Have you talked to your accountant?
I believe that the most valuable person you can have on your team is an accountant. An accountant is well worth the money you pay him or her for their service. They can give you the best information regarding lease/buy decisions. Our opinions are based on our own personal circumstances, and don't necessarily apply to everyone else. An accountant is trained to think smart financially, and can give unbiased advice without the emotional or political baggage that can come with advice from our peers.
Leasing is not exactly renting. But even so, is renting a bad word? I rent my apartment. Is it throwing money away? Hardly. It's paying for a place to live, even if I can't buy it for a dollar when the lease is up. Most of the world rents. (I know that owning property is the American Dream. But it doesn't interest me these days). I don't mow grass. I don't even own a lawn mower. I don't sharpen lawn mower blades or buy lawn mower gasoline or pay for a lawn mower maintenance agreement for when it breaks. And I don't need to set aside time to mow, though sometimes I will sit and watch the lawn service mow. I don't fix plumbing problems. When my microwave and dishwasher broke, they were replaced with new ones. I do own my vehicle, but for as little as I drive it, I could let it go. I walk to work, and when I go to the library or to a concert downtown, I ride the bus for a buck and I don't fight traffic or worry about parking. And I can read while I ride.
My significant other wants us to move to Italy for a while, but she's saddled with a property that she will have to unload before she's free, and she doesn't think she will get her money back out of it. Getting the place ready to sell seems an almost insurmountable task for her. But we'll get there. Meanwhile, I'm ready to go—right now.
I leased my first plotter and software. It worked out great. The vendor arranged everything. I made a lot of money with that 20-inch machine. But everyone's circumstance is different. And I would say that most of you here are probably smarter than I am about money. That's why my accountant was my 'best friend' when I was in business. My second best adviser was my banker. I quickly learned to not make any major decisions without consulting either of them.
Good luck,
Brad in Kansas City