys obviously know soo much more about Nissan, how well they turn back in leased cars? Are they completely **** and picky, or, pretty relaxed? I would think that if I am going to get a NEW Nissan, they're more likely to be relaxed with the little dings. Any thoughts on this?

Also- if you guys have anything to add to the Lease vs Purchase thoughts...
thanks!
D

 

you will have lots of miles and want to mod your car? I usually say leasing is a bad idea, but in your case it's an incredibly bad idea.

 

I second that, really bad idea.
Buy the car you woun't regret it.

 

Well- like I said, the only mods i really am gonna do is stereo- which I can swap out at the end of the lease. The miles- depends, but yes, probably more than 15k a year. Now- that being said---

1) Can I purchase a car, and take the same tax breaks as I can with a lease?

2) Can I purchase a car and get the same payments as I can a lease (granted I assume it will be like a 5 or 6 year loan to get the same payments).

3) Im not understanding the valuation of a Max here- if I purchase, rather than lease, will I be upside down on the thing 3 years into owning it? Or, will I be able to get my money back out of it when I sell it in 3 years (remember, Id like to own a new car every 2-3 years).

Thanks!
D

 

Wasn't a whole lot of this covered here???

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=188994

 

It's been my experience that factory leases are more lenient about damage charges. They don't want to **** off a potential repeat customer, and the surest way to send them someplace else is to beat them up on wear and tear. If the vehicle is owned by a 3rd party finance company, however, expect to take it up the a** for every nick and scratch.

 

Buying - hosed up front; Leasing - hosed at the end.

 

Buying a new car on a 6 year loan will almost certainly result in being "upside down". Depending on down payment etc...
A 4 or 5 year loan will probably keep you closer to the curve after the first year. (first year is always bad depreciation).
Generally speaking you can expect you car to be worth about 50% of it's original value in 2-3 years. On the other hand leasing has many downsides as well (they've all been covered here over and over). That's why I always buy my maximas 2-3 years old and loaded for half price (around 14K)

 

Well my thought is that you need to check with your accountant first if you can benefit from either leasing or buying. Your business needs to generate enough cash to qualify for a write-off, for starters. Second, keep in mind that you may not going to be able to right off 100% of payments, only a portion. Ask your accountant on IRS rules re: depreciation if you are thinking about buying the car.


In my opinion, lease if you only going to do stereo mods like replacing speakers and headunit. Consider purchasing if you are going to mod anything beyond that. See, with leasing you need to bring the car back stock, with audio mods its not a biggie. But if you are going to have an extra set of wheels, bodykit, exhaust, intakes, suspension, it will be a major pain in the *** to store everythibng for duration of lease, then putting it back on the car, and selling your mods.

 

Yeah, makes sense. I am calling the credit company (Pyramid) tomorrow with my mortgage guy to see which route will be best for me to go- I MAY end up purchasing a used 2k2 or something- we'll see. BTW- is there much difference between the 2k2 and 2k3s? Someone mentioned that there may be more engine problems with the 2k2s- but, anything other than that? Is the style much different?
Thanks!
D