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CNN Live At Daybreak

'Dollars & Deals'

Aired May 16, 2003 - 06:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you in the market for some new wheels? Maybe you like the idea of owning that new SUV but the lower lease payments sound pretty good, too.
Consumer guru Clark Howard sorts out how to best save your cash on a car in this morning's "Dollars & Deals."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARK HOWARD, CONSUMER ADVOCATE: Today's question comes from Danielle in Denver, Colorado.

Danielle, you're thinking of getting a new car. You want to know if you should buy or lease.

OK, Danielle, do you care about your wallet? If you do care about your wallet, there's only one answer to this question and that is buy a car. Leasing is poison to your pocketbook.

There are only two circumstances where leasing makes sense at all, you might have new wheels every 24 months or the factory has a special deal on a lease where they're subsidizing the payments. But even then, never more than a three-year lease.

If you want to watch your dollars, buy a car. You know the best deal of all though, buy a car that somebody has just returned from lease. A two or three-year-old leased vehicle that you can purchase is the best buy of all. Still has most of its useful life, but you're going to get a fantastic deal on that vehicle because somebody else already paid all of the big bucks for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And hopefully they didn't trash the car while they were leasing it.

Clark Howard visits us often. You can e-mail us your questions and we'll save them for his next appearance. The address is DAYBREAK@CNN.com. In the meantime, you can get his money-saving tips on the Web. That address is ClarkHoward.com.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 16, 2003 - 06:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you in the market for some new wheels? Maybe you like the idea of owning that new SUV but the lower lease payments sound pretty good, too.
Consumer guru Clark Howard sorts out how to best save your cash on a car in this morning's "Dollars & Deals."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARK HOWARD, CONSUMER ADVOCATE: Today's question comes from Danielle in Denver, Colorado.

Danielle, you're thinking of getting a new car. You want to know if you should buy or lease.

OK, Danielle, do you care about your wallet? If you do care about your wallet, there's only one answer to this question and that is buy a car. Leasing is poison to your pocketbook.

There are only two circumstances where leasing makes sense at all, you might have new wheels every 24 months or the factory has a special deal on a lease where they're subsidizing the payments. But even then, never more than a three-year lease.

If you want to watch your dollars, buy a car. You know the best deal of all though, buy a car that somebody has just returned from lease. A two or three-year-old leased vehicle that you can purchase is the best buy of all. Still has most of its useful life, but you're going to get a fantastic deal on that vehicle because somebody else already paid all of the big bucks for you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And hopefully they didn't trash the car while they were leasing it.

Clark Howard visits us often. You can e-mail us your questions and we'll save them for his next appearance. The address is DAYBREAK@CNN.com. In the meantime, you can get his money-saving tips on the Web. That address is ClarkHoward.com.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com