livingaboard said:
marcin said:
Merritttelling moan to stuff i said:
I was all set to pull the trigger on an S with charger and when I wentI think they prettyto seal the deal the dealer raised the total cost of the 2 yr , 12 k mi a year price went up to about 8400 from 7000. That really threw a wrench in things. Do I have any shot at a dealer in Atlanta doing better than this? They said it was because the residual went down to about 51% or so sept 4. I really want my leaf-but can't do that price. Help!
Something does not add up here. In my case on the same car with even more alloted miles, the price went up by $32 per month.
I think people need to tell Nissan to stuff it. I didn't realize the residual dropped another 7points or so last week. I think this pretty much seeks the deal for me buying a completely different car.
Nissan is merely reacting to the reality of the Leaf market. Many of us 100 pages ago on this thread commented how it would be crazy to buy a Leaf over leasing one primarily because the residual was so inflated that leases were a no-brainer. A few people defended their decision to buy - they were clearly wrong since their Leafs depreciation has already proven quite dramatic.
When the Leaf lease cars come back in two to three years, the batteries will get a facelift and they will go straight to auction and sell for $12k to $16k depending on the model, whether they are three or two years old and mileage. They will then hit the retail used car market for $1500 to $2000 more. Nissan will take a bath and lick their wounds. Right now, by lowering the residual, they are just beginning to cut their losses.
Below is an article which appeared in Automotive News in JUNE that says it all:
Automotive News
June 3, 2013 - 12:01 am ET
Kelley Blue Book projects that the 2013 Nissan Leaf will retain 35 percent of its sticker price after 36 months. That is 5 percentage points below the 36-month projection Kelley set at the end of 2011 for the 2012 Leaf.
Eric Ibara, Kelley's director of residual value consulting, says the company trimmed its predicted residual value for the 2013 Leaf because wholesale prices of the 2011 electric car have hovered in the mid-30 percent range for the past few months.
Prices of used Leafs softened in recent months for several reasons:
• Gasoline prices have held steady below $5 a gallon.
• Nissan North America cut the price of the base 2013 Leaf to $29,650, before a $7,500 tax credit, from $36,050 for the base 2012. Both prices include shipping. The 2013 is built in Smyrna, Tenn., whereas earlier Leafs were imported from Japan.
• Used-car shoppers haven't embraced the car.
"Demand for a new Leaf is driven by vehicle enthusiasts, early adopters, people who are concerned about the environment," Ibara says. "But when it comes to a 2-year-old used electric vehicle, practical considerations greatly outweigh the novelty of new technology."
• Nearly new Leafs in auction lanes put downward pressure on prices.
Some rental car companies bought Leafs but quickly sent the EVs to auction after customers shunned them, agree Ibara and Ricky Beggs, managing editor of Black Book.
Over the past six months, Beggs says he has seen many 2011 Leafs cross the auction block with fewer than 10,000 miles, and some with as few as 1,200 miles. Beggs says Black Book data show the average auction price of the 2011 Leaf SV in mid-May at $13,700.