2015 Lease Deals?

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

evyna

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
92
Location
Orlando, FL (UCF)
I'm looking at leasing my first LEAF, so bear with me on my lack of knowledge.

I am hoping to spend around $200/mo on the lease payment. Nissan currently lists a $200/mo with $1999 down on their website for the 2014 LEAF S, but none of my dealers in my local area (Orlando, FL) seem to have the S without QC.

All the dealerships have been filling up with 2015 LEAF S within the last month, but no information on deals for the MY15 have been posted from what I can tell. I'm also curious about what to expect if I want the QC package.

Any information on what to expect, or when to expect the best deals?

Thanks in advance!
 
evyna said:
I'm looking at leasing my first LEAF, so bear with me on my lack of knowledge.
I am hoping to spend around $200/mo on the lease payment. Nissan currently lists a $200/mo with $1999 down on their website for the 2014 LEAF S, but none of my dealers in my local area (Orlando, FL) seem to have the S without QC.
Not sure why you would want a car without QC. It is a very good thing to have in any EV and it is well worth the extra money.

Plugshare does show some QC stations around Orlando.
 
Not sure why you would want a car without QC. It is a very good thing to have in any EV and it is well worth the extra money.

IF you don't need it, and/or it isn't available in your area, it's a waste of money. I got a great deal ($2k down, plus $1k tax, $149/month) on a car without it, and have no regrets. The OP should look for an SV with no QC, wait for the last day of the month if possible, and should be able to get a better deal on the SV than is advertised for the S.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Not sure why you would want a car without QC. It is a very good thing to have in any EV and it is well worth the extra money.

IF you don't need it, and/or it isn't available in your area, it's a waste of money. I got a great deal ($2k down, plus $1k tax, $149/month) on a car without it, and have no regrets. The OP should look for an SV with no QC, wait for the last day of the month if possible, and should be able to get a better deal on the SV than is advertised for the S.

Solid thought right there, and congratulations on the deal. What was the tax for?

The one reason I would want the QC is on the off chance I want to take the car up to my parents' home in Jacksonville. At 130 miles of mostly barren freeway, though, I suspect this trip would be less than fun. But who knows. Worth thinking about.
 
evyna said:
... but no information on deals for the MY15 have been posted from what I can tell....
What do you mean by MY15? I'm an optimist, but I suspect next month a similar lease deal will be offered for 2015 leafs.
 
Yeah, I think the deals will be on the 2014s until they are off the lots. I was told by a salesman to expect 2015 specials to start in the Sept-Oct time frame. Right now the best I've heard for 2015s is mid-$200s for the base model S (sans quick-charge package). I wouldn't get a LEAF without a quick-charger, especially with the 2-years of free charging that is being offered. Of course, if you don't need it (and are SURE that you won't in the next 2-3 years), there's little reason to pay for it.

Note also that 2015s will have cruise control on the S, whereas 2014s do not. One more reason to wait, in case you are tempted by the current specials but value that feature.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Solid thought right there, and congratulations on the deal. What was the tax for?

We lucky New Yorkers get to pay sales tax on the portion of the car's value we pay through the lease.

Ouch.

Overall, it looks like the Leaf 2015 is going up in price. The MSRP is higher, anyway, and I don't have a lot of reason to suspect the lease deals will be the same/better than the current ones. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the prices seem to have had an upward trend since the beginning.
 
Ill have them up for the 2015 by tommarow
DanCar said:
evyna said:
... but no information on deals for the MY15 have been posted from what I can tell....
What do you mean by MY15? I'm an optimist, but I suspect next month a similar lease deal will be offered for 2015 leafs.
 
lstefani said:
Ill have them up for the 2015 by tommarow
DanCar said:
evyna said:
... but no information on deals for the MY15 have been posted from what I can tell....
What do you mean by MY15? I'm an optimist, but I suspect next month a similar lease deal will be offered for 2015 leafs.

