Used Leaf Future Depreciation

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tattoogunman said:
LeftieBiker said:
I don't think a $6500 Leaf would depreciate to less than $4k in 2 years unless the range fell to under 30 miles.

Why not? I'm already seeing one year old 2015's for sale for $10K or less and that means they have lost over $20K in a year. I would say based off of the prices I have seen, it is very likely a $6500 Leaf could be worth half that in the next two years. Unless gas prices go back up to near $5/gallon, I think these EV cars are going to continue to suffer from this.

The 2015 Leaf didn't sell for $30k. Not after tax credits and such what. My net cost on a 2014 SL was well under that, and price of new Leaf has dropped even more.

Don't count the tax credits and such as "depreciation", as they are not. They reduce the cost.
 
How much over the $35K price for the Model 3 are you willing to pay? There is some uncertainty over what it will really cost. As such, it may sense to lease a new Leaf to cover yourself if the M3 is too expensive, or not unavailable in the timeframe you want.
 
Thanks Everyone!
Yesterday I purchased a used Leaf (2013 S, 12 bar 58aHr, 88% SOH, 33k miles) for $6,900 and have been loving the car so far. It was a lease return from the Bay Area (temperate climate) and they had added aftermarket leather, which is a total bonus as that is something I was going to be missing on the S trim level. Only level 1 charging at the house so far, but I only drive 20 miles a day (50 on some days) so I should be able to manage, and I have free level 2 charging within walking distance of my house. I appreciate all of the support and the resources on the forum, as I will still be learning as I get to know my new car.
 
Congratulations and thank you for reducing your gasoline consumption TODAY, not in 2 or 3 years! I think that you will find the Leaf very useful, especially short trips to the grocery store, even after you get your Tesla 3.
 
Thanks Reddy! The new plan appears to be that we will keep the Leaf long term, as my wife is slowly falling in love. I am not a huge fan of the Leaf's styling (I personally think it looks like a shoe but can get past it for all of it's other glory) but my wife thinks its "super cute" so her plan now is to use the Leaf (once I get my Tesla) as her daily driver, and keep our ICE SUV for instances where we either need the range/7 person capacity/etc. Most of her driving is either her short commute (15 mile r/t) or doing errands around town. It seems as though my bridge car may be sticking around longer than we thought...
 
WILK said:
I am not a huge fan of the Leaf's styling (I personally think it looks like a shoe but can get past it for all of it's other glory) but my wife thinks its "super cute" so her plan now is to use the Leaf (once I get my Tesla) as her daily driver,...
It was pointed out to me the front of the Leaf looks like Jar Jar Binks. :eek: See below.

https://priuschat.com/threads/star-trek-related-specials-documentaries-discussion.100859/page-3#post-2423421

The Leaf's Chief Vehicle Engineer, Kadota-san at a meeting I was at in Dec 2011 referred to the headlights as "charming". :lol:
 
Congrats on your purchase. As for me, I bought an off-lease 2013 Fiat 500e for $7,300 out the door. My wife just didn't love the interior of the Leaf and wanted something a little more "euro" feel…and a sunroof. I was initially shopping for an EV for myself, since I really hate driving my old TDI for short trips (less than 5 miles). However, my wife loves the EV so much and it's actually quite the money saver for us. She drives 90 miles roundtrip about 4 days a week. The perk comes with the HOV access, free FasTrak, and free charging at her work garage. Not only are we saving about $15 per day, but the HOV access allows her much more flexibility in when to leave to and from work.

This was one of the better car buying decisions. The financial breakeven point is only 2.5 years when factoring fuel and toll fees.
 
Kwong - I actually rode in a 500e while I was at the dealer, they use an offsite charging station so I needed a lift to pick my car up from the charger. The Fiat is very nice and I have noticed them falling into the Leaf territory as far as price. I really liked the FIat's interior and the dash display, however with a 13 month old (and probably another one on the way soon) a two door was just impractical or else I probably would have considered it. Congrats on your purchase!
 
tattoogunman said:
LeftieBiker said:
I don't think a $6500 Leaf would depreciate to less than $4k in 2 years unless the range fell to under 30 miles.

Why not? I'm already seeing one year old 2015's for sale for $10K or less and that means they have lost over $20K in a year. I would say based off of the prices I have seen, it is very likely a $6500 Leaf could be worth half that in the next two years. Unless gas prices go back up to near $5/gallon, I think these EV cars are going to continue to suffer from this.
Meanwhile, back in reality land people are actually purchasing new Leafs for way below MSRP. When you can buy new at this price, why bother with used, unless the price is below $8000?
North Carolinian residents can get $10K cash on the hood from Nissan, at least through 31 March. When you count the $7500 tax credit, a friend just bought a brand new 30 kWh Leaf for $13,500, total (including tax, tags, etc.). Ironically, he used the NC rebate at a South Carolina dealership.

http://www.pluginnc.com/resource/nissan-10000-rebate-north-carolina-residents/
 
WILK said:
Thanks Reddy! The new plan appears to be that we will keep the Leaf long term, as my wife is slowly falling in love. I am not a huge fan of the Leaf's styling (I personally think it looks like a shoe but can get past it for all of it's other glory) but my wife thinks its "super cute" so her plan now is to use the Leaf (once I get my Tesla) as her daily driver, and keep our ICE SUV for instances where we either need the range/7 person capacity/etc. Most of her driving is either her short commute (15 mile r/t) or doing errands around town. It seems as though my bridge car may be sticking around longer than we thought...

