Re: 997- better to rent than to own?
I think it's a great question.
If "owning" would mean buying and financing a portion of the total amount of the car, then I would lease for sure. Either way, you're paying some interest. With the lease, you can negotiate a high residual value, so that if the car turns out to have problems and you don't like it, you can just turn it in at the end, or trade it in during the lease at no penalty (there's no penalty if you trade up - only if you terminate the lease early with no trade). The reason to negotiate a high residual value is that you'll pay less over the term of the lease - if you're going to get out, it's better to have paid less rather than more. If you do like the car, then you just purchase it at the end of the lease. By leasing, you have many options without too much hassle.
If you'd walk in and write a cheque for the total amount (no financing), then I'm not sure what'd be best, since it'd be best to avoid paying any interest, but if you have problems with the car, you have to deal with getting rid of it. It may not be easy to sell an expensive car, especially if it has had problems. Nonetheless, I think I'd probably buy and hope for the best and deal with any problems or the need to sell if such a situation arises. If you have the cash to walk in and buy, I'd imagine you're not too worried about losing out in a sell situation anyways.
I think the best thing to do is wait for an '06 or '07 if you can though. In the meantime, one might be able to find a good deal (preferably private sale) on a nice used 996 in good condition to drive for a year or 2.
-SB
