Buy a 2015 Leaf for $11000?

Colorado has a $5000 state tax credit on a Leaf. Combined with the $7500 Federal credit (I pay more than $7500 in Federal Tax per year), that is $12,500.

According to this:

http://www.mygroupenergy.com/group/colorado/news/

Boulder Nissan Will sell a 2015 Leaf S for $23,400, so the net is about $11,000 plus tax and fees.

I thought this was a no brainer until I started researching resale values. Holy cow, you can buy a 2013 Leaf for $10,000? Colorado will give a tax credit on a used Leaf if it has not been registered in Colorado previously, but they use a mystical formula based on the selling price vs. what a "normal" car would cost.


I am 95% sure from reading this forum and other places that I can make a Leaf work for my 40 mile round trip commute. I actually have an EV charging station 100 feet from the front door of the building where i work! I have an unused 220/240V breaker in my breaker box (used to be for a hot tub) so I could install a charger in my garage. I live in a very snowy area, but I would keep my old AWD car that has 160,000 miles to drive on snowy days.

The questions are:

- Does anyone know what the Colorado tax credit would be on a 2013 Leaf assuming I paid $10,000 for it?
- If I can get a Leaf for $11,000 brand new, should i bother with used?

Don't know about the CO tax credits, but I wouldn't bother with used if you can net $11k on a '15. New car, new battery, 40 mile commute, no problem.

Doing a little more investigation, I found that Nissan also gives you $1000 in charging time at a few charging stations. I'll have to look to see if the EV charger in front of where I work participates in the ev-charge.com card deal.

It is kind of a private charger, it is run by a commercial outfit but the building owner asked that it not appear on any websites or directories. I see it in use occasionally. The normal charge is $1 per hour for the first five hours and $5 an hour after that. Ouch. You wouldn't want to forget.

The final kicker is the three years of roadside assistance. At least that way you wouldn't have to have quite as much fear of being stranded.

For only $1000 more get the 2015. The 2015 battery looks like a MUCH better chemistry, and you will easily get that $1000 difference back if you ever sell or trade it IMO.

I just looked, and the charger in front of where I work is a Chargepoint charger which is in the ev-charge.com card program, so I could get $1000 worth of free charge from that. This deal looks better all of the time.

Another question then - my wife's commute is 33 miles each way, but there is a huge elevation change. The commute to her work loses 3000 feet in elevation overall, and of course, gains it on the way back. Speedwise, it would be 15 miles of 45 MPH and 18 miles of 60MPH each way. Does anyone have a sense of whether she would be able to make the round trip on a full charge? It looks like the closest charger to her work would be a mile or so away, so that might be doable - there is also one right on her route home, so that could be a bail out option. She would not have to drive the Leaf, but if it would work, it would save a few bucks over the 20MPG SUV she currently drives.


Does a normal sized road bike fit in the back of a Leaf? What about a mountain bike? It is kind of funny, we are avid cyclists, and the same factors you have to worry about on a bike are at play with the range on an EV - elevation and headwinds could be big factors, as well as the temperature.

keydiver said:

For only $1000 more get the 2015. The 2015 battery looks like a MUCH better chemistry, and you will easily get that $1000 difference back if you ever sell or trade it IMO.

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I did not know the 2015 battery was better. Thanks.

I think the price difference would be more than $1000, because I would get some kind of CO tax rebate on the used Leaf, I just can't find any information on how the rebate is calculated.

But at any rate, I think the $1000 in free charging plus the warranty and "new" factor make the 2015 a better idea.

2015 all the way! $1,000 is not worth down grading to the '13.

It should have no issue with 33 miles, with the elevation change.

The best way to fit a bike into the Leaf is to pull the front wheel. It's not impossible to get one in "whole" but it's a lot harder. You'll want to invest in a piece of inexpensive indoor-outdoor carpeting to protect the car's paper-thin upholstery from the sharp edges.

buy two, sell one to me for $12,000

Get the 15 from Boulder Nissan. I bought my 15 from Tynans in Fort Collins but I think I will go to Boulder for any future LEAF purchases. I met Nigel there when charging one day. He is a true EV advocate and their LEAF specialist. Go talk to him, he can tell you all about the folks in the area and how they use theirs.

As for the bikes, you may want to invest in a roof rack or an inexpensive hatch rack. You can put a huge amount of stuff in a LEAF (including an 8 piece outdoor furniture set and 2 adults) but the interior is not the most robust as Leftie mentioned.

I love driving mine around CO. We take it whenever we can including trips down to Golden to see my son at Mines. With so many DC fast chargers in the area now, it's not even a difficult trip anymore.

There was an MNL member on here that was making a bumper hitch/receiver. I decided to go that route with my Prius, with a Saris bike attachment, and highly recommend it. No more lifting bikes up on to the roof, and no more scratching the hatch or bumper when loading. It also comes in handy for towing my sport trailer with a kayak on it.

Also, the CO tax credit is $6000.

The maximum CO state EV credit is $6000, but for the Leaf it is around $5000. They use a formula based on battery size, so if the 2016 gets a bigger battery it will also get a bigger rebate.

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Income67.pdf

leafdecision said:

The maximum CO state EV credit is $6000, but for the Leaf it is around $5000. They use a formula based on battery size, so if the 2016 gets a bigger battery it will also get a bigger rebate.

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Income67.pdf

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That is correct: the credit should be a bit more than $5000 for a 2015 LEAF.

