Poll : The official 2013 "Did you Lease or Buy?" thread

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Did you buy or lease ?

  • My First Leaf : Bought

    Votes: 174 39.5%
  • My First Leaf : Leased

    Votes: 239 54.2%
  • Not my First Leaf : Bought

    Votes: 7 1.6%
  • Not my First Leaf : Leased

    Votes: 21 4.8%

  • Total voters
    441
Leased a 2013 SL, no prem sound and no cam, I did get the DC charger port ( not sure how much that will get used. I think the car came to 34k and leasing at 320 a month with 2500 down.

Not sure if its the best deal, but its cheaper than what I was paying for gas and HOV to and from work. Love the whole EV thing

- wait stopped by Poway and did DC charge so that was cool. Need more in SD and it will be worth it..

Hope others are enjoying as much as I am.. :lol:
 
I leased a 2013 Leaf S for two years.

Numbers that I used to make my decision:

$310/month all-in (15,00 miles/year, GA one-time "ad valorem" & sales tax, $0 down payment, $7,500 Federal tax credit included)
Gas = $3.50/gal
Miles driven/month = 1,250 (I actually drive that or slightly more given a 30 mile one-way commute)
Gas mileage = ((25*.75) + (15*.25)) / 2 = 22.5 mpg (assuming 75% of time replacing Accord miles and 25% replacing Suburban miles)
Gallons month = 56
Gas cost/month = $196
GA Tax credit = $5,000
Code:
Total lease payments   $7,440
- GA Tax credit       ($5,000)
                      -------
                       $2,440 <=== Ultimate out of pocket cost of lease

Effective lease $/month  $102
- Gas cost/month        ($196)
                        -----
                         ($94) <==== Money saved each month!

Total money saved over life of lease = $2,256
Purchasing wasn't seriously considered given pace of technology change and the fact that I effectively make $100/month by leasing this car. And, my numbers are conservative since it might reduce the Suburban mileage more than estimated. We'll see!
 
SuwaneeGALeaf said:
I leased a 2013 Leaf S for two years.

Numbers that I used to make my decision:

$310/month all-in (15,00 miles/year, GA one-time "ad valorem" & sales tax, $0 down payment, $7,500 Federal tax credit included)
Gas = $3.50/gal
Miles driven/month = 1,250 (I actually drive that or slightly more given a 30 mile one-way commute)
Gas mileage = ((25*.75) + (15*.25)) / 2 = 22.5 mpg (assuming 75% of time replacing Accord miles and 25% replacing Suburban miles)
Gallons month = 56
Gas cost/month = $196
GA Tax credit = $5,000
Code:
Total lease payments   $7,440
- GA Tax credit       ($5,000)
                      -------
                       $2,440 <=== Ultimate out of pocket cost of lease

Effective lease $/month  $102
- Gas cost/month        ($196)
                        -----
                         ($94) <==== Money saved each month!

Total money saved over life of lease = $2,256
Purchasing wasn't seriously considered given pace of technology change and the fact that I effectively make $100/month by leasing this car. And, my numbers are conservative since it might reduce the Suburban mileage more than estimated. We'll see!

Also in GA here and you summarized this nicely. For once, the high state taxes here allow us to get something back with the state incentive... Hopefully you can sell one of your petro-burners to use that capital to increase your return. Maybe the Accord? Very reasonable GA tax free bond funds will earn maybe 6% so every $10k in capital you pull out of autos goes to your pocket at $50 more per month. I'm sure I'm not the first person to consider this of course! Just thought it would make you feel even better. ;-)
 
Lease:

3 years
1800.00 down plus first month
199.00 / month
Upgrades to S model: 6kw charger, cam, floor mats, splash guards taxes : 249/mo

Sucha deal....whata bargain
 
Just wanted to say "Hello" and thanks for all the great info.
Just purchased a 2013 Black SV with all around camera and Bose system. Loving it so far. I leased for two years, thinking that the technology will change and I will have more options at that point.
I'm planing on doing the EVSE upgrade soon, but still using the L1 for now.
 
Took delivery of a SL w/ Premium last night. It's a purchase.

This is our 3rd Nissan and we have had very good luck with our cars. 1st of a '94 Altima (first owner) that lasted 17 years and 225K miles. 2nd is '07 Altima (first owner). With the Leaf taking over as the primary commuter, we expect the '07 Alty for another 7-8 years or maybe 10.

With Seattle's climate being so mild, we don't see a problem with Battery life so we went ahead with the purchase.
 
