I'd like to see a virtual show of hands here – who of you out there absolutely adore new cars? If you said yes, then you are not alone, because a lot of people love new cars with the same passion as you do. But they do not like paying more than they should. That being said, you would want to do your homework and check all your options if you are considering car leases as your way to get a new car – should you lease or buy? As you might have learned (the hard way) a few times, there are all sorts of hidden costs involved in leasing a new car. And some of these charges may shock you. Here are a few of these surprise charges.

The monthly lease payment. Do you realize that the so-called Honest John of a car dealer you are transacting with may be an opportunistic leech wanting to suck your blood, of course in a financial sense? That's right. And your monthly payment might have been arbitrarily made up by one of these dealers on the spot just by looking at you and deciding how much money they should charge you. When you get the lease form, be armed with a firing squad's worth of questions and don't stop until you understand why you should be paying such an amount. Let the fine print be a virtual Sherman Tank of a weapon, because it could corner the dealer and allow you to find a better deal elsewhere.

Your car's mileage will mean a lot. This is a ginormous factor. Many people see the low payments and are like, "Hey, I got a lease and I'm paying lower than I would if I were buying!" These people are all fat and happy with their new vehicles, but when the time comes for them to return the vehicle, somebody better call 911 because the charges could give any customer a heart attack. That's right, the charges for excess mileage can be quite substantial. And pretty soon you may be in the red as you see your savings depleted. Watch that odometer whenever you lease a vehicle to avoid these unreal charges.

Lack of equity, anyone? You are considered a car owner when you buy a new car, while the bank owns the note. The amount of equity built on a car lease = ZERO. Your car is basically being rented. Compare the equity costs and gains before deciding on a lease.

Take note that the three costs above are just part of the story, and unfortunately Paul Harvey isn't around anymore to give us the rest of the story. It's up to you to look them up.

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