Lease or Buy?

Hi everybody! I've search the forums, but didn't find anything specifically mentioning lease vs buy.

I'm looking into a Leaf. Right now we spend too much money on fuel because the wife does a lot of stop and go, run around driving. (home to home depot back home, forgot something, back to home depot now to michael's back home... need this go to grocery store back home .. sigh )

Saw some good deals on Leaf's coming off lease, but after reading around I'm concerned about battery life. (One day I'll figure out how to tell the battery bar thing )

Would it be a good idea to buy a 2012 Leaf for $15-$20k - looking at the SL with QC? Or lease a 2013 S for $199/month ($2k due at signing, 12k miles a year, 3 years) and let someone else take the hit on the batteries. I'm usually a buy it and hold it until the wheels fall off (or your teenage kid totals it :? ). Leasing may be a better option now though if in 5 years the battery will not get me more than 50 miles.

I live in NC, so we get cold and hot - but not AZ hot or Chicago cold for extended periods.

Thank you for any input.

Peter

Lease it now, get the tax credit up front, then at the end of three years if it looks like the right thing to do buy it out.

Thanks LTL. My only concern with lease then buy is that it is a base S model. The buy option is an SL.

For those interested, here are the terms (not sure what it all means yet)
$2k at signing, $199/month, 12k miles/yr, 3yrs
The MSRP is $29,650, net cap cost is $19,281, acquisition fee is $595 and residual is $12,157. The tax and fees are not included.

If it's the QC port you're after, you can get an S or an SV with the QC port option. If you want the hybrid heater and B mode, you can get that in the SV as well, with or without the QC.

A 2013/2014 SV with the QC/LED package will have everything a 2012 SL will have except for fog lights, auto on/off headlights, Homelink, and a rear cargo cover (this last one can be ordered as a separate accessory from your dealer). But it will also include things that were not available prior to model year 2013 (B mode, hybrid heater for better range in winter, on-board charger moved to the front so you have a bit more trunk space).

the 6.6kw charging is a game change when requiring a charge on the road. i wouldn't consider an EV without that and QC. It makes your life easier and lets you enjoy the fast and fun ride the Leaf provides.

I wouldn't bother w/the '12.

'13+ has nice improvements here and there such % SoC meter, dedicatd heater on/off button and optional 6 kW on-board charger (part of charge package on S and standard on '13+ SV and SL). Yes, 6 kW OBC is great when charging on the go or to reduce the amount of time your car occuipies an L2 station.

I wouldn't bother w/'13 S either since it doesn't have cruise control and doesn't have the more efficient hybrid heater. The resistive heater on the '11 and '12s was known to be a power pig and slow to heat, besides having some apparently vexing behavior (heater may run when you just want air).

As for the CHAdeMO (DC FC) port, w/the not-so-good DC FC infrastructure in the Bay Area, I originally felt that me getting the QC + LED package was a total waste of money, at least the QC port. My thoughts have changed a bit now. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=360359#p360359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

If you're going to lease, put $0 down. If the car gets totaled, you won't get any of your down payment back.

Hold out, I bought my 2013 Nissan LEAF SL with only 7,900 miles on it for $25,500. I just kept watching the local dealer inventory and online to find a good deal and found my LEAF. I was initially thinking about leasing a new 2014 model but with Nissan coming out with the $100/month leasing of new battery pack deal if mine ever goes bad. Well I figured I would just go ahead and buy mine.

jhaberberger said:

Hold out, I bought my 2013 Nissan LEAF SL with only 7,900 miles on it for $25,500. I just kept watching the local dealer inventory and online to find a good deal and found my LEAF. I was initially thinking about leasing a new 2014 model but with Nissan coming out with the $100/month leasing of new battery pack deal if mine ever goes bad. Well I figured I would just go ahead and buy mine.

Click to expand...

J - can you elaborate more on the $100/month lease of the battery pack?

Thanks!

peterm said:

jhaberberger said:

Hold out, I bought my 2013 Nissan LEAF SL with only 7,900 miles on it for $25,500. I just kept watching the local dealer inventory and online to find a good deal and found my LEAF. I was initially thinking about leasing a new 2014 model but with Nissan coming out with the $100/month leasing of new battery pack deal if mine ever goes bad. Well I figured I would just go ahead and buy mine.

Click to expand...

J - can you elaborate more on the $100/month lease of the battery pack?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Peterm, that was a trial balloon floated by Nissan last year to address the issue of replacing depleted Leaf battery packs. As trial balloons go, it went over about as well as the lead variety and Nissan seemingly has gone back to the drawing board on how to handle the whole situation. In the meantime there is no real assurance what replacement options may be available for owners of older leafs or at what price. The only assurance for now is that if you lose more than 3 bars in 5yr/60k miles they will "fix" it (meaning get you back to at least the 9 bar level). This uncertainty is a significant part of why many advocate leasing instead of buying... if Nissan hasn't come up with some kind of solution to this in three years when the lease is up, providing a known cost to replace the pack with either the same or improved battery technology, hand the car back to them.

peterm said:

J - can you elaborate more on the $100/month lease of the battery pack?

Click to expand...

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13331" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm a new (late January) Leaf owner. I originally came looking to buy a used one, but found the price of a new lease, then buying the car at the end of the lease, made the most sense.

I think you can get a better price than what the dealer is offering. Probably something like $0 down, $199 per month for an S with the quick charge package, and buyout of about $13,000. Maybe even better. So after 3 years, you will have spent $7,200 (36 x $200) plus $13,000 (buyout) = $20,000. More than your used one costs now, but you will have had 3 years use of the car, you will have a newer, better car, you'll have had 3 years of warranty and you still have the option of giving it back. Much better buy, I think, than $15 - 20K today for an older car.

My driving patterns sound similar to yours, and I am very happy I got the 6.6 charger. A few times I've driven well over 100 miles in a day, charging the car while I'm home. It would have been hard with a slower charger.

Thanks everyone for the input. Maybe I'm doing too much research but have now found a:
2014 SL w/premium package, $32k out the door (then minus the $7500 tax credit).

Thoughts? I can't seem to find the good lease deals you people on the WC get

Peter