Awesome, thank you! I'm in the Orlando area, far far away from Boardwalk, but can I expect them to be more or less consistent?
 
I'm new here, and trying to figure out the deals. I have never leased before, and in fact have never considered buying a new car before, but the EV market seems different enough to make me consider leasing.

I'm looking for an S-trim, preferably with charger package. I would consider 2013, 2014, or 2015.
I've been shopping around dealers near Bridgewater, NJ, and so far the best offer seems to be $2000 down (out the door, no taxes), $230/month for 36 months, residual of 40% ($13,120). That was for 2015 MY. I had some 2014 MY offers that were similar, maybe $200 cheaper total. That puts my 3-year total cost at ~$10,100.

Thoughts on this price? I don't think I qualify for any VPP pricing or anything.

Also, comparing to buying...

One dealer had a "no haggle" price on a 2015 S + Charge Package for $27,410 + DMV charges. I'm sure I can get similar or better deals on 2014s. Nissan USA is offering 0% for 72 months + $3500 cash back on 2014 models. If I'm doing the math right, after 3 years with no downpayment I would have paid (assuming the "no haggle" price) $13,706, with the same amount yet to pay on the loan. I would have received the $7500 federal tax credit.

If I equalize the difference in the 3 year cost for leasing/buying using part of the tax credit, then apply the rest to the loan, I basically have about $10,100 left to pay on a 2014 model in the year 2017, when there will likely be significantly better electric vehicles to purchase.

For what it's worth, my commute is short (~16 miles RT, hilly city driving), and this will be a 2nd car in the family - likely far less than 10,000 miles/year (my best guess is more like 5000 miles).

If I wanted to unload the purchased car in 2017, could I sell it for more $10K? If so, buying is preferred, and that seems like a very low price for a fairly new car.

Buying also effectively gives me $7500 "reverse loan" on the car from the tax credit, which could help us save a downpayment for a home (random side benefit).

thoughts? I know lease/buy is in the end a personal decision, but I welcome your advice. Also, if I lease, do these terms seems like a reasonable deal?

Thanks,
Jeff in Somerville, NJ
 
Don't buy a 2013 or 2014, and make sure that if you buy a 2015 it has the new, heat-resistant battery pack. *Get it in writing.* Salespeople lie.

Do we know yet, folks, for dead certain, that the 2015 has the Lizard Battery?
 
LeftieBiker said:
Do we know yet, folks, for dead certain, that the 2015 has the Lizard Battery?

From what I understand, the Lizard Battery is not officially confirmed. One theory is Nissan doesn't want to admit the battery was ever a problem. The other theory is, obviously, that it doesn't exist.

Lots of chatter about it on these forums. I figure I don't need to worry too much about the degradation if I'm just leasing the thing, though.
 
In that case, the longstanding suggestion stands for a prospective buyer: don't even think about buying a Leaf except as a second car for a commute of less than 40 miles, or a first car for city use only. Lease it!
 
EnvSciTeacher said:
One dealer had a "no haggle" price on a 2015 S + Charge Package for $27,410 + DMV charges. I'm sure I can get similar or better deals on 2014s. Nissan USA is offering 0% for 72 months + $3500 cash back on 2014 models. If I'm doing the math right, after 3 years with no downpayment I would have paid (assuming the "no haggle" price) $13,706, with the same amount yet to pay on the loan. I would have received the $7500 federal tax credit.

My guess is that the $3500 from Nissan is included in the "no haggle" price. Dealers like to play that game. If the $3500 is not included in that price, then it's a really great deal.

IMHO many people (I'm going to make gross generalizations) on this forum are reflexively opposed to purchasing (vs leasing) a Leaf due to a combination of 1) the battery chemistry was really bad in 2011 and 2012 models for places with very hot climates (like Phoenix, Texas, etc), 2) the Leaf was much more expensive then (like $7k), 3) Nissan took way too long to come out with the battery capacity warranty and battery replacement programs, and 4) dealers lied about the range capacity. So all of this bitterness and fear brewed and churned for a few years and they are very risk adverse.

