I went through the same consideration before buying mine. I ended up buying cause I want to owe the Viper in the long run and end up with something for my money. I wouldn't do this on some hum drum vehicle. I also didn't find that the monthly payments to owe were that much worse than monthly lease payment amounts.
I think that buying is better if you plan on keeping the car indefinitely. Leasing is better if you only plan to keep the car for a shorter term, like the lease term. Converting the lease to buy at the end of term is a more expensive way to owning, but you can start with smaller payments, let the car depreciation over the term, and then refinance for the balance at the end of the leasing term.
