Talk about a jaundiced eye! I am 100% diametrically opposed to her viewpoint. She talks about the perils at the end of the lease. What? You know where I've gotten burned the worst? Buying! I don't keep cars for forever and almost every time (even after buying a used car and trading it in a couple of years later) I have had to kick and scream to get out of the car without being upside-down. Where does she address that in her diatribe? I lease because I'll never have the problem of being upside-down and because I have a warranty throughout the course of ownership. Does she place a value on being able to accurately predict your monthly car costs? Let's see: I know my lease payment, my insurance payment, my gas costs, and my maintenance costs ($0). Let's say I buy used as she advocates: I know my car payment, my insurance, payments, and my gas costs. My maintenance costs?
Which will be more financially devastating? The possible penalties at lease-end? (If you abide by the terms of the lease, and I do, there is none.) Or the clutch you have to unexpectedly replace? (While still having a car payment no less. Want to unload it so you don't have to pay for the repair, you're upside-down. What do you do?)
I'm sorry, in my experience I've never regretted leasing a car. The only downside I've seen is if you want to get out of the car early. I can put up with a car for three years, even if I only think it's just OK.