golfcart
Well-known member
I am just going through this exercise in my head now and was curious what other leaf owners think or have done.
I have a 2015 Leaf S with 43,000 miles on it. My latest leafspy stats show 83% SOH and 52AHr on the battery. I just dropped my first bar last week. I have a 52 mile round trip commute and a child with activities a few days a week. Right now I can manage pretty well but it is getting tight on some cold days to get the kid after work and get them where they need to go without having the charge first (which is not always an option).
I don't think there is any chance of me getting my battery replaced for free based on my rate of degradation current my commute which will likely cause me to hit 60,000 miles sometime in late 2019 or early 2020.
I originally paid $23,400 for the car with the QC Package and Winter Package. That came out to $15,900 after the tax rebate. We financed at 0% so this car didn't really cost me that much.
Here is my dilemma... Do I unload the car now while I can get about $10k for it or just drive it until it can no longer make my commute in the winter and sell it/trade it in then (which will likely be the 2019/2020 winter).
If I got $10k for the car early in 2019 (which I think I could) I would have spent $5900 net for 3 1/2 years of maintenance free driving. That is pretty great in my opinion. I could use that money to put towards a 2018 SV with winter package and tech package that has been sitting on the dealer lot for the last year (assuming it's still there). Then, given the 40kWh battery pack and 8 year warranty, never have to worry about range again. Even if the battery dropped to 60% in 8 years I'd still be able to get to work and back no problem. Plus I'd get the pro-pilot, hybrid heater, android auto, e-pedal, etc...
If I hold on to the current car, I risk the vehicle becoming a real hassle for me sometime next winter and having questionable resale value at that point. I mean, who wants a car that only goes 55 miles in the winter (probably 45 if you turn the heater on)?. I suppose at that point I could trade it in on a 2019 or used 2018 but I am unsure how much resale I will lose between now and then. Given the number of other EV and PHEV options coming out it just makes me feel like the GEN1 leaf is gonna look like a dinosaur soon and nobody will want it.
I guess my final option is just drive it into the ground and QC it on my lunch break every day once the range gets to low. That is probably the cheapest since the dealership is right by my office and I can charge for free since I bought it there. That just sounds like it'll get old real quick.
Any thoughts? Anyone sold a 2015 recently or upgraded from a GEN1 leaf to a GEN2 leaf? If so, do u think it was a good choice? What would y'all do in my situation? There are no bad opinions, I am just mulling over my choices and would appreciate any input.
I have a 2015 Leaf S with 43,000 miles on it. My latest leafspy stats show 83% SOH and 52AHr on the battery. I just dropped my first bar last week. I have a 52 mile round trip commute and a child with activities a few days a week. Right now I can manage pretty well but it is getting tight on some cold days to get the kid after work and get them where they need to go without having the charge first (which is not always an option).
I don't think there is any chance of me getting my battery replaced for free based on my rate of degradation current my commute which will likely cause me to hit 60,000 miles sometime in late 2019 or early 2020.
I originally paid $23,400 for the car with the QC Package and Winter Package. That came out to $15,900 after the tax rebate. We financed at 0% so this car didn't really cost me that much.
Here is my dilemma... Do I unload the car now while I can get about $10k for it or just drive it until it can no longer make my commute in the winter and sell it/trade it in then (which will likely be the 2019/2020 winter).
If I got $10k for the car early in 2019 (which I think I could) I would have spent $5900 net for 3 1/2 years of maintenance free driving. That is pretty great in my opinion. I could use that money to put towards a 2018 SV with winter package and tech package that has been sitting on the dealer lot for the last year (assuming it's still there). Then, given the 40kWh battery pack and 8 year warranty, never have to worry about range again. Even if the battery dropped to 60% in 8 years I'd still be able to get to work and back no problem. Plus I'd get the pro-pilot, hybrid heater, android auto, e-pedal, etc...
If I hold on to the current car, I risk the vehicle becoming a real hassle for me sometime next winter and having questionable resale value at that point. I mean, who wants a car that only goes 55 miles in the winter (probably 45 if you turn the heater on)?. I suppose at that point I could trade it in on a 2019 or used 2018 but I am unsure how much resale I will lose between now and then. Given the number of other EV and PHEV options coming out it just makes me feel like the GEN1 leaf is gonna look like a dinosaur soon and nobody will want it.
I guess my final option is just drive it into the ground and QC it on my lunch break every day once the range gets to low. That is probably the cheapest since the dealership is right by my office and I can charge for free since I bought it there. That just sounds like it'll get old real quick.
Any thoughts? Anyone sold a 2015 recently or upgraded from a GEN1 leaf to a GEN2 leaf? If so, do u think it was a good choice? What would y'all do in my situation? There are no bad opinions, I am just mulling over my choices and would appreciate any input.