Also for tax and accounting reasons. Leasing is basically paying for the projected depreciation over the lease term. In the US, you can write off the entire lease payment at tax time. When the lease is up, you return the item and lease new equipment. If you bought the equipment, you can write off a pre-calculated depreciation amount, but are stuck trying to recoup the cost after the useful life is up. For tax reasons, it MUCH easier to just lease.