As nice as the XLR is, I fail to see how a $900 a month lease can be considered a "good deal". In almost all leasing cases; the only "good deal" is to be had by the leasing company. Now, if you can get a company to lease a car for you, then that's a different matter entirely, but paying nearly $10k a year for the privilege of driving an XLR with nothing to show for it after three years is a classy way to waste money to me. At a $76,000 MSRP, is it conceivable that the car will depreciate almost $40k (lease payments + $$ @ signing) in three years? Maybe, but I'm not seeing it with the XLR yet. There are some 04 XLRs priced at $50k, but most seem to hover around an average of $64k after two years now. Leasing -for many is a quick method to get something they can't really afford due to the downpayment requirements. And in the end, you're left with nothing. I have a number of friends who jump from car to car every three years, leasing each time. They can't seem to save up for a down payment in the interim, so leasing becomes a means to an end. They know they're losing money over the long term, but are used to the payments, and gotta have wheels. Nobody makes money by renting real estate either, though the owners sure do! --Okay, bad analogy . . . real estate appreciates, while most cars don't. If I'm missing something here, please educate me!
