Purchasing Strategies

Hi everyone - I've been looking to purchase my very first car and the leaf certainly caught my eye. I have a couple of questions about how I would go about obtaining one of these vehicles however.

My current status is that I have a daily commute about 10mi each way, with a level 2 charger near work so I can always "fill up" there. The furthest I would ever go on a regular basis would be about 35mi one way to the city, where there are a myriad of chargers to refill on before heading home (even though I know I could probably make it round trip on one charge, its best to charge everywhere/opportunity you go, no?). As for finances, I've saved up about $14,000.

Now there are a couple of routes I can go here, but my biggest concern/worry is the future proofing of the car. Having read around the forum a lot, there appears to be a lot of hype for the 2016-2018 models from not only Nissan but Chevy, Infiniti, Tesla, ect. While the new models look super snazzy, I need something to hold me off for a while. I was considering...

1) Buying a used 2012-2013 (which is not that much different from the 2015s, right?) for $6-7000, drive it into the ground (which would take about 4-5 years maybe? I guess it depends on how many bars it has lost already), and then pick up a new-er car after those 4-5 years

2) Lease a 2015 for 2-3ish years, then re enter the market for a newer model

3) Buy a new 2015 for $14,000, then replace the battery with a better one once the newer models come out (is this even possible?)

I know that as of right now, I don't really have a need for the 150-200mi range that's being projected for the newer models. However, after I finish grad school in 3 years I don't exactly know what I'd be doing. I'd rather keep my options open, and I'd rather not have to restrict my lifestyle based on the car I drive.

Depends how much money you have and what your goals are.

1) Good for saving money. Would recommend a 2013 over a 2012 because of fewer degradation issues. https://plus.google.com/u/1/+DanielCardenas/posts/6NQ2kh45RXf

2) Suggest wait a few months and lease a 2016 instead. Don't expect lease deals to change much.

3) Lots of incentives now for purchase which means this is a very good deal, of course the good deal is because obsolescence is around the corner. Not a big deal if the car can be upgraded. If you are in California with state incentive, cost can be around $12K. Not the cheapest option but you will be driving something new.

>don't really have a need for the 150-200mi range that's being projected for the newer models.
The next car on the horizon is the 2016 Leaf with 125 mile range for SV and SL trims. Expect the S trim to have 100+ mile range. The 200 mile Bolt will be more expensive when it comes out in a year, base price $37.5k. So I would say the 150+ mile cars are going to be expensive when they come out in a year or more.

A good answer will depend a lot on your location as well as your driving habits. If you are in California, seriously consider the 3 year lease option. Not only will you get the full $7500 tax credit right off the top (rather than wait for it come next tax season, in which case you may not get the whole thing depending on your tax situation), you will get a $2500 rebate from the state. That is unless you make over $250k/year in which case you will get no state rebate at all. However, if you make less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, you will get a higher rebate.

With that CA rebate, your out of pocket cost over the 3 years could well be under $10k. If you are not in California, your state and or municipality may have its own rebates and other incentives.

Now if you live somewhere with no incentives at all, you might be better off buying a used one, which would not be a problem given your $14k budget. I would NOT buy new due to the very steep depreciation, and uncertainty of your living/working situation after 3 years. Your short drive and the availability of charging stations means you can pick up a significantly-degraded-capacity car relatively cheaply, but if you insist (and the car is outside the 5 year/60k capacity warranty) you can always have a new battery installed for $5500 with the old one exchanged.

As far as year, obviously the older/higher mileage the car, the cheaper it will be. The 2013's anecdotally are suffering from less capacity degradation than the earlier cars, and if you are in an area where it regularly dips below 40 degrees in winter the 2013+ SV and SL (but NOT the base model S) do have a less-power-hungry heat pump heating system. But with a 10 mile commute you may be able to get away with an older/base model car even with a degraded battery and below-freezing temps.

elovia said:

1) Buying a used 2012-2013 (which is not that much different from the 2015s, right?) for $6-7000, drive it into the ground (which would take about 4-5 years maybe? I guess it depends on how many bars it has lost already), and then pick up a new-er car after those 4-5 years

Click to expand...

I think it's unrealistic to expect ANY 2013 Leafs now for $6K to 7K. I don't think at dealer only auctions can you get even a base S '13 for that amount, unless it has a issues (e.g. lemon law buyback, salvage, branded title, etc.) And, the dealer will mark it up.

If you know of any '13s that cheap, please point us to the listings. I think $6K-ish could be tough even for a '12.

elovia said:

3) Buy a new 2015 for $14,000, then replace the battery with a better one once the newer models come out (is this even possible?)
new-er car after those 4-5 years

Click to expand...

Where can you buy a '15 Leaf that cheap? If it were that cheap, it'd be a base S. And, if you're buying, you need to pay much more than $14K up front and wait for your $7500 Federal tax credit, and you'd need to have enough tax liability to get the full $7500. State incentives, if any, vary by state.

Also, in most states, you'll also need to pay sales tax, in addition to registration, title, etc. fees.