Why would you not lease right now?

[madbrain]

* govt funded 240v free (Blink) charger + $1200 worth of installation free - I paid $300 out of pocket (as install was $1500)

How did you get 1200 worth of installation ? I read $400 off. can you provide the details ?

I called Ecotality and they told me the same, $1200 towards labor in my zipcode in San Jose.

 

[davewill]

* govt funded 240v free (Blink) charger + $1200 worth of installation free - I paid $300 out of pocket (as install was $1500)

How did you get 1200 worth of installation ? I read $400 off. can you provide the details ?

The early locations got $1200 toward install. It may have had to do with additional funding from the local utilities, or they may have just cut it because there's less time left to collect data.

 

[madbrain]

* govt funded 240v free (Blink) charger + $1200 worth of installation free - I paid $300 out of pocket (as install was $1500)

How did you get 1200 worth of installation ? I read $400 off. can you provide the details ?

The early locations got $1200 toward install. It may have had to do with additional funding from the local utilities, or they may have just cut it because there's less time left to collect data.

As of a couple weeks ago they were still offering $1200, where does it say $400 ?

 

[ericsf]

Maybe because the dealers are talking customers out of leasing it:

One of my colleagues was interested in leasing a LEAF. I gave her a ride, told her everything there was to know about it and she was still interested. Still undecided but considering it. So last weekend she and her husband went car shopping. They went to Nissan in Fremont (Automall) and guess what: Those idiots talked them out of leasing a LEAF and they drove out in a brand new Altima!

If customers who walk in the dealership interested in a LEAF are turned off by Nissan, no wonder sales are no taking off in the US.

 

[epic]

just picked up 2012 sl..2900 down,139 month for 39 month lease.the dealer has 29 units left.no 1 is buying them!So, I guess they decided to just give them away.139 mo lease for a 40k vehicle,unbelievable.I figured at pick-up there would be a snaffo.there wasn't.The salesman said they have not sold 1 in a long time ...that is why they took my offer/deal.wasnt realy in the market.But, with that deal I could not pass it up.read the deal on a web site...so,I threw it at them.The salesman said things are bad but he didnt know they were that bad.He asked the powers that be...& they said yes.went on a 4 hour test drive & bought.He said what color do you want)

 

[cwerdna]

Maybe because the dealers are talking customers out of leasing it:
...
If customers who walk in the dealership interested in a LEAF are turned off by Nissan, no wonder sales are no taking off in the US.

Not sure if you caught this, but coach81 (he frequents Priuschat, long story) mentioned at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=216802#p216802" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that his Nissan dealer laughed in his face. :roll:

 

[Herm]

If customers who walk in the dealership interested in a LEAF are turned off by Nissan, no wonder sales are no taking off in the US.

You are assuming dealers want what Nissan wants, dealers are independent 3rd party businesses.. they probably made $200 more selling the Altima.

 

[jon]

just picked up 2012 sl..2900 down,139 month for 39 month lease.the dealer has 29 units left.no 1 is buying them!So, I guess they decided to just give them away.139 mo lease for a 40k vehicle,unbelievable.I figured at pick-up there would be a snaffo.there wasn't.The salesman said they have not sold 1 in a long time ...that is why they took my offer/deal.wasnt realy in the market.But, with that deal I could not pass it up.read the deal on a web site...so,I threw it at them.The salesman said things are bad but he didnt know they were that bad.He asked the powers that be...& they said yes.went on a 4 hour test drive & bought.He said what color do you want)

Was the following everything for your SL lease deal of 39m/36k ?

$2900 init + $139 x 39mo = 2900 + 5421 = 8,321

Any other drive-off fees, taxes, and trade-ins? Give us all the details so we can compare apples-to-apples.

In my area the local dealers are out of inventories this week, which seems a little strange to me given that the Leaf is not selling well around the country, plus Nissan's very aggressive rebates and lease programs.

Which city are you in?

 

[Capt601]

Sounds like a pretty good deal. What city and state?

just picked up 2012 sl..2900 down,139 month for 39 month lease.the dealer has 29 units left.no 1 is buying them!So, I guess they decided to just give them away.139 mo lease for a 40k vehicle,unbelievable.I figured at pick-up there would be a snaffo.there wasn't.The salesman said they have not sold 1 in a long time ...that is why they took my offer/deal.wasnt realy in the market.But, with that deal I could not pass it up.read the deal on a web site...so,I threw it at them.The salesman said things are bad but he didnt know they were that bad.He asked the powers that be...& they said yes.went on a 4 hour test drive & bought.He said what color do you want)

 

[epic]

just picked up 2012 sl..2900 down,139 month for 39 month lease.the dealer has 29 units left.no 1 is buying them!So, I guess they decided to just give them away.139 mo lease for a 40k vehicle,unbelievable.I figured at pick-up there would be a snaffo.there wasn't.The salesman said they have not sold 1 in a long time ...that is why they took my offer/deal.wasnt realy in the market.But, with that deal I could not pass it up.read the deal on a web site...so,I threw it at them.The salesman said things are bad but he didnt know they were that bad.He asked the powers that be...& they said yes.went on a 4 hour test drive & bought.He said what color do you want)

Was the following everything for your SL lease deal of 39m/36k ?

