Quoted from JodyG:Not necessarily if you do your homework and win the bet on the residual, or buy out a favorable lease when it is over. Or if you are the kind of person who buys a new car every 3 years and lives in a high tax state. You pay all the sales tax up front on a buy, and you only pay sales tax on the monthly payment amount on a lease.
With a trade in MD, you only pay tax on the difference between the 2 cars - so it's the same thing