KillaWhat said:
The only time I had to take mine in for a problem was when the TPMS light would stay on. It turned out the cabling for my dash cam was causing interference, so it wasn't Nissan's fault. Otherwise I've had zero issues with the car.
Help.. would you buy a 2012 or lease a 2015 ???
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The only time I had to take mine in for a problem was when the TPMS light would stay on. It turned out the cabling for my dash cam was causing interference, so it wasn't Nissan's fault. Otherwise I've had zero issues with the car.
I would go with a new 2015 for sure. My 2015 has nearly 10K miles on it with nearly zero degradation, and I've already been through one summer with it. The new lizard batteries are living up to their promise. Depending on where you live, you could buy a new 2015 S w/QC for about the same price as this guy is asking for his 2012. In CA there are enough rebates and tax credits to get the price below $16K for a purchase. And there are also some killer lease deals around. I'd suggest you lease unless you will be significantly over the mileage.
LightningLeaf
Well-known member
I would go with lease a 2015 model also.
A tip about car dealerships. They are only interested in selling what is in stock and sell it TODAY! I am sure that $179 lease car does not exist.
Best time to buy or lease is the last weekend of the month. So on that Saturday start looking at dealer inventory on the web and confirm it on Nissan USA website also. If it fits your choice of color and options. Then email them with stock number and ask for the best price. Make sure you mention that if the price is right the car can be driven away TODAY!
So check Mossy Nissan, Pacific Nissan etc. I got mine at Temecula Nissan at invoice price. Which is reasonable since dealers do have to make a profit.
The difference between buying a used and lease a leaf is only few thousand dollars over the life the car after all the rebates and tax credits. I read on this forum that Nissan is deducting $5000 off on residual value if you purchase at the end of the lease
A tip about car dealerships. They are only interested in selling what is in stock and sell it TODAY! I am sure that $179 lease car does not exist.
Best time to buy or lease is the last weekend of the month. So on that Saturday start looking at dealer inventory on the web and confirm it on Nissan USA website also. If it fits your choice of color and options. Then email them with stock number and ask for the best price. Make sure you mention that if the price is right the car can be driven away TODAY!
So check Mossy Nissan, Pacific Nissan etc. I got mine at Temecula Nissan at invoice price. Which is reasonable since dealers do have to make a profit.
The difference between buying a used and lease a leaf is only few thousand dollars over the life the car after all the rebates and tax credits. I read on this forum that Nissan is deducting $5000 off on residual value if you purchase at the end of the lease
cwerdna
Well-known member
Yes, but there's no guarantee that anyone leasing now will receive this down the road. I only learned of '12s receiving around late 2014 or so. I only heard of '13s receiving this offer less than a month ago... and yes, I also am eligible for this.LightningLeaf said:
ishiyakazuo
Well-known member
Here's the math I employed in my decision:
I found a '12 SL for $12500, and have seen others for sale in my area for similar prices. Let's assume I get a deal on a lease: zero down (after gov't incentives) and $150/mo. for 36 months. That means I'll be paying $5400 for the lease. Now, when the lease is up, if I wanted to buy the car, I'd still probably have to pay around $13-15k to purchase it from Nissan (maybe more for an SL). I bought a car that was 2.5 years old, which means that the car has probably a good 4-5 years left before it gets to 70% capacity (in my area). At that point, I will pay $5750 or so for the new battery, or less, if the tech continues to get cheaper and Nissan decides to charge less for the replacement.
Therefore, in my personal situation, I probably get an extra few years of usability out of it by buying a used one vs. leasing and then purchasing. Of course, the states' incentives vary wildly, and so you'll need to see what works for you in your situation. You might end up with a lease that is even more favorable, but eventually these subsidies will go away, and when that happens, the residual might increase.
I found a '12 SL for $12500, and have seen others for sale in my area for similar prices. Let's assume I get a deal on a lease: zero down (after gov't incentives) and $150/mo. for 36 months. That means I'll be paying $5400 for the lease. Now, when the lease is up, if I wanted to buy the car, I'd still probably have to pay around $13-15k to purchase it from Nissan (maybe more for an SL). I bought a car that was 2.5 years old, which means that the car has probably a good 4-5 years left before it gets to 70% capacity (in my area). At that point, I will pay $5750 or so for the new battery, or less, if the tech continues to get cheaper and Nissan decides to charge less for the replacement.
Therefore, in my personal situation, I probably get an extra few years of usability out of it by buying a used one vs. leasing and then purchasing. Of course, the states' incentives vary wildly, and so you'll need to see what works for you in your situation. You might end up with a lease that is even more favorable, but eventually these subsidies will go away, and when that happens, the residual might increase.
chuck101
Active member
Also consider the battery capacity warranty. In this case, 2 missing bars at 13k miles.
Good chance that battery isn't going to make it to 60k miles within the threshold Nissan has set for free warranty battery replacement.
Of course, you will have to be able to live with reduced range until such time as the battery is degraded enough to get the free replacement. This would be the perfect scenario, the planets would have to align and you would have to be willing to take the risk and be patient but it is damn possible and win win.
Good chance that battery isn't going to make it to 60k miles within the threshold Nissan has set for free warranty battery replacement.
Of course, you will have to be able to live with reduced range until such time as the battery is degraded enough to get the free replacement. This would be the perfect scenario, the planets would have to align and you would have to be willing to take the risk and be patient but it is damn possible and win win.
kubel
Well-known member
$10,000 is the typical value of an off-lease 2012-2013, and even that's a bit too much. $9,000 for 30,000 miles and 11 or 12 bars is probably reasonable.
VTLeaf
Active member
Just bought a 22k 2013 SV w/QC from Carmax for 13k. 12 capacity bars. Wanted to go elsewhere and haggle but the car's exactly what I wanted, they ship them to you, and doubt I'd've beaten that price by much. Now's a great time to get a 13 off lease!
CloverLeaf
New member
New to the forum as well. We just bought a 2012 SL with 9800 miles on it, all 12 bars, and a few paint chips for 12.5k.
The math just made more sense for us than leasing or buying new.
The math just made more sense for us than leasing or buying new.
DesertDenizen
Well-known member
I live in Tucson, so leasing just makes sense. Now I have a 2015, so I can see if the Lizard battery really makes a difference..CloverLeaf said:
ishiyakazuo
Well-known member
Yeah, I think it generally works out as follows:
- If you live in a northern state, buy used.
- If you live in a southern state, lease.
- If you live in a northern state, buy used.
- If you live in a southern state, lease.
fooljoe
Well-known member
The only way I'd consider buying a used 2011-2012 is if it was already down to 9 bars and still eligible for the capacity warranty. And I'd take LeafSpy to it to make sure it's close to dropping that 9th bar and not just coming off losing the 10th. Then charge it up to 100% and park it in the hot sun for a while and enjoy your new battery! 
ishiyakazuo
Well-known member
... because you're in California, so... yeah.fooljoe said:The only way I'd consider buying a used 2011-2012 is if it was already down to 9 bars and still eligible for the capacity warranty. And I'd take LeafSpy to it to make sure it's close to dropping that 9th bar and not just coming off losing the 10th. Then charge it up to 100% and park it in the hot sun for a while and enjoy your new battery!