I agree with the others that the 2015 is a much more compelling deal, thanks to the tax credits. I would also second the suggestion of a hitch-mount bike rack, for example this one:
http://torkliftcentral.com/trailer-hitch-and-towing/ecohitch/nissan/2013-2015-nissan-leaf-ecohitch-stealth

Do you live in Nederland? The LEAF should do fine in Boulder Canyon with snow tires.

It's true that since the prices are down, the calculation for the tax credit is different. I guess it's a good problem to have. Better a $10k cheaper car and lose a bit of the tax break.

I agree with the others that the 2015 is a much more compelling deal, thanks to the tax credits. I would also second the suggestion of a hitch-mount bike rack, for example this one:
http://torkliftcentral.com/trailer-hitc ... ch-stealth

Do you live in Nederland? The LEAF should do fine in Boulder Canyon with snow tires.

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I really don't like to put my bike on a rack. There is no lock that will keep the thieves away in Boulder, so I generally put my bike inside of my vehicle where it is a little safer and out of the weather. Bike theft is rampant everywhere along the front range. I don't mind folding down the seat, removing the wheel, and wrapping the bike in a blanket before putting it in a car, as long as it will fit.

I live in Coal Creek Canyon, which gets more snow and has crappier road conditions than Boulder Canyon. I would put Blizzaks on the Leaf, but no FWD car will make it up my side road in bad conditions. 20% grade, one lane wide, not maintained by the county. The Blizzaks would be for the easy days, I have AWD/4WD vehicles for the other days. I had an Acura RSX for awhile, and it generally sat for six weeks out of the winter due to road conditions. I could get it up the highway to the base of my road all but about 15 days out of the year, but the last stretch to my house is a bit challenging. We had a Prius as a loaner for a month once and with the stock tires, it was comical how bad it was in snow. The traction control kicked in at the slightest hint of slippage, and could not be turned off, which brings up a question, can the traction control be turned off on a Leaf?

leafdecision said:

I really don't like to put my bike on a rack. There is no lock that will keep the thieves away in Boulder, so I generally put my bike inside of my vehicle where it is a little safer and out of the weather. Bike theft is rampant everywhere along the front range. I don't mind folding down the seat, removing the wheel, and wrapping the bike in a blanket before putting it in a car, as long as it will fit.

I live in Coal Creek Canyon, which gets more snow and has crappier road conditions than Boulder Canyon. I would put Blizzaks on the Leaf, but no FWD car will make it up my side road in bad conditions. 20% grade, one lane wide, not maintained by the county. The Blizzaks would be for the easy days, I have AWD/4WD vehicles for the other days. I had an Acura RSX for awhile, and it generally sat for six weeks out of the winter due to road conditions. I could get it up the highway to the base of my road all but about 15 days out of the year, but the last stretch to my house is a bit challenging. We had a Prius as a loaner for a month once and with the stock tires, it was comical how bad it was in snow. The traction control kicked in at the slightest hint of slippage, and could not be turned off, which brings up a question, can the traction control be turned off on a Leaf?

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Yes, traction control can be turned off on a LEAF. I do it on my driveway at times but, although steep, it is nowhere near 20% and our roads here get plowed and sanded promptly. Coal Creek Canyon is a tough commute but that side road sounds difficult.

People do put bicycles in the LEAF. I don't because my mountain bike is so big I'd have to disassemble it and it always has dried mud on it: life on a dirt road. The hatch opening to the LEAF isn't as big as I'd like. If you don't mind the compromise in performance, a folding bike would work well.

If you can live with the take-aways on the stripper S model...it is Positively a No Brainer to buy the New 2015 for $11,000 !

But, if the heat pump and heated seats and quick charge are missing from the S model, you would be better off with an SV.

The New Lizard Battery in the 15, seals the deal in my mind, and probably everybody elses. Colorado must be the only place on the planet to give credits on used cars.

Research the heater !!

Also.. 3 years bumper to bumper and starting from zero with the battery and the battery warranty make this no question at all.

It is always so interesting to me, that the governments think it is a good idea to give free money to people who have it already...
and to the mere mortals not making 100K a year.. well we get the rebate in the form of cheaper used cars . Always living off the crumbs of the rich folks.

This is how we got all those 8000 lb + Tax Dodges ( trucks and suv's) on the road. Millions of them.

blimpy said:

If you can live with the take-aways on the stripper S model...it is Positively a No Brainer to buy the New 2015 for $11,000 !

But, if the heat pump and heated seats and quick charge are missing from the S model, you would be better off with an SV.

The New Lizard Battery in the 15, seals the deal in my mind, and probably everybody elses. Colorado must be the only place on the planet to give credits on used cars.

Research the heater !!

Also.. 3 years bumper to bumper and starting from zero with the battery and the battery warranty make this no question at all.

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OK, I have a question. In looking at the 2015 Nissan website for the Leaf S vs. SV, I have a hard time justifying the $3000 difference.

The "S" deal I am looking at includes the quick charger, so that is not a difference.

The 2015 "S" has heated seats and steering wheel, Bluetooth, a USB port, an MP3 CD player, intelligent key, cruise control.

The advantage of the SV over the S I can see are:

- Heat pump
- 17" tires (a negative IMHO)
- NAV (I use my phone)
- More speakers

What else? I think for $3K I can work around the heater issue, none of the other stuff really matters to me.