2014 or 2015 Purchase or Lease Advice

This is where I am at with respect to quotes.

New 2014 SV for $21,500 OTD (this does NOT include Federal Credit and CA state rebate) = effectively $10K, am I missing something?
2015 S w/QC for $276 per month (includes taxes), $0 drive off, 36 months, and 15k miles (still qualifies for CA state rebate)

Any advice on which deal is better?

sejinski said:

This is where I am at with respect to quotes.

New 2014 SV for $21,500 OTD (this does NOT include Federal Credit and CA state rebate)
2015 S w/QC for $276 per month (includes taxes), $0 drive off, 36 months, and 15k miles

Any advice on which deal is better?

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All depends on your situation but here is my 2 cents. I would not buy a 2014 or 2015 Leaf. I would say lease the 2015 S/QC and try to get this number as lower as you can.

inphoenix said:

sejinski said:

This is where I am at with respect to quotes.

New 2014 SV for $21,500 OTD (this does NOT include Federal Credit and CA state rebate)
2015 S w/QC for $276 per month (includes taxes), $0 drive off, 36 months, and 15k miles

Any advice on which deal is better?

Click to expand...

All depends on your situation but here is my 2 cents. I would not buy a 2014 or 2015 Leaf. I would say lease the 2015 S/QC and try to get this number as lower as you can.

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Even though effectively it's $10K. I guess it's going to depreciate drastically over the next 3 years.

sejinski said:

inphoenix said:

sejinski said:

This is where I am at with respect to quotes.

New 2014 SV for $21,500 OTD (this does NOT include Federal Credit and CA state rebate)
2015 S w/QC for $276 per month (includes taxes), $0 drive off, 36 months, and 15k miles

Any advice on which deal is better?

Click to expand...

All depends on your situation but here is my 2 cents. I would not buy a 2014 or 2015 Leaf. I would say lease the 2015 S/QC and try to get this number as lower as you can.

Click to expand...

Even though effectively it's $10K. I guess it's going to depreciate drastically over the next 3 years.

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That's what you will see if you check the auction/sale price of 2012-2013 models. Newer gen of cars will have a significantly higher battery capacity and most people would want that and resale of this gen would be harder.

Now, I did see someone wrote that they'd prefer buying as their daily commute was less than 30-40 miles and they thought they would use this car for at least 5-7 years. Even with projected diminished capacity this would still serve their needs. So, in the end you need to see what your need is and what works for you.

My requirements are to get the HOV sticker and save on fuel costs. I have access to charging stations at work. My round-trip commute is 60 miles.

sejinski said:

My requirements are to get the HOV sticker and save on fuel costs. I have access to charging stations at work. My round-trip commute is 60 miles.

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Having a charger at work is a huge plus. The battery used for 30 miles of drive to work would be replenished within 2.5 hours or so (assuming it is Level 2 EVSE). That makes the decision harder. If you see yourself driving the same car for 5-7 years, I'd buy. Plus buying a SV gives you some bells and whistles (which you may or may not care about ).

Though given that this is a 2014 model, I'd try to get the best possible pricing....specially with the 2016 SVs rolling in (those have 107 mile range per charge compared to 84 miles on the 2014 model).

Do you think I can better than $21,500 OTD for it? Maybe $19K? Don't want to submit an unreasonable offer.

Keep in mind that the 2014 will have a less degradation-resistant battery pack than the 2015. This means that at some point in the future you will probably *have to* charge at work with the 2014, as opposed to just having the option.

Ok, that's helpful advice. Looks like leasing is the way to go. Do you think the deal I was quoted is aggressive?

LeftieBiker said:

Keep in mind that the 2014 will have a less degradation-resistant battery pack than the 2015. This means that at some point in the future you will probably *have to* charge at work with the 2014, as opposed to just having the option.

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I was under the impression that MY2014 had the new battery and that is why MY2013 was short. Maybe I'm wrong.

sejinski said:

Ok, that's helpful advice. Looks like leasing is the way to go. Do you think the deal I was quoted is aggressive?

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The national ad says $200 per month with $2400 down. Let's round it to monthly payments to compare apples to apples. Divide $2400 down by 36 (months).... $67 per month. Add $200 (and about $16 in tax on $200). Total comes to $283 per month. Now this is without QC and for 12K miles. So your deal for $276 incl taxes w/QC and 15K miles sounds better than national. Can it get any better? Doesn't hurt to ask . If they need to move it, they'll make all sorts of deals.

Don't forget that a new car will come with a "No charge to charge" card for 2 years. Since you won't have a use for it (you have charger at work), I'll buy it from you. ha ha

Would be nice to know regarding the battery question? Cause I think I can get the dealer to go even lower than $20,000 OTD on the 2014 SV.

Thanks for the lease comparison to the national deal. I think I can shave another few buck per month, so good to know that I already have something decent in writing. Also, I still qualify for the CA state rebate. Sorry, but I need the card cause my work charges for use of the chargers.

sejinski said:

Would be nice to know regarding the battery question? Cause I think I can get the dealer to go even lower than $20,000 OTD on the 2014 SV.

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I am new here so will need to rely on the experts around here. I just took over the lease of 2014 S with the assumption that it 2014 had the new battery. But even if it doesn't I just have less than 2 years to go.

sejinski said:

Also, I still qualify for the CA state rebate.

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Yes, you will.

inphoenix said:

sejinski said:

Would be nice to know regarding the battery question? Cause I think I can get the dealer to go even lower than $20,000 OTD on the 2014 SV.

Click to expand...

I am new here so will need to rely on the experts around here. I just took over the lease of 2014 S with the assumption that it 2014 had the new battery. But even if it doesn't I just have less than 2 years to go.

Yes, you will.

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I just read another thread in this forum where another member had told me that 2015 has the new battery. My apologies for providing incorrect info earlier. Since I was taking over the lease for less than 2 years, it wasn't that important a factor for me.

MY 2013 and 2014 both have the same somewhat-improved pack, while starting in MY2015 Nissan used the so-called "Lizard battery" that is more heat resistant.