I lease mine. 3 year, $650.75 / Mth, 40,000 Kms per year, 2.4% lease rate, Wear Care, Lease Care 4yr/100,000 Km extended warranty, bug deflector and bedliner included. All incentives applied and extra $500 dealer cash applied.

Negotiated price of truck was roughly $500 above invoice. Leased in Sept/04, which was a great time to get a lease. Makes perfect business sense for me.

My business leases

3 x 2004 F350 Diesel CC LB 2wd
2 x 2002 F350 Diesel CC LB 2wd
2 x 2004 Chevy 2500 CC LB 2wd 6.0 Gas
1 x 2003 GMC 2500 CC LB Duramax 4x4
1 x 2004 GMC 2500 CC LB 2wd 6.0 Gas
1 x 2002 Chevy 2500 Ext Cab Duramax 4x4

 

In Columbus they were practically giving away these trucks in December. I got an 05 F150 xlt supercab 4x4. Sticker was $34,705 including options. I put $500 down which included first month and title and license. I only pay $285 per month for 24 months. I get 13,500 per year mileage. I think I'll be trading it in in two years if they can set me up with the same deal. In addition, I got a $400 check from Ford for being a recent college graduate so I really put no money down at all.

Good luck with your lease/purchase.

 

Call me an idiot or whatever you want.

Details - 05' Screw Lariat 4x4 EVERY option you can get on a ford truck (except dvd because I have a moon roof) Sticker was 42900. I LEASE (OMG) for 575 month before tax for 39months with 13.5k a year. I had probbaly between incentives and bs about 4k off sticker (yeah I'm still sore in the bung hole, but you don't have to buy the vaseline so lay off)

I traded an 00' Isuzu Rodeo with 135K miles that I put on. This great vehicle, which it was, took a GIANT FREAKIN PLUNGE in value while I owned it. It was worth like 3k KBB (yes, that still hurts too) So a 32K vehicle after 4 years was worth about 9 percent of its original price. I had 1 year left on the loan and still was upside down. (I had chitty credit 4 yrs ago). The Rodeo was on her last leg. I said I want a truck that I will have for the next 10 yrs. BUT, I have a new 200K house that I put a sizeable down payment on and OVER pay every month. This over payment is called equity, kids, a word never associated with a vehicle. I said I spend 30-35 k a year in something I want to be damn comfortable. BUT, as previously stated I am upside down and have a serious shortage of down payment cash, plus I don't want to reduce house overpayments. SO I said LEASE ME THAT THERE TRUCK YOUNG SALESMAN. (ok he is older me I'm only 28). I did all of the fuzzy math, and said as long as I keep the truck ten years, why the hell shoudl I stop putting equity in my house and waste it on my truck so I leased. You see I get to have a low payment for 7 yrs (3 years lease,residule after lease 20k which makes another low payment for 3 yrs of financeing) and keep pumping money into my house which appreciates. It isn't for everyone but It suits me just fine.

 

Look at this way, if you paid it off in three years and kept it for 10 years, you could take the money you would have paid for the additionnal years and threw that into your house also, or just put it into an investment.

 

KevinM, listen I hear you buddy. I didn't say I had the best plan in the world, but If I would have financed it for even as little as 4 yrs the payments would have been 867 (@3.9% interest). That is WAY more than I wanted to shell out on a monthly basis.

In reality folks, you should never buy a vehicle if you can't pay cash for it. The demise of the American culture by people my age is because we are stuck in the HOWMUCHAMONTH club. But, I am guilty to the extreme of being a car fanatic. I can't freakin stand not having a rig that I enjoy and wanted 100%. My ROdeo had a lift,wheels, stereo, the whole lot of toys. SO for me to replace it I had to have something that I was wicked stoked about. This truck is so much ME that I can't think of not haveing it. With that said I will not mod this to any extreme (lift,etc.) untill its paid. I saw how much I dumped in my rodeo and how much better off I would have been if I had made a years worth of payments instead of buying custom suspension.

Hind sight is always 20/20!

 

Here you go Ryan, I'll actually answer your question and not give you a bunch of useless rhetoric and biased opinions.

I leased a '05 XLT Supercab 4X4, sticker price was $34,800. After rebates and incentives and whatnot the price was down to $29k or so. I traded in a broken down old Blazer that the 4x4 didn't work on and the thing barely ran. They valued that pig at $2k. I left there without spending a dime out of pocket and I'm paying $265/mo for 24 months, 12,500 miles/year.