New, Used, 2016 or wait?

Hi,

I am considering buying one of the following:

USED 2013 SL Leaf with Prem package for $14,500 OTD. Car is perfect but has one bar missing on battery condition.

NEW 2015 SV Leaf for around $28,000 OTD or $18k after state and fed rebate.

NEW 2016 SL Leaf with 30kw battery for around $37,000 OTD or $27k after state and fed rebate.

OR should I wait? I have a Chevy Volt so know about electric cars. Our electric bill is zero (actually NEGATIVE $286 this year as we put more power than we take out) so fuel is zero or negligible. It's a luxury purchase as we have three cars and two drivers. It's more of a novelty to be honest. I like the Leaf for its nimble ride and versatility (the Volt is nice but no back seats and much bigger).

Wondering if by buying used I am saving the hit on depreciation when these things only get 30-40 miles after 60k miles. Any thoughts? Is the 30kw battery worth the premium cost? Has the tech changed to make it last longer? What other differences are there in the 2016? Thanks everyone.

So much depends on what you plan to do with it.
For me, most of my daily driving is less than 50 miles, so any of your suggested scenarios would work.
If you are going to buy it outright (as I did, much to the chagrin of many on these lists), be aware of the astounding depreciation factor.
For me, part of the big gamble on the purchase was that I am gambling that this car will be usable long term. That may or may not be important to you, but for me I needed to have confidence this vehicle would be useful to me in 6 - 7 years or more. I think that it will be, though it will not have the range it does now.
So long way to say, that if it were me I would opt for the 2015 SV if range is not too important to you, and the 2016 if the extra range is needed.
Personally, I would avoid used.

If used get LeafSpy.
If new 2015 check date of manufacture on the body behind the drivers door so you know car hasn't been sitting on a hot lot forever like mine did.
Best choice new 30 KWh, if you think Nissan has gotten it right :roll:


Good luck.

If I get a used Leaf will I get free charging at Nissan dealers? There are several near me with L3 chargers and the thought of a 20 minute top off is appealing. I think I saw somewhere that you can get free charging from Nissan for two years on a new Leaf, but I think that is for commercial chargers (Blink).

The Nissan dealers here that have L3 chargers are not free. The one I know of locally charges $5 for a a quick charge. Their L2 chargers are free.

If I were in the market today here's what I would do....

Option A - Find the best deal I could on a 2015 S w/QC. Why this model and not an SV? Because they both are going to lose money and I'm going to be selling it in a couple years. The S w/QC will likely be OTD about $2-3K less than the SV and has pretty much all of the features I'd care to have (the hybrid heater is the only thing I'd miss, but it depends on where you live). Let's say that you can get that one for $15,500 OTD vs. the $18,000 OTD on the SV. I bet that when you go to sell it (whenever that is) you'll be lucky to get an extra $1000 for the SV over the S, so you'd lose less money on the S.

Option B - Find the best lease deal I could on anything. Spark EV, 500e, Leaf, etc... Preferably around 30-36 months, so that you get the state rebate as well. I've seeing these around for ridiculously low prices in CA. $99-$129/mo with $2500 down (rebate takes care of that).

As far as buying a new 2016 SV... at the price they quoted you? Not a chance! Once the 200+ mi Tesla 3, Bolt, and Leaf2 hit the market in 2017 (for very similar prices as the 2016 SV), you'll be hard pressed to get $15-16K for your used 2016 SV. Even though it has more range than the 2015, it will still look and seem like a dinosaur compared to the new breed of EV.

Another thing to consider is when you will be freed up to buy a new 200+ mi EV. You'll have to get one in the first year they are available (or less) in most cases to get the full $7500 tax credit. Nissan, Chevy, and Tesla, will all be near the 200,000 car cap by then, so play accordingly.

Oh and I wouldn't buy used. Not for that price. Far too high. There's a lot of 2013s that still have 12 bars right now, so I'd be worried. Once the first bar goes, the second is only 6% or so behind. First bar drops at 15% loss, all others at 6.5%.