I leased because I wanted to support the tech, but yet the battery was still in question. Not Just Nissan's support, but will it fill my needs?

With my last 6 months of EV driving, I will definitely be buying next time. Will it be Nissan? I don't know. Around the time My lease will be up, both Tesla and GM are aiming to have a $35K EV that does 200 miles. I know, i just said i could live with the leaf range, but if for a few thousand more i can double my mileage, I will.
 
Just leased at 2013 SV + LED/QC this past Sunday. Purchasing was originally considered since we are a "pay cash for cars" kind of family. But made an exception in this case due to 1) Feeling that more EV choices with longer range will be available in 3 years and 2) concerns over capacity loss with a long term ownership.
 
We leased our '13 SV in March, 2 year lease. Here are our reasons not to buy in order of importance:
- battery degradation
- technology improvements & range
- insurance against resale value loss

...as also stated with most other posters on this topic. Lease terms: $296/ month, $2500 up front, $400 backside, 15K miles per year.
We don't anticipate any major tech improvements until around 2016 so unless something totally unforeseen happens, although we love our Leaf (its high quality and performance continue to amaze after 9 months of driving), and are now thinking about a Honda Accord hybrid, which gets Prius mileage with Acura comfort. I'd rather have a Tesla but economics intrudes. If it comes down to a decision between a true 200-mile EV and the hybrid AT A SIMILAR PRICE, I'll go with the EV since I feel climate issues are real.
80 miles is just too confining and there are no public charge stations in our area. Also there are the
Ford, Toyota and others coming on line soon. Wake up Nissan, better not count on current battery tech or you will lose!
 
36 month lease…2013 SV...

When i leased the vehicle i had heard of the battery degragation issues in AZ (where i live), but for some reason i thought it was after 5 years of use - to my horror - this link "http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Real_World_Battery_Capacity_Loss" proved me wrong...If all goes according to previous Leaf owners in AZ, i am looking at a
battery replacement 14-29 months out…Not to mention, at a 2-bar loss i will be pushing my commute to work without having to charge. At 3-bars, i will need to commute to work in my
ICE Vehicle until the 4th bar loss occurs…

Bottom line - I am not happy about having to pay an extra $100 per month for the replacement battery on top of my lease payment - but i am happy that after 36 months, i can hand over the keys and say "thank you very much" to the Nissan dealership…Then go to the nearest BMW (i3) dealership or http://www.teslamotors.com.." onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

I'll stay faithful to EV's - I just think Nissan has done a disservice to us folks in hot weather climates…
 
Purchased 2013 Nissan Leaf S. Figured in San Diego we should be okay as far as climate conditions.
Also, the california-lead EVSE program & the $7500 credit / $2500 rebate really helped sweeten the deal for us.

Thanks to the EVSE charger install, we're driving our leaf about a solid 80-90 miles a day (on two separate trips).

There are quite a few EVSE chargers scattered across the county too, which is a plus. Great experience so far. We're just trying to practice good charging habits (by only taking it to 80%) but sometimes that can be hard since we live in north county, anywhere we want to go is usually 10+ miles south of us.
 
I leased my 2013 Leaf and posted the numbers here:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=11245&start=1850#p355858" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm really not sure why anyone would choose to buy, given the fact that you can purchase the car outright at the end of the lease.

--Carter
 
Not sure why people buy it right now here is the math:

invoice price : 37240.00(SL, 2014)
1) buy price : 34526.00 lease : 26326.00 (16385.6 if you bought at end of lease).
2) both with 3500 down, assume if you buy, you got 7500 FED tax credit, so we could put it in first month payment for buy option.
buy, monthly: 608.11(60)1.9%, lease : 300.37(36) 2.9%.
3) reverse calculate, got the total amount you need pay to drive:
buy, total pay: 38281 lease : 30229(with 7500 credit).
4) 3 years interest pay:
buy, about 1000, after you put 7500 in first month payment.
lease : 468.

so the price difference from buy to lease = (38281 -7500 + 1000) - (30229 + 468) = 1084 US$.
when you buy at the end of lease, you'll probably pay 500US$, so you win 584US$ when lease.

ok, forgot tax when you buy it in 3 years, its 1500$ more for tax.
 
crabasa said:
I'm really not sure why anyone would choose to buy, given the fact that you can purchase the car outright at the end of the lease.

