You are mixing apples and oranges, when I say I'm not comparing purchasing to leasing I mean I'm not using my example to make a judgment about which one is better. That involves diving a little deeper into some numbers as well as making assumptions about future interest rates, comfort with higher payments, etc. That all can be done but is a different analysis.
I'm sticking with my numbers because they are accurate and that is what they calculate to be. If you notice, no one has disputed any of the numbers because math is math. It is just a matter of understanding the difference between the nominal and effective interest rates and how you can calculate them. Look at it this way, what would it cost you to take out a loan on the depreciation amount for the three years and pay the interest that you are paying with the lease. Again, I'm not comparing purchasing versus leasing in the same time period for the same amount.
What I gave you calculates the interest rate of the lease for that example. You are paying 6.025% for the lease. Again, we are talking about the effective interest on the amount of the price that is reduced by the lease. The residual is what is left after that is done and still has to be paid if you want the car. I showed you an example of purchasing the car after the lease with a two year loan using the same nominal rate as the lease and you saw it costs more than the 1.68%. That is because the rent charge of a lease not only includes the interest paid on the depreciation but on the residual value as well even though you still owe that RV should you want to purchase the car.
Maybe if we have a conversation:
TB: Hi Tonester, the wife told me you bought you car at the end of the lease.
T: Yes, TB. I love it so wanted to keep it.
TB: I don't know much about leasing and purchasing afterwards, can you help me out.
T: Sure, what would you like to know?
TB: What was the initial price of the car for lease?
T: After incentive and everything, it was 43,750. They call that the adjusted cap cost.
TB: So how much did you have to pay to buy it after the lease was up.
T: That is called the residual value and I paid 25,500.
TB: OK, so for the three years of your lease, it reduced the price by 18,250.
T: Yes, that is called the depreciation amount.
TB: So you just paid the depreciation, that sounds like a good deal.
T: LOL I wish, there is also a rent charge each month that is like interest.
TB: How much did you pay in rent charges for the 3 years.
T: I paid almost $50 a month, it was a total of 1,745.
TB: So for reducing the price of the car by 18,250 over three years, you paid $1,745 in interest. What type of interest rate is that.
T: When you lease they give money factor and not an interest rate but if you multiply it by 2400 you can get the interest rate. In my case it was .0007 which equates to 1.68%.
TB: That just doesn't seem right to me. I was fooling around with some loan calculations the other day and the interest you paid on the 18,250 seems higher than 1.68%.
T: Let me check over at Bankrate, I will enter a loan amount of 18,250 which is the amount that the purchase price was reduced during the three years and an interest rate 1.68%. That is odd, it shows only a total of $476 interest.
TB: Let's think about this a bit. By leasing the car you reduced the price of the car by 18,250 and paid 1,745 in rent charges. I bet you they also charged for the residual amount and that is what they are basing the interest rate on. Makes sense but that is like paying interest on a loan the first few years and then refinancing. You pay a lot of interest in the beginning and then have to start over again with the new loan.
T: I think that is what they do, let me plug some numbers in until I come up with the 1,745 I paid in interest. Hey, I got it. If I use an interest rate of 6.025% for a loan of 18,250 for three years I come up with 1,745 in interest charges.
TB: I guess that makes sense. I remember way back learning about nominal and effective interest rates. The nominal is what is stated on the loan but the effective is calculated based off the actual interest paid. I think it can be effected by various things such as compounding, early payoff, etc.
I'm out of ideas so that will be my last way of trying to put the point across.
As far as leasing full term and buying versus leasing, taking the cash and buying out immediately. That you will have to calculate based on the specific numbers of the lease as well as future loan or investment rates.
Thus ends the lesson for today.