Can my possible new (used) Leaf make my 40 mile commute?

[LeftieBiker]

how is the residual vs the sub $10,000 Leafs we are starting to see on the used car market? And how is the total cost of the lease vs total cost of the buy?

Compare my low-mileage, pampered car with a car that must have damage as well as lost bars to be worth less than $10k? OK. I will have paid about $9400 for the lease, IIRC, and the residual is about $18,400, again IIRC. Add those and you get about $28,800 to end up owning the car. The MSRP was about $32.5k, with the rebate lowering it to about $25k. How do you folks think I'd do if I bought it after lease instead of when new? Because that's the real comparison: buying a new Leaf vs leasing and then buying after the lease ends.

 

[johnrhansen]

I bought mine simply because I know the car will last at least 3 years, probably 10. I just want to spend as little time in the dealership as possible. (Except for drinking free coffee while my car is charging). If I lease the car, I know I'll have to deal with those yahoos 3 years later. If I dont like the car, I can sell it. If I only get 10 grand I lose a bit, but it's worth it. I can do anything I want to the car, put as many miles on it as I want, tow a trailer, anything. Really, lease vs buy is only a small potatoes difference when you look at the total new cost of the car. And if you like the car, which is most likely, 3 years later all you need to do is renew your tabs.

 

[rjmm82]

Thanks Leftie Biker, I didn't know about the capacity bars, I will check that out.

I am planning to buy the car on PCP, personal contribution plan. I live in Belfast, N. Ireland. Are most of you from the states? I am not sure if you have similar finance options over there regarding buying cars. Basically you pay in a fixed amount each month for a set number of years (in this case it's £200pm for 4 years) and at the end you either pay a final sum to own the car or they buy it back off you. My idea, as discussed with the dealer, it's that after 2.5 or 3 years I will look at changing the car since the technology is bound to be more advanced so I can upgrade to a newer model, perhaps one that can do 200 miles on a single charge! Sound feasible?

I am so nervous about going electric, I really love the look and drive of the car, but I don't want that to jade my vision! My father is convinced is a gimmick and that something is bound to go wrong...

Anyone had any major problems with theirs?

Thanks again
Rachael.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I am planning to buy the car on PCP, personal contribution plan. I live in Belfast, N. Ireland. Are most of you from the states? I am not sure if you have similar finance options over there regarding buying cars. Basically you pay in a fixed amount each month for a set number of years (in this case it's £200pm for 4 years) and at the end you either pay a final sum to own the car or they buy it back off you. My idea, as discussed with the dealer, it's that after 2.5 or 3 years I will look at changing the car since the technology is bound to be more advanced so I can upgrade to a newer model, perhaps one that can do 200 miles on a single charge! Sound feasible?

Most of us are indeed in the US. The financing program you describe is kind of similar to a lease, but not the same. Here, when the lease ends, you either give the car back or buy it from the financing company for an amount (residual value) agreed upon in the arrangement. There is no dealer buy-back from the lessee. Your plan to lease now and then either lease or buy a better vehicle later is what we usually suggest that people do, as the Leaf's present range and battery durability isn't that great, yet.

 

[DanCar]

I am so nervous about going electric, I really love the look and drive of the car, but I don't want that to jade my vision! My father is convinced is a gimmick and that something is bound to go wrong...

Perhaps the gimmick is that there are many government incentives to make the price lower. Another advantage of electric cars is that they are very simple compared to internal combustion engine. Thousands of fewer parts and less rubbing which means it theoretically could last longer. You will be very happy with the car if understand the limitation of the range.

200 miles on a single charge is overly optimistic. 100 miles on a charge for the same price or for $4k more and 150 mile range, is more likely within a couple of years.