Auto leasing and the marketing thereof have been somewhat under the radar the past few years due to very low interest rates offered up by lending institutions. For most, the allure of leasing a car has been the advantage of lower monthly payments. With the low financing rates, this advantage has been shifted to traditional financing.
The world of car leasing has a long history of being somewhat less than straightforward. Even now one can find some pretty good deals out there, but the financial process around leasing a car can still be more than a bit confusing. And its this confusion that can leave you with a less than warm and fuzzy feeling after your leasing transaction is all said and done.
So, in an effort to avoid or mitigate the confusion when it comes to auto leasing, lets take a look at some basics.
In auto leasing you are only paying for (in the form of monthly payments) the portion of the car that you use over the life of the lease (the part you use is how much the car depreciates). As part of your monthly payments, youll also be paying sales tax and finance charges.
Yes, finance or interest charges. In car leasing vernacular this is known...