Creative Consultancy provides cars for its partners. 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 as follows:

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 $$18,200$ 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 $ $4,650$

Repairs, year $12,450$

Repairs, year $26,325$

Repairs, year $38,200$

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 $$60,500$ per year $($with the first payment due at the end of year $1).$ As part of this lease cost, the owner would provide all servicing and repairs, license the cars, and pay all the taxes. Creative Consultancy would be required to make a $$20,000$ 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.

Creative Consultancy's required rate of return is $18\%.$

Click here to view Exhibit $10-1$ and Exhibit $10-2,$ to determine the appropriate discount factor$($s$)$ using tables.

Required:

$($Ignore income taxes.$)$

$1.$ Use the total cost approach to determine the present value of the cash flows associated with each alternative. $($Negative amounts should be indicated with a minus sign. Round discount factor$($s$)$ to $3$ decimal places. Round other intermediate calculations and final answers to the nearest whole dollar amounts.$)$

$2.$ Which alternative should the company accept based on the calculations in Requirement $(1)?$

multiple choice

Purchase of fleet of cars

Lease of fleet of cars