And that’s admirable. We’re not trying to insult you.

But we ARE trying to encourage you to broaden your thinking a bit. You can give your wife a good car AND make a smarter financial choice than leasing. You can find a gloriously pristine and very gently-used car that still has a solid warranty and won’t give you any trouble for three years. These cars are tough to find, but they are worth all that effort when you find one. Good places to start might be cars that were leased and returned, or something Certified Pre-Owned. CPO cars are deeply inspected, and are basically as close to new as you can get for a solid used car. Other people have good luck with former rentals, which tend to be maintained meticulously by a corporation (with records to back it up).

Get your wife a solid car, and it will last her a lot longer than 36 months. You know what feels even better than a “nice” new car? One that’s paid-for, clean, and runs like a top. That way, you two can start building your real future, and not be bogged down by endless payments on a rolling depreciating asset. Spend your money on a house, on vacations, on a life. Give her THAT kind of nice.

And whatever you do, stay away from Nissan and Fiat-Chrysler. They won’t even last you 36 months.