$2900 init + $139 x 39mo = 2900 + 5421 = 8,321

Any other drive-off fees, taxes, and trade-ins? Give us all the details so we can compare apples-to-apples.

In my area the local dealers are out of inventories this week, which seems a little strange to me given that the Leaf is not selling well around the country, plus Nissan's very aggressive rebates and lease programs.

Which city are you in?

Yep, that was the deal.the $2900 included 1st mo payment,any & all fees..some bogus $395 turn in fee at the end==everything:).To me a sweet deal. the dealer has 29 units now in inventory....he says NO one is buyin --no 1!!. I feel preaty good.Im in the austin texas area.

 

[Capt601]

That really seems to be a great deal. Unfortunately no dealer in SoCal will talk to you if you bring them an offer like that. That dealer could get rid of some inventory if he'd sell to us here and ship an entire truckload at once.
Good luck with your new car!

just picked up 2012 sl..2900 down,139 month for 39 month lease.the dealer has 29 units left.no 1 is buying them!So, I guess they decided to just give them away.139 mo lease for a 40k vehicle,unbelievable.I figured at pick-up there would be a snaffo.there wasn't.The salesman said they have not sold 1 in a long time ...that is why they took my offer/deal.wasnt realy in the market.But, with that deal I could not pass it up.read the deal on a web site...so,I threw it at them.The salesman said things are bad but he didnt know they were that bad.He asked the powers that be...& they said yes.went on a 4 hour test drive & bought.He said what color do you want)

Was the following everything for your SL lease deal of 39m/36k ?

$2900 init + $139 x 39mo = 2900 + 5421 = 8,321

Any other drive-off fees, taxes, and trade-ins? Give us all the details so we can compare apples-to-apples.

In my area the local dealers are out of inventories this week, which seems a little strange to me given that the Leaf is not selling well around the country, plus Nissan's very aggressive rebates and lease programs.

Which city are you in?

Yep, that was the deal.the $2900 included 1st mo payment,any & all fees..some bogus $395 turn in fee at the end==everything:).To me a sweet deal. the dealer has 29 units now in inventory....he says NO one is buyin --no 1!!. I feel preaty good.Im in the austin texas area.

 

[madbrain]

Maybe because the dealers are talking customers out of leasing it:

One of my colleagues was interested in leasing a LEAF. I gave her a ride, told her everything there was to know about it and she was still interested. Still undecided but considering it. So last weekend she and her husband went car shopping. They went to Nissan in Fremont (Automall) and guess what: Those idiots talked them out of leasing a LEAF and they drove out in a brand new Altima!

If customers who walk in the dealership interested in a LEAF are turned off by Nissan, no wonder sales are no taking off in the US.

Premier Nissan in Fremont ran out of Leaf's, and I guess they are not ordering any until the 2013 model is out.
So it's no wonder they tried to sell them another car that they actually had ... Too bad they succeeded.

 

[jon]

Last couple days (Oct 25-26, 2012) Sunnyvale Nissan received 7 LEAFs. They were all immediately sold (i.e. leased). If you got your LEAF from them, would be great if you could share with us your exact deal terms.

 

[jon]

Here is the lease deal I signed couple weeks ago at Sunnyvale Nissan:

36m/45k: $3000 (the value of my trade-in) + $250/mo x 35 payments = 3,000 + 8,750 = $11,750 (so, -$2500 from Calif. = $9,250 net cost for 3 years 45k miles)

It's my understanding others here have gotten better deals in the SF bay area about 45 days ago. But Sunnyvale Nissan seems to be selling every Leaf they can get recently so they are not willing to discount further.

We love driving this electric car, especially at this lease price. It's fun to drive, no tail pipe, haven't bought any gasoline for my other cars since I got the Leaf -- a great feeling going electric.

We all understand the battery might degrade significantly after 4 or 5 years, but that's why we lease.

 

[jon]

It's been over 2.5 years since I leased my 2012 Leaf (see my last post above).

After 2.5 years, all things considered, I can say the Leaf is the best car I have ever owned in my life. Briefly, the reasons are: pollute less than 40% of an ICE car, very fun to drive, very reliable, zero maintenance, very cheap to lease and operate. The only issue is its current range, but that will be getting much better soon with the 2017 model.

