caffeinekid
Well-known member
Agreed. The Leaf for any purpose other than being an EV is nowhere near a $35K car. $20K?...maybe for an SL. So right from the get-go you have a $20K car one way or another. After 2 model years, what would you expect a $20K car to be worth? About $16K retail seems about right, but with the Leaf you have the deficient traction battery that should further reduce its value. Now, we'll have to see what happens with the 2014 models given that Nissan appears to have addressed the defective battery issue of the 2011-2013 models. Frankly, being educated on the vehicle, I personally would have no interest in buying used until the retail value of the car could be achieved by INCLUDING the cost of a traction battery replacement. For a 2011, that means well under $10K. Go ahead and try to find one under that price though. This in a nutshell is why some of us think the (artificially inflated) "market" is even now higher than it should be.edatoakrun said:Not so crazy, actually.pkulak said:Thanks for the info! Exactly what I wanted to know. Bad news for owners, but good news for me as a leasee looking to buy used shortly. Seems like 16 grand is where market is heading on a '13 SL. That's crazy!
The other factor depressing prices for used LEAFs, is the amazing deals some buyers can get on new LEAFs, and other BEVs.
IIRC, last month, with all the incentives factored in, I could have bought a new 2015 SL for ~$19k net in California.
I believe there are places with higher local incentives, bringing the cost of a new LEAF S, base Ford Focus E or Chevy spark to well under $15,000, for the lucky few.