The cons are you never own the car for the length of your lease term. you only drive the car for several years (depending on your lease term) then you will need to get into an other lease. Insurance is generally higher coz you will need to get full coverage.
If your bud decided leasing is the right thing for him, you can use websites like edmunds.com to see how much a lease cost for the make and style. or you can use sites like autopromocenter.com that you can look at the available deals from the local dealer, pick out the best one and go from there.
With good credits, you can always get a good deal. just need to be patient to work with the dealers.