Oh and what the other guy said above is 100% true! If you buy a 2015, but the freshest car on the lot. Check the mfg sticker. Mine was made in 4/14 and I bought it in 8/14 and it still has lower numbers than I could have. Even if you are buying a new 2015, get an OBD reader and LeafSpy. Find a fresh car(s) and still take a reading at 100% charge. Its the only way to know for sure.

voltiar said:

Hi,

I am considering buying one of the following:

USED 2013 SL Leaf with Prem package for $14,500 OTD. Car is perfect but has one bar missing on battery condition.

Click to expand...

Don't buy this one, for that price it should have no missing bars. My 2013 has 30k miles and has not lost a single bar yet and I bought it nearly a year ago for less than this. It was loaded up with every possible trim option except for leather seats and the different wheel sets.

NEW 2015 SV Leaf for around $28,000 OTD or $18k after state and fed rebate.

Click to expand...

The 2015 will certainly go on clearance, but it better be loaded to the gills with features for that price. As state above, it better only be missing leather seats and the bigger wheel sets for that price.

NEW 2016 SL Leaf with 30kw battery for around $37,000 OTD or $27k after state and fed rebate.

OR should I wait? I have a Chevy Volt so know about electric cars. Our electric bill is zero (actually NEGATIVE $286 this year as we put more power than we take out) so fuel is zero or negligible. It's a luxury purchase as we have three cars and two drivers. It's more of a novelty to be honest. I like the Leaf for its nimble ride and versatility (the Volt is nice but no back seats and much bigger).

Wondering if by buying used I am saving the hit on depreciation when these things only get 30-40 miles after 60k miles. Any thoughts? Is the 30kw battery worth the premium cost? Has the tech changed to make it last longer? What other differences are there in the 2016? Thanks everyone.

Click to expand...

Given the information you have provided, I would go for the 2016 model. More range, more advanced battery pack (at least the new lizard packs seem to be holding up over 1 summer so far). With zero electric bill, you can use the money saved on gas and maintenance to focus all errand trips on the Leaf and the rest of the vehicles will keep low mileage down to retain more gas savings and longer vehicle life. Our family had 4 vehicles when we got both of our leaf(s), now we are down to only 3. Two Leaf, one gas car (just in case) because the Leaf has pretty much replaced all vehicle transportation needs. The gas car, I still drive it once a month to keep the engine from spoiling :mrgreen: It's amazing how much you save on gas, oil, air filters, when you don't have to drive around the ICE. The novelty of the Leaf can quickly turn into utility when used right.

voltiar said:

If I get a used Leaf will I get free charging at Nissan dealers? There are several near me with L3 chargers and the thought of a 20 minute top off is appealing. I think I saw somewhere that you can get free charging from Nissan for two years on a new Leaf, but I think that is for commercial chargers (Blink).

Click to expand...

The NCTC program is only for new, and you have to live in a market where it's offered. Please list your location in your profile.

Option 4: used 2011-12 with a replaced battery or eligible battery. $9k OTD. A year from now trade in for a 200 mile range car. Minimum depreciation loss scenario. Or just wait.

I'd go with a 2015 or 2016 on lease rather than buy. Which one would depend on your mileage needs and how close of a deal you can get between the two. If I were doing it over again, i would not currently buy. Used prices seem really low, range loss is too great (for me) to own more than a few years, and expected range increases in upcoming cars are likely to make selling used even tougher.

I just bought a 2015 in late September and will likely sell in 1-2 years.

I would wait for the 200 mile LEAF, BOLT, Model 3 and possibly others in 2017.

Used 2013 S with charge package can be had for under $10K, at least here in No Cal. I would go with something like that, as you'll see less depreciation than with the other options, but you can be driving electric now.

Yikes on that 2013 SL. I purchased a 2013 SL a few months ago at auction that only had 9,000 miles on it. It was a local car (Portland, OR), which means it's always been in a cool climate. By weird coincidence, I also happened to know the prior owner. Found that out after I'd purchased.

How many miles were on the SL you looked at? You've suddenly got me very nervous about how many miles I'll go before I see the dreaded drop.

Around 22k on the 2013 SL missing one bar.

My choice: cheap 12 SL (one bar loser). Great way to wait for 200+ mile generation. Interestingly enough, this one bar loser manages my 83 mile round trip commute without issues in -10C weather, heat on and everything (yes, I can charge at work) with 20miles to spare at both ends.