Car - Buy or Lease / Timing to apply for a TN Visa

I am a Canadian Citizen living in Vancouver, BC. I am moving to California to work in two weeks time (I already have an employer and have all my papers ready). I have the following questions and I would appreciate if any of you can provide some answers.

1. Car - Is it better to buy or lease in the US? I have a car but I will not bring it in the States. I am still debating whether to buy or lease but I am also unsure of our status when it comes to buying or leasing. Any advice?

2. TN Visa application - When is the best time to apply for a TN Visa? My work starts on August 15 but I am thinking of submitting my papers on August 7, the same day I will fly and move to California.

That is all for now. Thanks for the responses.

Definitely buy it, you can't bring it back if it's on a lease because you don't hold the title. And if you need a loan to buy it, get the loan from a bank rather than the dealer so you can get the title to the car. That way you can bring the car back while you are still paying off the loan.

I'm not sure there is any specific regulation governing how early you can apply for TN-1, it seems to be more of a rule of thumb. I'd suggest actually calling the POE in question and actually asking for the Free Trade Officer and see what he says.

Some people on here have said they've got it two weeks prior to the start date on the letter, others have said they couldn't.

Thank you Steve for the quick reply.