Lease now or wait for 2014s?

[Berlino]

I agree. Get the best 2 year lease you can get on a 2013, that will get you to Dec 2015 and hopfully a 2016 model.

The California $2,500 rebate is not good enough to justify a three-year lease? (Requires purchase or 3+ year lease.)

 

[asimba2]

The California $2,500 rebate is not good enough to justify a three-year lease? (Requires purchase or 3+ year lease.)

Some members on this site that I respect very highly say the 3 year lease is always a better deal when you include the $2500 rebate. Others say the cost per year ends up the same between the two leases. Part of that is the difference in residual value can be huge between a 2 year lease or a 3 year, like 51% versus 41% on an SV model, respectively, that affects the monthly lease payment.

I think the bigger question is, will you be upset you leased one for three years when there's potentially a modified chemistry battery pack coming mid-2014 and potentially a completely redesigned car coming in 2015? I keep asking myself this question and haven't settled on an answer yet.

 

[IraqiInvaderGnr]

The California $2,500 rebate is not good enough to justify a three-year lease? (Requires purchase or 3+ year lease.)

Some members on this site that I respect very highly say the 3 year lease is always a better deal when you include the $2500 rebate. Others say the cost per year ends up the same between the two leases. Part of that is the difference in residual value can be huge between a 2 year lease or a 3 year, like 51% versus 41% on an SV model, respectively, that affects the monthly lease payment.

I think the bigger question is, will you be upset you leased one for three years when there's potentially a modified chemistry battery pack coming mid-2014 and potentially a completely redesigned car coming in 2015? I keep asking myself this question and haven't settled on an answer yet.

I don't have the luxury of a state rebate (although I do appreciate the $25/year registration fee and no "fuel" tax) but I decided to lease the car then buy it out. I pay significantly less than $7,500 in federal taxes a year so the tax credit would have been next to useless for me. Lease the car Nissan put $7,500 towards the lease on my behalf. Total I will have paid ~31K for the car with an extended warrenty (which if I could do over again I would most definitely not get).

I just don't see paying $9,000-$14,000 on a lease and at the end not to have anything to show for it and plus to have fees to pay associated to returning your car (scratches, damage, etc.). I hope to one day be able to put a battery with more capacity in the car in the far future. I also want to be able to enjoy the car without having to worry about mileage limits. 13,355 miles thus far and it's only been 8 months since I got the car. Planning a 900 mile Christmas trip. Basically I'm using this car whenever and as much as I can. Just my commute alone would add up to about 13,000 miles a year.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[globespinner]

I just leased a 2013 S model in California. $2,000 down and $199 per month came out to $3,200 drive off and 35 payments of $215.00. The residual is $11,928 and the mileage max is 12,000 per year. I will get the $2,500 state rebate but the federal one is built into the lease price.

I was mainly comparing lease vs buy and not 2013 vs 2014. There were a lot of 2013s on the lot so it is possible they will discount them when the 2014s arrive. The minor improvements to the 2014 model did not interest me much as I plan to only trickle charge and would not likely use the navigation much.

It has only been a week but so far I love the car. I installed a dedicated 110 volt, 20 amp GFI outlet in my garage after reading discussions about that topic here.

 

[edatoakrun]

Unless you have a particular need for the slightly longer range, ~6kWh charger, or heat pump, I would advise anyone to buy a used LEAF rather than either buy or lease a new 2013 or 2014 LEAF today.

For ~$15 to $19k you will get virtually the same utility for the next few years, from a well-cared for used LEAF, at a fraction of the TCO of buying or leasing a new LEAF, and taking on the huge depreciation hit of the first two or three years of use.

Sometime between 2015 and 2017 a second gen LEAF will be introduced which will almost certainly be significantly improved over the three-year old gen 1 LEAF design.

And there may even be a competing BEV on the market in the same one-to-three-year time frame that is an even better buy than a gen 2 LEAF.

