Lease or finance

Author
Discussion

Memorise97

Original Poster:

191 posts

114 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
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If you are looking to pay monthly for a hatchback such as an audi a1, would you lease or finance it?

Anyone know the differences other than when leasing it, it is not your car and if there are faults with engine etc then it is covered as far as I am aware

Lee540

1,586 posts

145 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
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If it is a new car then manufacturers warranty should cover either way

Memorise97

Original Poster:

191 posts

114 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
quotequote all
What I am asking is, what would you do, lease or finance

ging84

8,923 posts

147 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
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they are just terms both mean pretty much the same thing
finance covers any way of paying for a car on any type of payment plan, lease will generally refer to any type of agreement where you do not get instant ownership of the car, and these agreements come in many forms.

I am not sure that any faults with the vehicle are covered by most lease agreements you seem to be under the impression it's just like having a rental, generally this is not the case, anything not covered by any warranty or maintenance plan that might be provided you would normally be expected to put right yourself before returning the vehicle.

DanB7290

5,535 posts

191 months

Monday 22nd December 2014
quotequote all
It depends on what you want to do. HP or PCP finance means you have the option to own the car outright at the end, so if you're wanting to own the car then this is the way to go. If you're keeping it for a while, Hire Purchase is the way to go, as once the final payment comes out, that's it; you legally own the car, job done. If you're perhaps thinking of getting a new car every 2-3 years, then PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) is better; it takes the predicted value of the car at the end of the agreement, and defers it until the very end. You pay no interest on that value, and no amount of deposit will change it. The result is much lower monthly payments, and you have the option to own the car outright at the end.

For example, I sell Fiat Pandas with a list price of £7645 at £99 deposit, then £99 per month over 48 months, with £1400 deposit contribution. However, the 48th payment would be around £2000. You have 3 options at that stage:
1) Pay £2000, own the car outright. Job done
2) Trade the car in for another one. Doesn't have to be the same make or model, or the same dealer. Any difference between the settlement figure (at this point it'd be the £2000 or slightly over if you were to trade in a couple of months early, which at the moment is easy to do) is equity to use as part deposit for the next car.
3) Hand the car back to the finance company, walk away, job done.

Some people say that it's 'just a lease, I'll never own the car'. Yes, there are similarities, but you have the flexibility to own the car at the end. Plus, it makes it very simple to change cars every 2-3 years.

Leasing on the other hand, is basically renting a car over a long period of time. Unlike HP/PCP, you never have the option to own the car at the end. It may be beneficial in some circumstances e.g. if the car is to be used by a business, and I certainly see why people would go for it privately, but in my experience PCP finance would be the best bet.