End of Lease Strategies?

[LeftieBiker]

My 2015 SL lease ends in 1 month. Residual of $14k, which is what I've been quoted as buyout price, so I've made my peace with it going back. Had the inspection and all is well. Currently at 43,600 miles and hope to get as close to 45k as I can. SOH still showing at 99%, updated today in Leaf Spy since I had 5 temp bars, so it's a great car. Will be sad to send it back. Hope to test a new LEAF, but after reading some of the initial reviews here am leaning towards the Bolt.

I'm tempted to offer to buy the car for the residual plus a little more - I can give it a good home! The only concern I have is the mileage... Does it have Premium Package and QC?

[RobertM]

Hey Leftie -
Yeah, loaded. So you think it's a good deal?
Maybe I've been stuck in the mindset of seeing everyone else get big discounts, but have to admit, this battery appears to be holding up fantastically and it's been an awesome car.

[LeftieBiker]

I think that if you like the car and the range -10% is fine, then you might want to keep it. We know nothing at this point about the longevity of the 40kwh packs, but I guarantee they won't be staying at 99% SOH.

[kawan999]

Hi,
I have been hoping the buyout price will be reasonable for me to keep my 2014 Leaf S. Apparently not. I am returning the car end of this month. I need some advice please.

I am missing 3 hubcaps and a key fob. According to the return guide, Everything needs to be original. Checked with Nissan, it cost approx. $105 each. I found some on ebay for between $25 to $45 each. Are these acceptable? Anyone has experience with this? Also found someone to program a key fob for $150 - $180. Please advise.

[LeftieBiker]

Used OEM parts are fine if in good shape. Aftermarket hubcaps, used or new, may not be ok.

[kawan999]

Used OEM parts are fine if in good shape. Aftermarket hubcaps, used or new, may not be ok.

What do you mean by OEM parts? Where can I get them?

[LeftieBiker]

OEM means "Original Equipment Manufacturer." In this case it means "genuine Nissan parts." So used Nissan Leaf hubcaps are fine, aftermarket general-fit hubcaps are probably not.

[torabb]

I just bought out my 2013 S w/ Quickcharge lease. I'm very happy with my deal but it was extremely difficult to get there. I started with a 2-year, 15,000 mile/year lease and extended twice to eventually run a total of 59 months (ending mileage close to 74,000). I had the good fortune to have the original battery drop to 8 bars (~54k miles) and I received a new battery in Aug '16 that now has ~20k miles on it. My residual was $12,491 but Nissan discounted the buyout to $7k. NADA retail shows 5.5 to $7.5k value (but new battery with new chemistry made it worth more to me). I talked to a lot of dealers and only one who would be honest about the buyout. Last week in spite of all my efforts I did not think it would happen and was reluctantly looking at Bolts. I wanted others to know a good lease buyout is possible. This site was especially helpful to me in landing a great lease in the first place (2-year, 30,000 mile, 0 down at $234/month).

[Nubo]

OEM means "Original Equipment Manufacturer." In this case it means "genuine Nissan parts." So used Nissan Leaf hubcaps are fine, aftermarket general-fit hubcaps are probably not.

I wonder. I had largely de-badged my 2012, and re-arranged the "L E A F" letters on the rear. I was prepared to put everything back if the inspector called it out, but they signed off with no complaint.

[72andsunny]

I just bought out my 2013 S w/ Quickcharge lease. I'm very happy with my deal but it was extremely difficult to get there. I started with a 2-year, 15,000 mile/year lease and extended twice to eventually run a total of 59 months (ending mileage close to 74,000). I had the good fortune to have the original battery drop to 8 bars (~54k miles) and I received a new battery in Aug '18 that now has ~20k miles on it. My residual was $12,491 but Nissan discounted the buyout to $7k. NADA retail shows 5.5 to $7.5k value (but new battery with new chemistry made it worth more to me). I talked to a lot of dealers and only one who would be honest about the buyout. Last week in spite of all my efforts I did not think it would happen and was reluctantly looking at Bolts. I wanted others to know a good lease buyout is possible. This site was especially helpful to me in landing a great lease in the first place (2-year, 30,000 mile, 0 down at $234/month).

Curious if the $12,491 was the original residual or after the 3 years of lease extensions.