I have leased, financed and paid cash for all my cars over the years. In Canada, we don't get tax write-offs. We just have to look at the cost of money. Sometimes financing deals are good, sometimes (more rarely however) lease rates are good and if you have the cash and feel you won't do that great in investing, pay for it in cash. When I was cash tight and I did not really know whether I would want to keep the car long term (3-4 years) , I leased because the disposition of the vehicle is pre-determined (and a slightly lower than wholesale rate). If I was cash strapped but wanted to own the car for a little longer than the lease terms (5 - 6 years), I would finance it. If I had the cash and wanted to keep the car for awhile, I pay it off on day one (in Canada, it is a tax advantage to borrow for investments, not for cars).
Another item about leasing - since the buy-back value is pre-determined, that means many things about the car must be in a pre-determined condition (tires, dents, windshield, max mileage, etc). I didn't like this about leasing in general - for me, it was too much risk for me and none on the leaser.
For the Tesla - yes, it is a high tech item - due to change far quicker than normal fossil cars but in my case, I just bought it. I will put a million care-free miles on it for many years OR I may sell it if the mood strikes me. That's my $0.02 worth.
