Goodbye Leaf, Hello Volt

So, after a little over 6 years and 2 Leafs, I'll be returning the Leaf I've in a couple of days as the lease gets over. I got a Volt LT lease for $1k down and 190 per month as stop gap till I get Tesla Model 3 - sometime in the next 12 to 24 months.

I've been wondering what to buy to replace Leaf for a long time. I've considered at various points
- BMW i3 (suicide doors)
- RAV 4 EV (difficult warranty repairs in WA)
- Merc B class (where are they?)
- Soul EV (Kia doesn't transfer lease, has only 3 year lease)
- Chrysler Pacifica (big, wife not ready for it)
- Bolt (expensive)
- C-Max Energi (EV range too low)

That final decision was surprising, even to myself. It essentially came down to money and boredom.

- Only GM does a clean lease transfer. With Nissan I'd still be responsible. Hyundai & Kia don't even let you transfer lease.
- I could return the car (and pay out the rest of the monthly payments) - but that could be quite expensive if Model 3 happens to come closer to 1 year than 2.
- Bolt is just too expensive currently to lease in WA. It would be more than double that of Volt/Leaf.
- Though I've done 2 lease extensions I could still extend under the Leaf2 program. But my Leaf has some 12V battery problems I'd have to get corrected out of pocket - it dies if left undriven for a couple of days.
- I could get a 2 year '17 Leaf lease. But lease transfer is difficult - moreover I'm bored with Leaf.
- Now that Volt '17 has 50 mile range, it covers vast majority of my weekday & weekend driving in electric mode. So it makes it a viable "REX" for me.
- GM has $3k off for "conquest sales" coming from Nissan Leaf lease (and others as well). That got the Volt lease for me cheap enough.

I can relate- the only difference is we now have both. Also used the Asian Competitive Lease incentive to get a good lease deal on a Volt LT (well, good by Virginia non-CARB standards- we don't nearly the incentives of the CARB states). So the Volt is what I'm driving every day whereas my wife drives the Leaf.

I'd be curious on your impressions once you spend some time with it. Rather different than the Leaf in terms of driving dynamics, and much more to my liking. More infotainment capability is nice, but it's also rather buggy so far. Less cargo room and certainly less rear headroom, but those don't matter much to me.

Keith

I did exactly the same thing! But what I wasn't expecting is just how much I and my wife like the Volt!

evnow said:

So, after a little over 6 years and 2 Leafs, I'll be returning the Leaf I've in a couple of days as the lease gets over. I got a Volt LT lease for $1k down and 190 per month as stop gap till I get Tesla Model 3 - sometime in the next 12 to 24 months.

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evnow said:

- Only GM does a clean lease transfer. With Nissan I'd still be responsible. Hyundai & Kia don't even let you transfer lease.

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Do keep in mind that you can't transfer in the first 6 months or the last year. So you have a good 1.5 year window to make that happen is your Model 3 (magically) comes through in a reasonable period of time.

Keith

HornsKeith said:

evnow said:

- Only GM does a clean lease transfer. With Nissan I'd still be responsible. Hyundai & Kia don't even let you transfer lease.

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Do keep in mind that you can't transfer in the first 6 months or the last year. So you have a good 1.5 year window to make that happen is your Model 3 (magically) comes through in a reasonable period of time.

Keith

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OP's deal sounds attractive, but since I don't know what a 'lease transfer' is I'm also left wondering what OP will do if the Model 3 is available before the Volt lease ends.

FWIW, I'm also waiting for a Tesla Model 3 and decided to supplement our LEAF with a Prius Prime since we are a two car family. In large part due to federal and state tax credits, I am pretty confident I'll be able to sell the Prime when the Model 3 arrives for more than I paid for it, I like the Prime a lot for what it is, and I appreciate the flexibility of not caring when the Model 3 arrives. And of course if I change my mind about the Model 3 I am not then scrambling for a second car.

A lease transfer is when someone else takes over your lease. It's also called a "lease swap."

LeftieBiker said:

A lease transfer is when someone else takes over your lease. It's also called a "lease swap."

