Leasing or owning on the 4Runner?

[Crazy8]

Considering this is an off road/sport style vehicle, is it wise to lease one? My buddy's is all dirty and beat up but it drives amazingly still. He was going to lease it but I think if you lease one, you can't have as much fun.

 

[awonderingdawn]

I purchased mine, and I agree- leasing just wasn't an option for me. I was going to put too much strain on the truck. My boyfriend and I go out a lot- and the farther we can get 'away from a road', the better. Risking putting that kind of use into a leased truck just wasn't plausible for us.

 

[tbplus10]

If your going to use it to off-road and possibly modify the vehicle leasing would never be a viable option.
Most leases forbid modifications and all damage has to be repaired or paid for at lease end, even small brush scratches and nicks.
Im not a fan of leasing regardless, I like paying cash and owning a vehicle outright. Lease vehicles return $0 equity and payment arent normally a lot cheaper than buying with the comparable lease assumption fees.
My wife and I owned a small buisness a few years back that we leased 2 vehicles for and the following year purchased 2 duplicate vehicles for. In the final analasys the purchased vehicles were a better bargain by almost $6000 each.

 

[toyotafan]

Leasing can be a good thing for some people, but i've been told by money managers that it's usually the most expensive way to drive a vehicle, with some exceptions. However, getting into a lease you spend less money each month, so if you're just trying to keep your cashflow down while doing something like build up a business, then it can leave you with 30-50% each month more money in your pocket compared to buying, but it's a risk that you might owe more when you're done with the lease, plus when you're done with the lease you're going to have to get another vehicle.