Car talk!

[topspeed]

Buy vs. Lease:

I'm a firm believer in buying what appreciates and renting what depreciates, therefore I lease my cars. Besides, I can write them off through my company, so there are tax advantages as well. If you bore easily and don't rack up a ton of miles, leasing makes a lot of sense.

It sounds like you would like a car/SUV that has awd to compete with your winters, right? In the cute ute arena, the Escape/Mariner is probably my favorite. The CR-V is too bizarre in appearance and the RAV4 is too expensive.

Crossovers are the next big thing as they are car based (unibody), generally handle better, and get a bit better mileage. You might consider a Nissan Murano, Saturn Vue, or Ford Edge. I really like the Mazda CX7 as it's the most overtly sporty, however it doesn't afford a ton of storage. Great interior and exterior design too. The Hyundai Vera Cruz has been a media darling, but they don't lease very well. They are much better built now, but not enought to overcome the stigma of older Hyundai's...yet.

For cars, have you considered an Audi A4 2.0? Quattro awd and the 2L turbo four is one of the truly great engines out there right now. Excellent mileage and they should lease well as the residual should be decent. BMW's are great to lease as well as they have the highest residual of any brand (according to Edmunds/KBB) and when you lease, the only things that matter are cap cost, money factor, and residual. BMW's warranty also covers everything...oil changes, wiper blades, brakes...everything for 4 years. Stay away from the M models and my experience is they are very durable.

If those aren't your cup of tea, a Suburu Legacy GT is a heckuva nice car and a sleeper at stoplight drags. That car will flat boogey! The Fusion AWD is another excellent choice. My friend just bought one this week for $23,500 out the door. V6, leather, Sync, loaded. That's a good buy.

What are the most important things to you? Speed? Space? Reliability? Convenience? Import? Domestic?