You don't always get the option to buy the car at the end, in fact it's probably more common on a lease that they don't give you the option of owning - it so it's exactly like renting a car.
As you're not buying with cash, however you swing it, it won't be as cheap as just buying outright from day 1.....IMO anyway. BUy cash and sell for what it's later worth, the simplest approach, will likely be the cheapest.
In some cases the amount paid on the lease over the term will roughly work out to be the depreciation anyway. 8k over 2 years on a lease, or losing 8k in depreciation in 2 years, works out the same - plus you can keep your money in the bank and keep the interest. This isn't the norm, but they do pop up from time to time...
But again, get all the figures down on paper and see if it actually works for what you want it to do.
Gap insurance on a regular car finance deal (PCP or HP) for a new vehicle can be worthwhile, especially when a premium can be had for ~£150 for 3 years. If you have the car written off after 13 months, the amount owed on the finance could easily be more than the car is worth - leaving you owing the finance company the difference between the insurance payout and the amount owed.
On a lease deal, it's not quite as straight forward - and I'm not too sure how it works as technically you're only liable for the lease payments. But one thing to consider, if you put down a deposit/initial rental of say £2000 and the car gets written off after 3 months, without Gap insurance that initial rental is gone straight away and you're without a car plus £2k out of pocket...
Like you say though, it's a calculated risk - insurance companies will always win out in the long run. As long as the buyer knows exactly what they're liable for, that's all that matters. I feel there's a lot of people out there that don't understand how these deals work before taking them out.
