If you know you are only going to have the car for 2 years and you don't put alot of miles on it, leasing is the way to go.
For sub $20K cars (the Bimmer is not but this is just an example) after only a year or 2 on a car loan, what you owe is pretty close to the value of the car unless you put down a heafty down payment. At trade in value (opposed to private seller value) you might get back an additional $1000 depending on the resale value and condition but not much.
The only advantage to owning a car is driving for several years after it is paid off. During those years if you have minimal maintenenece fees you can save up for a bigger down payment on your next car (in addition to the full resale value of the car).
For sub $20K cars (the Bimmer is not but this is just an example) after only a year or 2 on a car loan, what you owe is pretty close to the value of the car unless you put down a heafty down payment. At trade in value (opposed to private seller value) you might get back an additional $1000 depending on the resale value and condition but not much.
The only advantage to owning a car is driving for several years after it is paid off. During those years if you have minimal maintenenece fees you can save up for a bigger down payment on your next car (in addition to the full resale value of the car).
