couple owns 2 cars: 1 leased, 1 bought

[RONKAPPES]

My wife & I each have a car. Hers is leased, mine is bought. I bought my compact in 2000 & am still driving it after 90,000 glitch free miles. She is self employed & leases a new, more expensive, mid-size every 3 years. The lease allows her 45,000 mi but she generally finishes the lease period with substantial mileage remaining. She claims that the lessor gives her a better deal on the next car but I don't think it is worth the unused miles. We share all fuel expenses for both cars, regardless of who goes where. We have a 2nd house we visit every weekend & the round trip is usually about 200 mi, including local driving. I insist that we use her car because the milage is free, the only cost is gas. Because new car maintenance costs are very low (tires etc) her cost/mile is low, essentially only fuel. Not so with my car; every mile shortens its’ lifetime, which is important to me because i intend to drive my car for as long as it lasts. She says we should use both cars (alternately) because to her that is fair. I don't agree.

Who is right?

[cptacek]

Because you are a team, it makes sense to do what is right for your entire household budget (short term and long term), not for one or the other of you. If it costs your household budget less to drive the leased car, drive that. If it costs your household budget less to drive the owned car, drive that.

What does being "fair" have to do with it? I don't even understand what wouldn't be fair about driving the car with the least cost? Are you in a competition with each other?

[disneysteve]

I agree with cptacek. "Fair" isn't an issue here. How is it possibly "unfair" to do what saves BOTH of you the most money? That benefits BOTH of you.

And you didn't even mention the tax benefit from her leased car since she is self-employed (about the only time leasing makes sense). Since she gets to deduct lease costs on her business return, using her car makes even more sense.