But we know that the battery chemistry has improved in 2013 (some people are reporting much less than expected degradation), again in 2014, and again in 2015. And Nissan now guarantees that the battery capacity will be at least 67% through 60/60,000 and will replace it if it drops below that. And once the warranty is through you can still purchase a replacement battery--and this battery will have whatever advanced chemistry is available at that time, and probably be on the order of $3k or so (my guess for 7 years from now) since battery prices are falling pretty rapidly.

If you purchase you do take some risk. There are a number of uncertainties, such as a lack of 20 year maintenance histories for the Leaf, uncertain duration of the tax credits (which depress resale values while they are in effect), uncertain future gas prices (they will go up, but how much?), uncertain effect on resale values of future cars that have longer ranges (we don't know when those will be released, how long the ranges will be, and what the cars will cost), and advancements in EV technology that bring down prices in new cars (and will bring down resale values in the used market).

My guess is that in 3 years you will get more than $10k for it. In fact, the 2011's are selling wholesale at auction for more than that now, even with the tax credits and the lousy battery chemistry, etc. And since you have a limited commute and it's a second car and NJ doesn't get all that hot, I think it could be a really good option for you.

My choice was to purchase. I'm happy with that decision. If the battery degradation model people in the forum have used is accurate, my expected driving needs will still be satisfied with the original battery 10 years from now. If not, I can decide whether to replace it. And with what I paid for the car after tax credits and cash back and financing, it will still be cheaper than an ICE even if it completely dies and is worth $0 in year 5.1 when most of the warranties have expired.
 
If the battery degradation model people in the forum have used is accurate, my expected driving needs will still be satisfied with the original battery 10 years from now.

This is the crux of the issue. I warn most people not to buy, but actually encourage those with short daily drives (20 miles or less) and no need for longer ones to buy a used or new Leaf. The problem isn't fear or loathing so much as it is the typical number of miles the North American consumer expects to be able to drive. A Leaf with a degraded battery either doesn't meet that number or just barely does so. That makes it, for typical drivers, a bad idea to buy.
 
Part of my concern is that by the time I would get the car paid off (3 to 5 years), Tesla and the other companies will have some serious competition out, which could drive the price of the value of the car down.

That being said, I'm primarily leasing at this point because the payments on a new or used one are outside of my comfort zone right now.
 
LeftieBiker said:
In that case, the longstanding suggestion stands for a prospective buyer: don't even think about buying a Leaf except as a second car for a commute of less than 40 miles, or a first car for city use only. Lease it!
But that is exactly the OP's situation. At 16 mi RT, even a used 2011 with the energy-hogging heater would work (it does for me). Look at used 2011 and you might soon get them for less than $12000 (current dealer auctions are in that range).
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8354&start=260#p380380
Also since the OP is in NJ, heat related degradation won't be a problem, but cold-induced reduced winter range will.
 
Which "OP"? The very first one is considering occasional long trips. The second (page) one is worried about depreciation. In both cases buying isn't a good idea.
 
2015 SV w/QC, floor & cargo mats, cargo net, splash guards, hologram kick plates, 12k/yr

MSRP $35,005
Invoice $33,322 per TrueCar.com
Agreed upon value of vehicle: $31,545.49

I qualify for VPP, but they went below that.

Gross Cap Cost $32,545, includes 170 RMV, 595 Acq, 399 Doc
Cap Cost Reduction: 11,455.32 includes 7500 fed, 1000 LEAF loyalty, 200 one to one
Residual value: $14,352.05 (45.5% of price paid, 41% of MSRP)

Paid at signing: $2,699, includes all taxes and fees, 1st month payment
Base payment: $188.23
Payment with tax: $199.99, 35 more months

I'll get 2500 back in state rebate, so total net cost is $7,198.65
 
Back
Top