Are used Leaf prices going up all over......or just my area?

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jjeff

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2016
Messages
2,862
Location
MSP MN
Has anyone else noticed the prices of used Leafs are several thousand dollars higher now than they were several months ago? I've been watching Craigslist sales(mostly just local dealers) and in my area they seem to be $2-4k more now(and lots less of them) than there was when I bought my second Leaf 2 months ago. I bought my used very clean lower mileage '12SL(albeit missing 2 bars) for $7500(which I thought was a great deal) but it wasn't the only deal at the time. I saw several similar ones going for $8-8.5k and even a couple '12's for $6999. Compare that to the last 4?? weeks where I never see a Leaf under $10k and most $11k+(I'm also not seeing nearly as many '12's, mostly '13+.
I wonder if it's a seasonal thing? Vehicles, especially electric ones tend to sell slower in the winter and once the weather heats up so do sales? I know mine had sat on the lot for a month or more and the larger Nissan dealer I purchased it from had many many similar Leafs, a long row of them at the time, maybe thats why they were discounting them so much but I was just wondering if this is just my area or if they are appreciating in value all over? I'm just glad I got mine when I did, I wasn't really thinking about a second Leaf but the prices were just too good to pass. I mean a $38k+ vehicle with new tires, low mileage and very clean for less than $8k, it was a no brainer for me :D

Thinking about this more, I wonder if the low prices were due to all the '12's coming back from a 3 year lease(the end of '15) so they had a glut and by late winter of '15(early '16) so they were really discounting them to move.....? That might make sense why they were so low and I now rarely see '12's for sale....
 
I would think some of that has to do with the coming off lease thing. Up here in Canada they are pricey but comparatively speaking the new ones are similar priced to the US. We looked at a 2012 for north of 19,000. I think most of the 2011's are around 18000. Brand new they are 31,000.

We bought our SmartED convertible for 21000 in 2015. Most of the used ones on autotrader are at least that and even 2013's are around 16000 or 17000. It would seem cheaper to buy an American car for around 9000 and convert it but that is also about 3000 bucks, and then there is the exchange.

We are still considering the leaf as our second EV to replace our last oil burner but will probably by new when the 2018' s come out with the longer range. I suspect then the older 24KW versions will drop in price significantly.
 
This is what Nissan has been trying to achieve with the lease buyout cash offers: fewer used Leafs on the market, resulting in higher used prices, which in turn prop up new Leaf prices and demand a bit.
 
I haven't noticed prices going up this year. 2013s should be more expensive than 2012s, its a big change to the car while maintaining same appearance. The low point in used prices seemed to be last summer and prices started going up in the fall.

Will be interesting to see if all the interest in the Tesla Model 3 will increase or decrease interest in the LEAF.
 
dm33 said:
I haven't noticed prices going up this year. 2013s should be more expensive than 2012s, its a big change to the car while maintaining same appearance. The low point in used prices seemed to be last summer and prices started going up in the fall.
Yes even when I was seeing the '12's going for ~$8k the '13's were almost $4k more, it's the reason I ended up getting a '12 even though I knew of all the benefits of the '13+. I guess I wasn't really looking last summer but I find it hard to believe they could have been lower than what I was seeing here, mid winter. It's like the '12's have dried up here, although truthfully they were all basically coming from CA, AZ and TX, none of the ones I looked at were MN cars, they were all auto action cars trucked in.
I'm not saying it's good or bad that I see the lack of cheaper Leafs(at least in my area) I plan on holding onto both mine until they die, or the range gets too low to be practical. My dream vehicle is something a fair amount larger(passenger and cargo room) than a Leaf but until that time I'm doing OK with what I've got. Personally I'm not too interested in the Model 3 or even Bolt, the longer range would be nice I suppose but truthfully I'd trade longer range for more room, which neither of those models have.
 
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