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Ahh ... thanks.

Since OP lives in a big city that is probably Volt friendly and the monthly payment is low, his plan sounds reasonable so long as he stays within the mileage restrictions. A possible wrinkle that occurs to me would be if GM has a lease return fee. OP may have to eat that amount to tempt someone to take over the lease.

Usually when you transfer a lease you have to eat the down payment, there is a transfer fee, and sometimes you have to give them some cash. Once it's transferred, though (except with Nissan) the car is no longer your responsibility.

SageBrush said:

Since OP lives in a big city that is probably Volt friendly and the monthly payment is low, his plan sounds reasonable so long as he stays within the mileage restrictions. A possible wrinkle that occurs to me would be if GM has a lease return fee. OP may have to eat that amount to tempt someone to take over the lease.

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Check swaplease.com - see if there are Volts advertised and for what price in your state. As long as you can get a lease below that price, it should work out.

Enjoy the Volt. A little variety is a good thing!

HornsKeith said:

Do keep in mind that you can't transfer in the first 6 months or the last year. So you have a good 1.5 year window to make that happen is your Model 3 (magically) comes through in a reasonable period of time.

Keith

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This is what swaplease says.

Leases cannot be transferred in the first 60 days or the final 90 days of the lease term. General Motors Employee leases cannot be transferred in the first 6 months of the lease period. To be eligible for a lease transfer, the vehicle must be clear of any open recalls. If there is an outstanding recall that the manufacturer currently does not have an available remedy for, the vehicle is not eligible for transfer until that recall is completed. Please visit safercar.gov for information on your vehicle’s status.

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evnow said:

So, after a little over 6 years and 2 Leafs, I'll be returning the Leaf I've in a couple of days as the lease gets over. I got a Volt LT lease for $1k down and 190 per month as stop gap till I get Tesla Model 3 - sometime in the next 12 to 24 months.

I've been wondering what to buy to replace Leaf for a long time. I've considered at various points
- BMW i3 (suicide doors)
- RAV 4 EV (difficult warranty repairs in WA)
- Merc B class (where are they?)
- Soul EV (Kia doesn't transfer lease, has only 3 year lease)
- Chrysler Pacifica (big, wife not ready for it)
- Bolt (expensive)
- C-Max Energi (EV range too low)

Click to expand...

Not sure what VW does for leases in PNW but you may have also considered an e-Golf; comparable size-wise, more realistic range indicator, much more fun to drive than my LEAF ever was -- also noticed no Fiat 500e but they're quite small, REALLY cheap leases in CA (low as $49 to $69/mo) but perhaps harder to lease transfer.

I also needed a stop-gap EV while waiting for the Tesla Model 3 (now will more than likely wait for the AWD version for the Midwest winters) but wanted more flexibility so bought a (very low miles) used '15 e-Golf (they don't currently sell or lease these out here) and traded the '12 LEAF in. I've leased cars in the past; just always seem in the long run it costs you more -- as always, depreciation is still the most costly part of car ownership so low monthly lease payments and the ability to easily transfer it may be less costly.

If you can drive primarily in the EV range of your new Volt that's great as well as if it would be easy to transfer the lease --- best of luck with it while we both wait for the M3 !

redLEAF said:

Not sure what VW does for leases in PNW but you may have also considered an e-Golf

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VW sells the eGolf in Oregon, but for some reason not in Washington state. They will not go "50 state" until the extended range version comes out later this year.

Having owned a recent VW I'm not sure why some consider an eGolf as viable.

Range, price and specs; Meh

Then add in the insta fail interior it ends up no more compelling than a 500e .

Maybe VW will change in the upcoming years but today beyond the shape and looks of the car not much to like

rmay635703 said:

Having owned a recent VW I'm not sure why some consider an eGolf as viable.

Range, price and specs; Meh

Then add in the insta fail interior it ends up no more compelling than a 500e .

