Question

The Riteway Ad Agency provides cars for its sales staff. In the past, the company has always purchased its cars from a dealer and then sold the cars after three years of use. The company’s present fleet of cars is three years old and will be sold very shortly. To provide a replacement fleet, the company is considering two alternatives:

Purchase alternative:

The company can purchase the cars, as in the past, and sell the cars after three years of use. Ten cars will be needed, which can be purchased at a discounted price of $25,000 each. If this alternative is accepted, the following costs will be incurred on the fleet as a whole:

Annual cost of servicing, taxes, and licensing	$	4,100
Repairs, first year	$	2,000
Repairs, second year	$	4,500
Repairs, third year	$	6,500

At the end of three years, the fleet could be sold for one-half of the original purchase price.

Lease alternative:

The company can lease the cars under a three-year lease contract. The lease cost would be $60,000 per year (the first payment due at the end of Year 1). As part of this lease cost, the owner would provide all servicing and repairs, license the cars, and pay all the taxes. Riteway would be required to make a $10,000 security deposit at the beginning of the lease period, which would be refunded when the cars were returned to the owner at the end of the lease contract.

Riteway Ad Agency’s required rate of return is 19%.

Click here to view Exhibit 13B-1 and Exhibit 13B-2, to determine the appropriate discount factor(s) using tables.

Required:    

1. What is the net present value of the cash flows associated with the purchase alternative?

2. What is the net present value of the cash flows associated with the lease alternative?

3. Which alternative should the company accept?

Answer 1

Solution 1 & 2:

Computation of Present Value of Purchasing and Leasing option - Riteway Ad Agency
Particulars	Period	Amount	PV Factor	Present Value
Purchasing Option:
Purchase price of Car	0	-$250,000.00	1	-$250,000
Annual cost of Servicing, taxes and licensing	1-3	-$4,100.00	2.140	-$8,774
Repairs - Year 1	1	-$2,000.00	0.840	-$1,680
Repairs - Year 2	2	-$4,500.00	0.706	-$3,177
Repairs - Year 3	3	-$6,500.00	0.593	-$3,855
Sale Value of Car	3	$125,000.00	0.593	$74,125
Present Value of Buying Option (A)				-$193,361
Leasing Option:
Annual lease payment	1-3	-$60,000.00	2.140	-$128,400
Security deposit	0	-$10,000.00	1	-$10,000
Return of Security deposit	3	$10,000.00	0.593	$5,930
Present Value of Leasing Option (B)				-$132,470

Solution 3:

Company should accept lease alternative as same is having highest NPV.