Serious resale problem with the Leaf

[frank999]

I have a concern regarding the resale value problem of the Leaf. I bought a brand new $35K Nissan Leaf last November (2011) - out the door price was much more. With less than 10K miles, I was recently only able to get offers ranging from $15K to $19K. The car has never been in an accident and like most Leaf owners, it has been babied. No battery problems - and not even a door ding.

I first tried to sell it by myself online for a few weeks, however, I only had one bite and they were not very serious. I later tried to trade it in at the dealership and each dealer contacted numerous Nissan dealers who gave low ball offers as low as $15K. One salesperson told me that Nissan doesn't really want these since they have so many they are trying to sell.

This is not an isolated problem in Phoenix apparently. One dealer did a nationwide search to see what these were going for at recent auctions and I was told that the highest was $20K in Florida.

Yes, I am aware that auctions are much lower than what you can expect to sell it for as a private party. However, my concern is that Nissan doesn't want these back and they are difficult to trade in.

I am in Phoenix. No battery bar problem on my car.


The only hope in getting rid of one is to sell it via private party or sell it to a dealership who will try to sell it themselves.


Anyone else experience this problem or have any concerns?

 

[cwerdna]

I think you should re-title your post.

It sounds like there's nothing wrong w/the Leaf itself.

The resale price on a Leaf is a bit screwy since the assumption is that you're getting the $7500 Federal tax credit. A used Leaf buyer is ineligible for it. Also, some states, like CA have state tax incentives/rebates (e.g. CA had $5K rebate, now only $2.5K).

Is yours a '12 or '11? Which model? Does it have the QC port?

 

[thankyouOB]

we need more information.
where do you live?
why are you selling?

does it have a problem, a past accident?

Leaf sales are local market, unless you are willing to ship it.

most importantly, who believes a dealer, anyway?
a dealer -- you already know they are going to low-ball it, as it is another profit center for them.
besides, there are dealers, from what you can read here, who are not on board with the EV thang.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

another "cant answer the question effectively without knowing your location" thread.

for example if you lived in WA and bought a LEAF for $35,000 besides the $7500 from Uncle Sam, you are tax exempt on the purchase from the state which is basically another MINIMUM $3150 not out of your pocket. so that brings value of a new LEAF to $24,350 on day 1.

add to that normal auto depreciation and ya, $19,000-20,000 is best you can hope for.

 

[cwerdna]

another "cant answer the question effectively without knowing your location" thread.

Yep, location field ought to be mandatory here.

 

[ebill3]

I think you should re-title your post.

It sounds like there's nothing wrong w/the Leaf itself.

Yes, title is very misleading. Maybe something like: Poor LEAF resale value

Bill

 

[Weatherman]

Based on his prior posts, frank999 is a Phoenix resident.

I think it has been pretty well established that resale value for LEAFs in the Phoenix area is in the dumpster, right now.

 

[adric22]

Well, I can assure you if I were in the market for a used Leaf, I'd be willing to pay more than what the dealer was offering. In fact, I usually prefer to buy used cars but in the case of our Leaf and Volt there really weren't any used ones available.

 

[pchilds]

How many bars is it down?

 

[cwerdna]

Based on his prior posts, frank999 is a Phoenix resident.

I think it has been pretty well established that resale value for LEAFs in the Phoenix area is in the dumpster, right now.

If only the location were made mandatory, we would have to do a lot less sleuthing and guessing...

 

[Stoaty]

Sounds like the thread should be titled "Serious Problem Getting Rid of Leaf"

 

[edatoakrun]

="frank999" ...One dealer did a nationwide search to see what these were going for at recent auctions and I was told that the highest was $20K in Florida...

A LEAF buyer today can get a new 2012 for about $25,000, after tax credit and dealer discounts.

How much would you expect a dealer to pay you, for your used (2011?) LEAF?

Buying a new car, and selling within a year, tends to be a very expensive lesson in the reality of depreciation.

="frank999"
...The only hope in getting rid of one is to sell it via private party or sell it to a dealership who will try to sell it themselves...

Well, that pretty much sums up the reality for any car, other than the third option, a convenient vehicle fire, which is probably not going to look nearly so plausible to your insurance company, as it would if you owned an ICEV.

 

[frank999]

Sorry about that. I fixed the title. I also thought everyone could see my location. I am in Phoenix.

It is a 2011 with a QC port. I do not have the battery bar problem.

Does anyone find it concerning that "supposedly" the highest one sold for at auction was $20k in Florida? This is what one dealer found out.

Francisco

 

[cwerdna]

Buying a new car, and selling within a year, tends to be a very expensive lesson in the reality of depreciation.

Yep, but it's made even more strange/odd with the Federal tax credit and state incentives (where applicable). But yeah, being in Phoenix doesn't help now, in light of the capacity bar losses and high temps.

I wouldn't want a AZ or TX based Leaf. Western WA based ones or others that live in a relatively cool climate would be in demand (e.g. city of San Francisco).

 

[Stoaty]

Sorry about that. I fixed the title. I also thought everyone could see my location. I am in Phoenix.

You need to edit your profile (under "User Control Panel" at the top of any page) to show your location.

It is a 2011 with a QC port. I do not have the battery bar problem.

Why do you want to sell a car you bought so recently?

 

[mwalsh]

Well, that pretty much sums up the reality for any car, other than the third option, a convenient vehicle fire, which is probably not going to look nearly so plausible to your insurance company, as it would if you owned an ICEV.

Yeah, a gasoline fire is going to look pretty darn suspicious in a LEAF! :lol:

 

[frank999]

Sorry about that. I fixed the title. I also thought everyone could see my location. I am in Phoenix.

You need to edit your profile (under "User Control Panel" at the top of any page) to show your location.

It is a 2011 with a QC port. I do not have the battery bar problem.

Why do you want to sell a car you bought so recently?

Good question. My driving requirements will be changing.

 

[smkettner]

20k for a used LEAF sounds about right. I paid $25,350 brand new all in. I would not pay more than 20K if it was used... probably closer to 15K. Dealers are currently going as low as $5,000 off msrp. That is right where the market stands today.

 

[cwerdna]

20k for a used LEAF sounds about right. I paid $25,350 brand new all in. I would not pay more than 20K if it was used... probably closer to 15K. Dealers are currently going as low as $5,000 off msrp. That is right where the market stands today.

But yours was an '11 w/a lower MSRP and you got the $7.5K Federal tax credit and $5K CA CVRP, right?

But yeah, I've seen the $5K off MSRP pricing you're talking about now.

 

[ztanos]

A new 2012 LEAF here in Georgia gets the benefits of the $7500 credit and then another $5000 GA credit. Factor in that they are selling for $5k less than MSRP right now and you have less than a $20k car with practically no miles on them. So I would say that $20k for a used 2011 is great.