Also manufacturer’s offer dealer discounts to shift stock. The market throughout Europe is shifting to lease purchase, same over here in France, one or two I know in the trade think within five years no one will buy a new car, everyone will lease.
I suspect that your trade contacts are largely correct - lease costs are lower than traditional repayment schemes per month because you are paying the depreciation, not buying the vehicle.
I don’t think absolutely “everyone” will buy lease though - as with all finance deals there are fees and interest built in so if you can afford to buy the car that will probably work out cheaper in the end, but it depends on a good few variables such as mileage and whether you buy a new car religiously every 2/3/4 years.
The problem is a lot of people cannot afford a new car cash, buy on finance. Which means big deposit and big monthly payments. With lease purchase you can bung a couple of grand down borrowed at a low rate, pay around 160 a month and have three years trouble free motoring. Its a very handy scheme for UBER drivers.
Yes, if you want to buy new, change the car for another new one every few years, do average mileage, and don’t want the hassle of selling the car afterwards then it can be a good enough way to pay for motoring. Given the low repayments it is not surprising that it is a popular way to do so.
Something to be said for keeping the old jalopy…
My curent motor was bought 2nd hand and is 11 years old (I’ve had it 10) - with modern manufacturing there’s no real need to change cars frequently.
We did buy new when we cnanged my wife’s car but that was because the price was actually less than a newish 2nd hand one!
I keep thinking that I’d like a new one but then look at the difference between what I can afford and what I want and it gets put off for another few months.
‘The last time I went food shopping I had to go round and round in circles so I could overhear a loud conversation between two like minded British couples.’
You actually went round in circles just to hear someone else’s conversation? How sad and how rude is that? Time to get a life mate!
It was a lot better than a TV comedy, believe me. There were only four sad people present and none of them was me. Were you there perhaps?
I doubt I would be calling you mate if I knew you.
Sounds like a complete farce! Sorry I missed it and I apologise for using the term ‘mate’ … life is far too short for this! 
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Anyone noticed that the Nissan CEO who made the ‘deal’ whatever it was with May, is no longer in his job? Theoretically kicked upstairs. I would imagine this leaves an escape route for Nissan if things don’t work out as expected for them with Brexit? 'That was with previous management which no longer applies 'sort of thing?. Not saying it would, but possibly could.
Probably just an expression, I seem to hear everybody’s discussions via mobile telephones in supermarkets these days - and I’m deaf! I think everyone else must be at the other end of these things.
Ditto. Plus being pensioners doesn’t really offer too many alternatives. Plus I own a now 11-year old Skoda Superb which still only has 150k on the clock -and yes I have been the owner for 9, of those years, with minimal repairs. Unless, and as threatened it is pushed off the roads by anti-diesel laws, I will see out my motoring years with it as although a bit big for my wife she drives it better than me now, so I quite enjoy being chauffered around in a big motor!
However I do agree that Leasing if in business or even not can make sense, rather depends on the car. Biut the car industry will soon be a different world and ownership will probably be penalised if not driving a hybrid or self-steerer. Cynical old me wonders if this hasn’t got something to do with market saturation at this time?