Maybe VW will change in the upcoming years but today beyond the shape and looks of the car not much to like

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Because it's far more enjoyable to drive than a Leaf (I should know, I had one for 3 years) and the interior seems to be of higher quality. I've had my car for 21 months now and I'm not seeing the signs of wear (particularly the driver's side upper seat bolster, and the driver's side carpet areas not protected by a mat) that I was seeing in my Leaf at the same period. The doors don't sound tinny when you close them, unlike with the Leaf.

Plus it doesn't scream "ECO!"; unless you know what clues to look for, you wouldn't be able to tell it from an ICE Golf. I've had co-workers ask me as little as two weeks ago why I don't "drive electric" anymore :?:

The big "IF" with VW's is reliability. Just last month I had the A/C pressure sensor switch fail on me, replaced under warranty. I never had that problem with my Leaf, but the Leaf is not a 100% infallible car either, as many posts here can demonstrate.

rmay635703 said:

Having owned a recent VW I'm not sure why some consider an eGolf as viable.

Range, price and specs; Meh

Then add in the insta fail interior it ends up no more compelling than a 500e .

Maybe VW will change in the upcoming years but today beyond the shape and looks of the car not much to like

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+1 on RonDawg's comments -- I've only had my e-Golf since the end of December and have been quite pleased with it; only glitch has been VW's choice of telematic support with their CarNet system for EV settings , etc., its working again, really only use it now for % charging, has more settings than the first gen LEAF ever had. We had a few more mild temp days and I'm showing 106 mile range at 90% charge; this would have been impossible with the first gen LEAF -- as far as the comments on the interior 'fail', not sure what you mean -- on the LEAF, I had the driver's power window constantly work slowly due to lubrication?; not sure why but Nissan always said it was 'fine' after a few shots of silicone, luckily didn't have to use it much but was always annoying -- and then the rear hatch struts needed to be replaced after the first year -- lastly that poor excuse for 'carpeting' in the LEAF would do something funky and simply look like a pilled sweater and their choice of interior plastics, although better than the base Versa that they gave me once while my LEAF was being serviced was way below what you'll see in VW's Golf series. As far as pricing; all new commuter range EV's seem to suffer higher depreciation rates than ICE's but I made that work to my advantage in buying used -- this will be my 7th VW and other than an '09 Routan which was a poor choice on my part (was basically a rebadged Chrysler T&C Minivan) I've always been happy with them, sorry you didn't have the same experience -- moot point anyway for this thread for the OP

redLEAF said:

Not sure what VW does for leases in PNW but you may have also considered an e-Golf; comparable size-wise, more realistic range indicator, much more fun to drive than my LEAF ever was -- also noticed no Fiat 500e but they're quite small, REALLY cheap leases in CA (low as $49 to $69/mo) but perhaps harder to lease transfer.

I also needed a stop-gap EV while waiting for the Tesla Model 3 (now will more than likely wait for the AWD version for the Midwest winters) but wanted more flexibility so bought a (very low miles) used '15 e-Golf (they don't currently sell or lease these out here) and traded the '12 LEAF in. I've leased cars in the past; just always seem in the long run it costs you more -- as always, depreciation is still the most costly part of car ownership so low monthly lease payments and the ability to easily transfer it may be less costly.

If you can drive primarily in the EV range of your new Volt that's great as well as if it would be easy to transfer the lease --- best of luck with it while we both wait for the M3 !

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We don't get e-Golf, nor 500e. Definitely would have looked at it.

In terms of cost - if I need to sell a used car I got in a year - I'd probably lose more money. With Volt, I'd be spending total of $3k, including registration & tax. And it is a new car. Since we pay sales tax for used EVs here (almost 10%), it is unlikely I'd pay less than this when I buy/sell used EVs.

The ice VWs I've encountered give about 3 good years then trim pieces peel, places people sit become impossible to clean, passenger side door would not unlock unless the driver got in and pulled the handle once to unlock twice to open, glovebox failed twice first handle then hinges , all this ignoring the continuos ice and drivetrain issues that VW called maintenance that shouldn't be possible on ev. We also could not get the front end aligned correctly, always chewed up tires irregularly.

Maybe VW has gotten its act together.
But VW was the most expensive to own ICEV I've ever had.