Good.. like i said.. a longer term plan is best with the leaf. I suspect that values will drop until a good 3rd party battery is available and then prices might stay or even increase... depends on what the future holds for EVs.

I suspect that trump will ask for the fed tax to be revoked soon from EV sales to pay for his other plans. it is going to happen sooner or later.
 
I thought about buying a FIAT for about....ooohhh....5 seconds! Lol! Just kidding, I'm sure it's a great car. Lighter than the Leaf with same hp and battery, should be good to go. I should test drive one.

My Leaf should pay for itself within 2-3 years depending on what gas does. I spend almost $3000 just on gas alone last year and gas has been it's cheapest since the 90s. Then oil changes, spark plugs, clutch, gaskets, etc. I can only really see gas prices going one way, up. Add Trump to that mix and maybe I will pay off my Leaf sooner than that. After that time it's basically a free car that will cost less to drive than to insure. If gas goes up this year I think Leafs are probably close to the bottom of their depreciation, at least 12/12 bar Leafs, even more so if the EV tax credit goes away and lessees and new-car buyers start looking at used instead.
 
VitaminJ said:
I thought about buying a FIAT for about....ooohhh....5 seconds! Lol! Just kidding, I'm sure it's a great car. Lighter than the Leaf with same hp and battery, should be good to go. I should test drive one.

My Leaf should pay for itself within 2-3 years depending on what gas does. I spend almost $3000 just on gas alone last year and gas has been it's cheapest since the 90s. Then oil changes, spark plugs, clutch, gaskets, etc. I can only really see gas prices going one way, up. Add Trump to that mix and maybe I will pay off my Leaf sooner than that. After that time it's basically a free car that will cost less to drive than to insure. If gas goes up this year I think Leafs are probably close to the bottom of their depreciation, at least 12/12 bar Leafs, even more so if the EV tax credit goes away and lessees and new-car buyers start looking at used instead.

Having had the Fiat for about 3 weeks, it's definitely not for everyone; it's practically a 2-seater with limited headroom. It sounds like your driving pattern is very similar to my wife; she's driving about 45 miles to work and does a lot of local errands around our home. She'd spend close to $3K a year on fuel and about $360 in tolls (which are now free with a BEV or 3 carpooling occupants).

My only concern with the Fiat is that it seems like FCA isn't invested in the technology nor support for longterm 500e users. It's a compliance car and the CEO has suggested for people to not buy or lease them because they are losing $14K per unit. Other people suggest FCA only made them so they can sell more Hellcats, trucks, and Maseratis. For as much as Leaf owners complain about the 2G modem going offline, at least Nissan has a 3G replacement. FCA only allows modem usage for 36 months at which point the service is ended and cannot be renewed…it's written in their terms and conditions.
 
Reddy said:
Meanwhile, back in reality land people are actually purchasing new Leafs for way below MSRP. When you can buy new at this price, why bother with used, unless the price is below $8000?

Well, I guess because you CAN buy for less than $8,000? Yes $13,500 for a new looks good, but it doesn't exist in isolation. A lot of competition is coming to the EV world this year with the Chevy Bolt and Hyundai Ioniq. The Leaf is a good deal all around whether used or new, but I don't think it's enough for me to get a second Leaf.
 
Bob said:
4) The Leaf has many aluminum body panels, so may not rust out as fast as a steel car.

I know this was posted a while ago, but I just wanted to note that rust is pretty much a nonissue in Southern California. I've never seen a car out here with rust problems. Maybe it's more of an issue for people who live right next to the ocean, but even then I don't think it's a big problem. A few miles inland it pretty much doesn't happen at all.
 
Reddy said:
tattoogunman said:
LeftieBiker said:
I don't think a $6500 Leaf would depreciate to less than $4k in 2 years unless the range fell to under 30 miles.

Why not? I'm already seeing one year old 2015's for sale for $10K or less and that means they have lost over $20K in a year. I would say based off of the prices I have seen, it is very likely a $6500 Leaf could be worth half that in the next two years. Unless gas prices go back up to near $5/gallon, I think these EV cars are going to continue to suffer from this.
Meanwhile, back in reality land people are actually purchasing new Leafs for way below MSRP. When you can buy new at this price, why bother with used, unless the price is below $8000?
North Carolinian residents can get $10K cash on the hood from Nissan, at least through 31 March. When you count the $7500 tax credit, a friend just bought a brand new 30 kWh Leaf for $13,500, total (including tax, tags, etc.). Ironically, he used the NC rebate at a South Carolina dealership.

http://www.pluginnc.com/resource/nissan-10000-rebate-north-carolina-residents/

I know this is late - haven't been on in a while. The used ones in my area are generally selling for below $10K and that is late model low mileage ones with remaining factory warranty. Now if I could get a new one for $13K, I'd opt for new. However, Texas isn't doing those kinds of rebates or anything.
 
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