Who knows, maybe Tesla will actually come through on its promise to produce an "affordable" BEV?

In terms of my own outlook for the first competing BEV producing a significant improvement over my 2011 LEAF, the i3 currently looks most likely-to-succeed. If final pricing/real-world-mountain-range results look good, and DC charging shows up, either with the installation of SAE stations, or availability of a SAE-to-CHAdeMO adapter, I might get interested in the "ultimate electric driving machine "

Not a plug, I don't know the seller or his LEAF, but I think forum the forum ad below is a good representation of the excellent buys in the used LEAF market today:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=14913" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ordered a Model S and want to sell: 2011 Ocean Blue Leaf SLE in San Diego for $17,000
Delivered 4/20/11
~8,400 Miles
EVSE Upgrade 120/240V portable EVSE
Adapters for dryer, welder and RV parks
Climate Control Upgrade
Wet Okole Seat Covers
DC fast charging CHAdeMO port (used 7 times)
Battery capacity gauge shows 12 bars
AHr = 56.46
Kyocera eVent with LEAF Spy Pro
Spare tire with jack
Always garaged
Great condition

 

[MobileEV]

Unless you have a particular need for the slightly longer range, ~6kWh charger, or heat pump, I would advise anyone to buy a used LEAF rather than either buy or lease a new 2013 or 2014 LEAF today.

For ~$15 to $19k you will get virtually the same utility for the next few years, from a well-cared for used LEAF, at a fraction of the TCO of buying or leasing a new LEAF, and taking on the huge depreciation hit of the first two or three years of use.

What's the best way to judge the condition of the battery since that's really the key component of a used Leaf? Perhaps that's covered somewhere on the forum.

I found this one that seems to be in the price range you mentioned.

http://goo.gl/YVrR9t" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Karl

 

[swaltner]

What's the best way to judge the condition of the battery since that's really the key component of a used Leaf? Perhaps that's covered somewhere on the forum.

For the Leaf that you linked to, it still has 12 capacity bars (the skinny bars on the far right of the dash). This means it doesn't have dramatically reduced capacity on its battery. The first capacity bar is lost at 15% capacity loss. Each successive capacity bar is lost at an additional 6.25% capacity loss.

To tell anything more accurate about the battery health (has the batter lost just 1% of its capacity or is it at 14% loss and just about ready to lose the first capacity bar), you would need one of the devices that plugs into the OBDII port and reads the battery's state. Either Leaf Spy (runs on an Android device with an ELM327 reader) or the LeafDD (standalone device) are good options for this.

 

[RonDawg]

Thanks for the pricing info. One other piece of information I discovered, California Assembly Bill 1077, if signed, goes into effect Jan 1, 2014 and reduces the sales tax and licensing of alternatively fueled vehicles. If my brief read of it was correct, state sales tax and license fees will be based on the value of the car after deducting the federal tax credit and state tax rebate, rather than the gross value of the car. I have not calculated how much that will save on a lease, but it could make a substantial difference on a purchase.

Very interesting. In my county (9% sales tax) that reduces the sales tax by $900, and assuming the Leaf you get costs $35k before any government fees and tax incentives, a savings of $65 (21.1%) on the first year's registration.

When spread over 36 months, it's only $25/month, but $900 is $900. You can buy a Clipper Creek HCS-40 and upgrade your OEM EVSE for that kind of money.

Here is the proposed text: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB1077" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; If I'm reading this correctly, sales tax and registration would also be calculated on the value of the car after any trade-in. That would very much encourage you to trade-in your car vs. selling it privately (or even to CarMax or other dealer as a separate transaction).

Given how there is talk of whether we should increase the registration costs of EVs (due to the decline in fuel tax revenues) I'm surprised the state is even considering this at all.

EDIT: has been stuck in committee since last July

 

[KJD]

Any Dealers have the 2014's in stock yet ?

