Gerald

:) I think J. Paul Getty once said, "Never buy if you can lease," and he made a few bucks. One of the best reasons for leasing is, if you use your car in your business, you will find it easier to deduct the lease payments than to plow into the forms you need to use to depreciate the car. As for buy-out, it depends on the price. Check the online blue book services for the resale value of your car in your area. If it is lower than your buy-out price, and if you are happy with your car, you may be able to talk the dealer into lowering the buy-out. Try to talk to the Sales Manager instead of a salesman.

For auto radios and similar accessories, I highly recommend crutchfield.com. I have bought several radios from them. The products come with detailed instructions, and if you have any problems their tech support is very helpful, free, and easy to reach. The original radio in my 1990 Mercedes 190E recently fried. I replaced it with a Crutchfield Blaupunkt radio with CD player that cost $80. It has much more power than the original factory radio.

If you are really getting 12-13 mpg, there is something wrong with your car. If it is still under warranty, take it to the dealer. I used to be a car dealer, and we loved warranty work. I have the same car that you do, and I normally get 23 mpg in urban and suburban driving with 87 octane fuel. This is superfluous to your serious problem, but here are some ways to improve your gas mileage: 1. Make sure your tires are fully inflated. 2. Get a high-flow air filter (such as K&N). 3. Check the antifreeze component of your radiator. It should not be more than 45%. If it is, use a bulb extractor to remore coolant and replace with distilled water. Then add Water Wetter or a similar product to make your engine run at a lower temperature. 4. Avoid jackrabbit starts. 5. Avoid unnecesary braking--look ahead. 6. Stop using premium fuel. It is an unnecessary expense.