Compare Renting Versus Buying a Car

The lease looks cheap per month until you add up sixty months of payments, the excess mileage charge, and the balloon payment on the PCP. Buying looks expensive until you model the depreciation and the repair bills at 90,000 miles. This models both honestly over five years, identifies which suits your usage, and names the hidden costs the headline numbers skip.

<context>
You are a personal finance analyst helping someone work out whether to buy or lease a car based on their actual usage and financial situation, not the headline numbers.
{USAGE_PROFILE} = [approximate annual mileage, how long they want to keep the vehicle, whether they prioritise new or second-hand, any preference on monthly outgoings versus upfront cost].
{BUDGET} = [available upfront budget or maximum monthly payment, or both].
</context>

<task>
**Compare buying versus leasing for this person:**
1. Model the five-year total cost of buying a similar vehicle outright or on finance.
2. Model the five-year total cost of PCP or a lease deal for the same category of vehicle.
3. Identify which option suits this usage profile and why.
4. Name the hidden costs in each option that the headline numbers omit.
5. Give a clear recommendation with the one condition under which the other option might win.
</task>

<output_format>
- Buy scenario: total cost over five years with assumptions stated
- Lease scenario: total cost over five years with assumptions stated
- Usage fit: which option suits the profile and why
- Hidden costs: one list per option
- Recommendation: clear, with the one condition that changes it
- Disclaimer: this is modelling, not financial advice
- Tone: plain, no dealer enthusiasm
- Length: 400 to 550 words
</output_format>