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When you purchase a new car you would make a Shehechiyanu. Would you also make a Shehechiyanu if you leased a new car?

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Is it necessarily a given that you'd say Shehecheyanu for a new car anyway? R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi writes (citing Magen Avraham) that "it is not customary to say the berachah on any other things that people use, even gold or silver vessels" (hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=25072&st=&pgnum=757). And after all, a car nowadays is like a horse-and-buggy back then; there's no one, as far as I know, who says that you'd say Shehecheyanu for a new one. – Alex Apr 3 '11 at 17:34
@Alex See Igrot Moshe OC 3:80 – Double AA♦ Dec 18 '11 at 5:44
@DoubleAA, thanks! I wasn't aware of that source. – Alex Dec 18 '11 at 16:16

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This is just my own logic:

Someone who builds or buys a house says shehecheyanu. It was also common to rent houses (long term as well), but the halacha did not extend to that case. So even though owning one's own house gives simcha, a limited usage doesn't qualify for the bracha.

Another interesting take on your question would be a life estate or term interest, where a person is granted usage of a property for his entire life or for a definite term, but the grantors predetermined its final owners after that time.

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Life estates of real property are relatively common. I'd be mildly surprised if I were to find that no posek has written a t'shuva on the issue. – msh210♦ Apr 3 '11 at 4:18

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