 

[swaltner]

Any Dealers have the 2014's in stock yet ?

I doubt it since http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; still lists the Leaf as a 2013 model year.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i thought about waiting for a 14 as well but have been advised from many sources that deals on 14s will not be coming soon so i checked on how good a deal i can get on a 13 and got a pretty good quote on an S with quick charge, floor mats

15,000 miles, $173 a month on employee discount pricing 36 months. that is an offer i am not sure i can resist

keep in mind the S is on sale right now until dec 31

 

[planet4ever]

Any Dealers have the 2014's in stock yet ?

So far the official 2014 Nissan LEAF Press Kit only includes an "Overview", with a promise that Specs and Pricing "will be available soon."

Ray

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

I was told they won't be available until February. Per, Jan, LEAF salesman (drives one too), at Glick, Westboro, MA. I was QCing at the time, and he knew I wasn't shopping, so don't think it was dealer speak for "buy the 13".

I think Nissan wants to sell off as much stock as they can, like last year, in advance of maybe another price drop?

 

[DaveEV]

15,000 miles, $173 a month on employee discount pricing 36 months. that is an offer i am not sure i can resist

What kind of deal are you getting on your current LEAF?

I think Nissan wants to sell off as much stock as they can, like last year, in advance of maybe another price drop?

I suspect as much myself, given that they were recently bragging about how moving production to the USA has allowed them to continue to reduce production costs.

http://insideevs.com/local-sourcing-of-us-materials-for-nissan-leaf-drives-costs-down-wvideo/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Berlino]

How reliable is insideevs? They reported back in November that Smyrna had already switched over to MY14 production.

Unless they invented or have a unreliable source, MY14s should show up on lots soon.

 

[DanCar]

How reliable is insideevs? They reported back in November that Smyrna had already switched over to MY14 production. Unless they invented or have a unreliable source, MY14s should show up on lots soon.

Samething happened last year. Not sure where the 2014s are being stored. I suspect when they start producing 14s it is in very limited quantity and they do an extra level of testing which takes more than a month.

I expect to find them on dealer lots in February.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

15,000 miles, $173 a month on employee discount pricing 36 months. that is an offer i am not sure i can resist

What kind of deal are you getting on your current LEAF?

I think Nissan wants to sell off as much stock as they can, like last year, in advance of maybe another price drop?

I suspect as much myself, given that they were recently bragging about how moving production to the USA has allowed them to continue to reduce production costs.

http://insideevs.com/local-sourcing-of-us-materials-for-nissan-leaf-drives-costs-down-wvideo/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

no deal, its a lease turn in.

as far as hiding some sort of price cut, I dont think (and its only an opinion) that the 2014 price will be cut at all. but there is a lot of people in the market who are holding off on a purchase in anticipation of getting a better car. and it might be considered better. there are changes but nothing Earth shattering, just a few accessories and such

keep in mind, there is a HUGE difference between getting a 2013 manufactured in Oct verses getting a 2014 manufactured in Dec... it may only be two months on the calendar but when you are negotiating a trade to buy a 150 mile EV in 2017 that 2 months will be VERY valuable

 

[Berlino]

keep in mind, there is a HUGE difference between getting a 2013 manufactured in Oct verses getting a 2014 manufactured in Dec... it may only be two months on the calendar but when you are negotiating a trade to buy a 150 mile EV in 2017 that 2 months will be VERY valuable

It might not show up in an eventual trade, but imagine the difference between the December 2013 manufactured MY14 and a MY13 manufactured in APRIL. I'm impressed by the number of unsold LEAFs in inventory that sport VINs ending in 408xxx. Let's hope they haven't spent the last eight months charged to 100% and left out in the sun.

 

[Berlino]

There is now exactly one 2014 Nissan LEAF S listed on Cars.com


http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...kId=20077&sf1Dir=DESC&aff=national&listType=1

 

[KJD]

Too bad they do not list a price for that 2014.