As lease deals become harder to find these days, one alternative is to purchase, at a fair price, a vehicle that will likely hold its value well.

Take for example this post from Leasehackr member @bilkenski, who ended up purchasing a 2022 Subaru Crosstrek after a long streak of car lease deals:

After 27 years of back-to-back leases, I cashed in my chips and left the casino.

Combining the most egregious of Hackr no-no’s, I purchased an entirely sensible and boring new car. At full MSRP. Paid in full. Directly off the dealer lot. Not sure I can even look at myself in the mirror any longer.

Details:

2022 Crosstrek Premium 6MT
MSRP: $25,025 (sticker printed pre-increase)
Doc Fee: $399
Tax: $1,059.16
Plates: $276.88

OTD: $26,760.04

Mats & sunshade are the only accessories. No blessings needed.

Going to miss handing the keys back over at the end of the heavily subsidized leases with thousands in negative equity, rinsing and repeating. But these are some crazy times we’re in right now, calling for some foolish decisions to be made.

Given the current market conditions, would you do the same as @bilkenski and buy rather than lease?

Or would you still rather lease to avoid the risk of depreciation?