ANCHOR LEAD IN:
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY, THAT IS THE QUESTION FACING MOST OF US WHEN
WE CONSIDER GETTING A NEW CAR. BUT WITH INTEREST RATES GOING UP, CONSUMERS ARE INCREASINGLY SHIFTING GEARS AND THINKING ABOUT LEASING. IN TODAY'S HEADS UP, A LOOK AT THE RETURN OF CAR LEASING, AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A GOOD DEAL FOR YOU.

TRACK ONE Length: 11
SUSAN JOHSON HAS BEEN LEASING HER CARS FOR YEARS. SHE GETS A TAX WRITE-OFF BECAUSE SHE'S SELF-EMPLOYED, SO LEASING HAS ALWAYS MADE ECONOMIC SENSE. BUT LATELY SHE'S NOTICED THAT LEASING DEALS ARE 'REVVING UP'…

SOT
KEY @ : 13 Susan Johnson, Leasing cars for 10 years
"I think there are better deals in leasing today than there was years ago because the whole market has become much more competitive."

TRACK TWO Length:12
Source: Edmunds.com
IN FACT, CAR LEASING HAS GROWN BY 21-PERCENT IN THE PAST YEAR, WHILE RISING INTEREST RATES HAVE SLOWED CAR SALES. THAT'S LEADING MANY CAR MANUFACTURERS AND DEALERS TO CHANGE TACTICS TO GET NEW CUSTOMERS IN THE DOOR…

SOT
KEY @ : 33 Steve Leary, President, Car Dealership
"They would like the customer to be in a lease because they're in a new car every three years compared to if they bought it, it might be every five years."

TRACK THREE Length: 09
EXPERTS SAY THESE NEW DEALS COME WITH MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR CUSTOMERS. THAT INCLUDES BETTER INTEREST RATES, SHORTER LEASE TIMES, AND LOWER 'DRIVE-OFF' FEES - OR DOWN PAYMENTS.

SOT
KEY @ : 49 Philip Reed, Consumer Advice Editor, Edmunds.com
"It ensures that if you really like cars, you can get in and out of cars every couple of years with a minimum of hassle."

TRACK FOUR Length: 14
THE FIRST STEP IS TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED IN A LEASE…THE AMOUNT OF MILEAGE YOU'RE LIKELY TO DRIVE EACH YEAR, THE LENGTH OF THE CONTRACT AND THE DOWN PAYMENT YOU CAN AFFORD. THEN COMPARE THOSE TERMS ON LEASING WEBSITES, AS WELL AS WITH YOUR LOCAL DEALERS…

SOT
KEY @ : 1:10 Philip Reed, Consumer Advice Editor, Edmunds.com
"The more information a customer has the better price that they'll get."

TRACK FIVE Length:12
REMEMBER, EVEN WITH ALL THE NEW DEALS, NOT EVERYONE IS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR LEASING. FOR INSTANCE, SUSAN WORKS AT HOME AND DOESN'T HAVE TO DRIVE MUCH, WHICH KEEPS HER LEASING COSTS DOWN. SO WEIGH THE BEST DEAL FOR YOU CAREFULLY.

SOT
NO KEY
"If my personal situation experience changed, say I wasn't self-employed anymore, maybe then I would buy."

ANCHOR TAG:
SOME REPORTS SUGGEST THAT LEASING RATES WILL BE GOING UP SLIGHTLY SOON, AND REED SAYS THIS COULD RESULT IN HIGHER PRICES…BUT HE SAYS THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE SPECIALS ON CARS THAT AREN'T MOVING VERY QUICKLY, SO DON'T GET TOO CONCERNED, AND DON'T FEEL RUSHED TO GET INTO A LEASE UNLESS IT'S REALLY WHAT YOU WANT.

SOURCE LIST
This information may be posted on your website at the bottom of the NewsProNet
script if your station has an extended license that includes your Web property.

Phil Reed
Consumer Advice Editor
Edmunds.com
310-309-6300

Edmunds Inc. publishes four Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Our Web sites consist of Edmunds.com (launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site), Inside Line (launched in 2005 and the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site), CarSpace (launched in 2006 as our automotive social networking site) and
AutoObserver.com (launched in 2007 to provide insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis).

Steve Leary
President, Thomas Ford Dealership
211 Rantoul Street
Beverly, MA
978-922-0059

ADDITIONAL SOURCE INFORMATION
FOR CLIENT-STATION USE ONLY
The additional information provided below is for client-station use only. This private contact information cannot be given to viewers nor posted on your Website. It is for internal station use only. It is provided to help you obtain answers to any additional questions you may have and to help you localize a story. Thank you.

Susan Johnson
26 Rockland Street
Swampscott, MA
781-596-8605
Leasing: Is it Right for You? J.D. Powerswebsite:http://www.jdpower.com/articles/article.aspx?ID=114
Car Leasing Up 21 Percent from Last Year; Edmunds.com Reveals Top Five Lease
Deals http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/press/118892/article.html

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - December 15, 2006 - Automobile leasing is on the rise, up 21 percent from last year. Edmunds.com, the premiere resource for automotive consumer information, today named the best current national lease deals. The complete story, Best Lease Deals for the Holidays, can be found at http://www.edmunds.com/advice/strategies/articles/118780/article.html.