In their report on why buying a car is such an unpleasant experience (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcarbuy.html), SDSTAFF Lileth, Melis, Wolf, and Dogster include the following line: “Well, I could detail the scams involved in leasing, but that’s not the question on the table right now.”
So what are the scams involved in leasing?
That report is … um… many years old. Some of those people are no longer on Staff at all, some others are only peripherally involved. So… I think that your question is unlikely to be answered officially.
Glad to have others contribute their thoughts or opinions, though.
When comparing payments buy-vs-lease, you can’t compare directly, because at the end of a loan, you own the car, and at the end of a lease, you don’t. That doesn’t stop dealers from telling you “buy this car for $600 per month, lease for only $300!”.
That’s just the start. Then you are bombarded with a zillion numbers, so by the time you get through you don’t know how much you “paid” for the car. Mix in a trade and your head will spin.
One thought to always keep in mind when shopping for a car is that if the salesman is willing to sell you the car for the agreed upon price, you are not getting a good deal.
There is a great article online about a fellow that went undercover as a car salesman. It talks a little bit about leasing.
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html?tid=edmunds.a.landing.buying..4.*