One point: If you buy the car after the lease by financing instead of just writing a check, you are not be eligible for 0% financing. You could probably get 1.9% financing on the residual, because it is then considered a pre-owned vehicle. So that adds cost compared to purchasing up front, with the prevalent 0% financing offers available today.

souledgeii said:
Not sure why people buy it right now

I bought rather than lease because it was less expensive over the long term. The following were my options and math:

2014 Leaf S with Charger package.

MSRP: 31,400 (in Los Angeles)
Sale Price: $28,413 (after negotiating down using Costco prices and TrueCar prices)

--------------------
Buy:
-$2500 Nissan Cash back
-$2500 CA Rebate (will receive in September)
-$7500 Fed Tax credit (will receive next year with tax refund)
+$2,956.37 Sales tax, destination charge, license registration fees, documentary fees, etc.


Net out of pocket cost after car is paid off: (6 years)
$18,869.37


0% financing over 72 months. (a zero percent loan is essentially free money)

-------------------
Lease:
Reduced the capitalized cost by $8200 (this includes Nissan's $7500 tax credit passed on to the consumer, plus $700 just to sweeten the deal.)
Resulting in a lease offer of:

$3500 drive-off (including a down payment, all fees, tax on the passed-on fed tax credit, etc.)
$188/month 36 months (including taxes etc.)

Out of pocket cost after 3 years:
$10,368

-$2500 CA rebate

Net out of pocket cost after 3 years including rebate:
$7,768

Residual (cost to buy after lease is up in 3 years):
$13,000.

Net cost of leasing for 3 years and then purchasing (writing a check for the residual):
$7,768 + $13000 =
$20,768
-------------

So, to sum up:
Net out of pocket cost to PURCHASE:
$18,869.37

Net out of pocket cost to LEASE for 3 years and THEN purchase:
$20,768

Savings of purchasing up front compared to leasing-then-buying:
$1898.63

Other point:
--If you didn't want to purchase the car at the end of the lease, then your costs for the leaf would be only $7,768 over the 3 years. But after that you will probably get another lease or purchase a new car. If you are getting another lease on an EV, it's unlikely to be as good a deal as current leases, especially since the current tax incentives and rebates will diminish. So your total cost after another 3 years will be at LEAST double the 3 year out-of pocket, so $15,536 total out of pocket after 6 years. Lease a third time and you are at LEAST at 3x the original lease ($23,304) after 9 years, where as someone who purchased up front has only spent $18,869.37 and finished paying 3 years prior.

--If the battery degrades, then at least I know I have the option of Nissan's $100/month battery lease program. Say I activate that 6 years from now: $100/month is better than any lease I could get on a new EV, and the car will be paid off by then. With other maintenance being minimal (tires, brakes, coolant), paying $100/month to extend the life of the paid off car seems a better option than a new lease. At least, for my driving needs.
 
VPP Lease: 24 Months, 12K miles, $240/Month. $321 out the door, including 1st month's payment and registration/title fee and TVAT.

In GA, this deal was a no brainer for me. So decided to try it as an experiment. If I like the EV experience, in 2 years there should be a better option or an affordable 3 year old Model S.
 
2015 S, bought. Never understood the lease mentality and if I'm not starting now with my first EV/new vehicle.
 
We purchased our 2013 LEAF SV last week. It was built in November of 2012, but had remained unsold until August, so we got a good markdown.

EV sales in Manitoba are sluggish due to a lack of any subsidies, federal or provincial, combined with very cold winters. We do, however, have very low electricity rates at 7.3 cents CDN per KWH. Our commute into Winnipeg and back used to cost about $5 in our 2012 Civic Hybrid. With the LEAF the 80 KM trip is about $1.

We had planned to lease as the common wisdom is to lease now and wait for the next generation of cars with better technology. However, the lease rates are so high in Canada that over three years (all that was available) we would have almost paid for the car anyway.

I just installed a L2 charger in our garage to remove the worry of not starting the day with a full charge.

Very happy so far!

Bill
 
Nfuzzy said:
2015 S, bought. Never understood the lease mentality and if I'm not starting now with my first EV/new vehicle.

sometime the depreciation is worst that the cost of leasing, simple as that, been true so far on the leaf i believe.

Still ended up buying my 2011 leaf used for 13k exactly after tax/fee this week, heck of a deal, some imperfection on paint and a broken driver window but nothing too hard to fix, still has 12 capacity bars and goes 70miles+
 
I bought my LEAF. This is my second electric car, the first being a Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which I leased (at $69/month with $0 down!) for 2 years.

So, why did I buy my LEAF? It's an "S" model, but technically used. It had 245 miles on the odometer and that dropped the price from the sticker of just over $30K to my price of just under $20K. I couldn't pass it up.
 
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