if i were to sell or trade in my purchased crossfire after 39 months i would need to get around $16K for it to have spent a comparable amount of money to the lease example above. that includes the $750 or so in additional taxes i paid to register it for the full purchase amount. most of the lease residuals are in the $17-20K range so i should come out a little bit ahead of the lease deal. but if wholesale values drop below $16K i would be losing money compared to the lease over the 39 months. if i keep my crossfire for 10 years i would undoubtedly be way ahead of the lessee financially, but i might not enjoy my 10 year old ride as much as the lessee would his new one.

one thing that i was thinking about for those who are leasing - when it comes time to replace your tires, it might be a good idea to avoid the michelins in favor of a tire with longer treadware. they're great tires, but if they don't last at least 20K miles, you'll end up replacing tires for the next driver at the end of your lease. i bet that three years from now someone will complain that they had to do this. i would imagine that those with the continentals should get by with replacing tires once.