Knowing my lease will end in a few months, I have kept an eye on what used Leafs are selling for, and about two weeks ago I purchased one (so I won't be leasing a new one later this year). Here are the details of the purchase:

Price: $13,300 (before tax and fees)

Like-new condition silver color model S
Very late 2013 (December) model w/8,000 miles (previous lessee only had it for 15 months for some reason)
Still has 12 bars out of 12
w/ QC, 6.6kW, camera
Nissan Certified Pre-Owned (which means warranty from Nissan for 7 years/100,000)
$13,300 was before tax and fees (out the door it was $14,600)

Had the car for two weeks now and it's perfect. At this price, everyone should consider buying an used 2013 Leaf. Perhaps the title of this thread could also read "Why would you not buy an used Leaf right now?"

If you are considering an used Leaf, be sure to get the 2013 or later model with QC & 6.6kW. 2013 was the first year they had the 6.6kW onboard charger (previously it was 3.3kW). Big difference between 6 hours vs. 3 hours charge time at 220V.

For some reason I think the 2013 drives better than the 2012. I think it's because they improved the Eco mode. The car just feels better to me for some reason in Eco mode, seems the regeneration is slightly stronger when its under 35 MPH.

Can't wait for the 125-mile range 2017 Leaf (or the 125-mile range VW e-Golf) !

 

[TomT]

If I was considering buying used, I'd not buy one that did not have the Lizard battery unless I lived in a very cool climate... That generally means 2014 or later...

If you are considering an used Leaf, be sure to get the 2013 model with QC & 6.6kW. 2013 was the first year they had the 6.6kW onboard charger (previously it was 3.3kW).

 

[mjblazin]

At the same time, you do not want to pay a premium for something that may not matter more than 5% of your driving time. That extra charging rate makes a big difference. You can almost get topped off on an L2 in the time of typical visit to a shopping mall or leisurely dinner. You might see that benefit twice a week, maybe every day. A 2014/Lizard battery will likely command a premium of $5k or more. If you expect to regularly be a range warrior, then it could be worth it. If your drives are 10-20 miles a day, maybe not. If the battery really nosedives, you have the warranty.

ICE's by carrying the equivalent of a large bomb provide perception I can go anywhere at anytime. EVs require you understand your driving patterns and one off alternatives in the maybe rare times you need one. It is something people in business do all the time. Do I need 100%, 97%, 95% or even 90% coverage? You pay a premium for the ad hoc need, but only only when you need it.

 

[jon]

If I was considering buying used, I'd not buy one that did not have the Lizard battery unless I lived in a very cool climate... That generally means 2014 or later...

If you are considering an used Leaf, be sure to get the 2013 model with QC & 6.6kW. 2013 was the first year they had the 6.6kW onboard charger (previously it was 3.3kW).

Thank you for the comment about 2014's Lizard battery. I have not kept up with Leaf battery news and did not know about the Lizard battery.

You probably already know this, the 2013 I just purchased has 10 more miles in range than the 2012. Has anyone heard any thing bad about the 2013 battery?

I live the in the SF Bay Area, my 2012 went down to 11 bars (out of 12) after 2.5 years of use. We never pay any attention to the battery, the car is always plugged in charged to 100% all the time whenever it's in our garage. On average (M-F) we put on about 65 miles per day. After 2.5 years of use we got about 38,000 miles on it. We have about six months left on the lease and will be returning it to Nissan then.

There are not many used 2014's on the market yet, but 2013's are rolling off lease now. A year from today we'll start seeing used 2014's. For now, if one is in the market to lease or buy, I would highly recommend looking at the deal I just posted above -- it's hard to beat those numbers vs. leasing new. Three years from now you will still own the car and can sell it if you want to change.

Personally, I would not buy a new Leaf. Lease new yes, but not buy new. Buying the used 2013 above at $13,300 made sense to me vs. leasing a new 2015.

 

[mbender]

Personally, I would not buy a new Leaf. Lease new yes, but not buy new. Buying the used 2013 above at $13,300 made sense to me vs. leasing a new 2015.

Was the $13,300 before or after the $2,500 state "CVRP" rebate? It does apply to purchases of used LEAFs, no?

 

[jon]

Personally, I would not buy a new Leaf. Lease new yes, but not buy new. Buying the used 2013 above at $13,300 made sense to me vs. leasing a new 2015.

Was the $13,300 before or after the $2,500 state "CVRP" rebate? It does apply to purchases of used LEAFs, no?

$2500 from California is for new cars only. Otherwise you and I can sell a used $100 EV back and forth to each other 1000 times and receive $2.5 million dollars from the state. That would be fun!

This is the web site we go to to apply for the rebate, but it must be a new car (purchased or leased for 36 months or more):

http://energycenter.org/clean-vehicle-rebate-project" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;