Is buying used 2013 SV a good idea?

[jongreen]

So I have a leased Volt that is due back in a couple months. I love driving electric but im not interested in buying my leased volt. This is probably a dumb question on a forum dedicated to the vehicle but I was wondering if it actually makes financial sense to buy a 2013 nissan leaf sv. A dealership near me has one with the premium package for around 12k$ with 15k miles. As much as we would enjoy driving it I am worried these first gens just wont find a bottom and we only keep cars for around 3 years.

My other thought was to get something like a 2005 ish lexus IS or ES until the next gens and the tesla 3 come out.

Using fueleconomy.gov a lexus would cost around 2000 a year to fill up (15,000 miles a year at current prices) vs 500/year for electricity for the leaf. so 3 years thats 4500$ savings in favor of the leaf. but id need a charger at my house. thats 1000$. and if the value of the leaf drops to 5-6k in 3 years the cost of ownership of the leaf is more than the ICE options.

Is this crappy math? am i missing something? Thanks!

 

[keydiver]

You are also missing possible battery degradation, something you probably didn't experience in your Volt. You haven't told us what your commute is like, how fast you drive, and where you live, which can greatly influence the Leaf's usefulness. You also need to test the Leaf's battery capacity with LeafSpy first, to see how degraded it already is.

 

[jongreen]

Thanks for the reply!

I live just outside of madison, wi. The leaf would primarily be my wifes car. she works about 12 miles a way and the easiest way to get there is the 4 lane highway with 65mph speed limits. no stop and go traffic here. we are pretty rural. there is a county road that runs parellel to the highway with 55 mph speed limit. I believe the vehicle is a local trade so no hot climate.

as nice as a car as they are I think I've already talked myself out of it.. If my daughter were 13 instead of 4 i could see it being passed down to her. but with a 3 year turn around I dont think it's the best decision.

 

[RonDawg]

If you only plan on keeping the car for 3 years, why not lease? You can get some crazy cheap lease deals for leftover 2015 models.

Or buy a new 2015 for a very good price, and by the time you claim all the tax credits you could be spending about the same money as that used 2013. Some folks have gotten a Leaf S with quick charge package for a net purchase (not lease) price of around $12k after all government and manufacturer incentives are factored in.

With your wife's commute you won't need a 240 volt charging station unless you need a quick turnaround time for some reason, or want to pre-heat and charge at the same time.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The 2013 Leaf is sort of an 'in-between generation' - version 1.5 if you will. The batteries degrade less than the Japanese-built gen I Leafs, and the design is a bit better, albeit with slightly lower build quality overall. A nice 2013 will be able to do 30 miles a day at 65MPH until you tire of the car. If you are thinking of buying one and reselling it in three years, though, expect to sell it for at least a couple of thousand less than you pay for it.

 

[TimLee]

The 2013 Leaf is sort of an 'in-between generation' - version 1.5 if you will. The batteries degrade less than the Japanese-built gen I Leafs, and the design is a bit better, albeit with slightly lower build quality overall. A nice 2013 will be able to do 30 miles a day at 65MPH until you tire of the car. If you are thinking of buying one and reselling it in three years, though, expect to sell it for at least a couple of thousand less than you pay for it.

The market value drop in three years of a 2013 is more likely to be $5,000 or more.
A lot of 2013 sold at suction in Atlanta yesterday in the $8,000 to $10,000 range.
See:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=20608#p437765

Questionable that 2013 battery is better than 2011 / 2012.
Some people claim that but not much real data and some data shows 2013 degrading cspacity as fast as 2011 / 2012.

 

[tkdbrusco]

If I were you I'd find a good deal on a short 24 month lease on a 2015 or 2016 MY leaf. This would put you at lease end around Jan 2018, which would be just in time for Tesla Model 3, and several months into the production of the Leaf Gen2 or Chevy Bolt. The dust would have settled and also the $7500 federal tax credits would likely still be in effect at that point. If you do a 3 year lease and wait until Jan 2019, you could run the risk of having manufacturers past the 200K limit on the tax credit and could miss out on some of it. Another plug to a short lease is that Nissan is frequently offering significant discounts on people buying lease returns, so if you decide to purchase the car at the end of the lease, you'd likely still get a pretty solid deal. Right not they are anywhere from $3K-7.5K off of residual value. If you're leaning to purchasing at the end of the lease, you may want to shoot for a 2016 SV or SL, which would at least give you the 30kwh battery if you chose to buy the car.

 

[Reddy]

...and we only keep cars for around 3 years. ...

Lease!

 

[LeftieBiker]

The market value drop in three years of a 2013 is more likely to be $5,000 or more.
A lot of 2013 sold at suction in Atlanta yesterday in the $8,000 to $10,000 range.
See:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=20608#p437765

Questionable that 2013 battery is better than 2011 / 2012.
Some people claim that but not much real data and some data shows 2013 degrading cspacity as fast as 2011 / 2012.

The Leafs selling at auction (wholesale, IIRC) for $8k were either S models or an SV with high mileage, correct? The 2013 SV with Premium Package will hold its value better than a previous gen SV, or an S with no charge package. This is especially true for those with low odometer mileage and 12 bars showing. As for the degradation being the same, how many Gen 1 Leafs had 12 bars left after 2.5 years? I've done that long, with two out of three of the Summers HOT, and still have 12 bars and 70 miles of range. Some of the early production 2013s may have gotten the old pack, but most seem to have one that better resists degradation.

 

[TimLee]

... As for the degradation being the same, how many Gen 1 Leafs had 12 bars left after 2.5 years? I've done that long, with two out of three of the Summers HOT, and still have 12 bars and 70 miles of range. Some of the early production 2013s may have gotten the old pack, but most seem to have one that better resists degradation.

Maybe.
But we need a lot more data to be very definitive.