Get an EV to hold me over until M3 arrives?

[omar10r1]

This may be a wacky idea, but what about taking out a loan for a used Model S that you would sell when you get your Model 3? Would the S hold it's value enough that you'd lose less money than buying an selling a used Leaf? Would getting a CPO Model S move you up in line for getting your Model 3 earlier. Just a thought.

GAH! Don't tempt me!! The cheapest Model S is I could find now seems about equal (2013 for $46k). Assuming depreciation for 2-ish years, we'd be down to what $30k in 2018? It could make for a nice M3 trade-in....it's just a question of paying for that much car right now.

 

[glenhurst]

Hi ReddyLeaf,

Thank you. I actually, at the moment, have very little range anxiety. I don't drive to ATL but 2-3 times a year and I can use our ICE for that. A VAST majority of my daily, or even not so daily, drives are within 30 miles if you include the GSP airport which is where I travel out of the most!

I'm actually staring at a 2013 Leaf for $10K with 35k miles. More than doable and seems well within your parameters right?

I was going to suggest hunting for a 2013 Leaf if you can find one rather than a 2012. The battery and battery management system improved significantly in the 2013. When I've looked at used Leafs online, while overall the older ones tend to be cheaper, it's never very hard to find a 2013 or even newer at the same price as a 2012 or older.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

....I'm actually staring at a 2013 Leaf for $10K with 35k miles. More than doable and seems well within your parameters right?

Yes. Newer models are always better. There is a significant difference between 2011-2012 and early 2013s. Some of these have developed significant battery degradation in higher temperature areas. My 5 yo Leaf is down to 75% battery (~50 mi range), even with low mileage and babying the pack. Mid-2013 there seems to have been an improvement in the battery. If you can afford the extra cash, yes, go for a late-2013 or 2014-2016. Heck, move to Colorado and get a new one for $15 net:
Resale value discussion - Page 4 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

 

[pangolina]

Highly recommended option for Leaf (especially used one) - DC charging option. Not all trims have it. It takes about 45 minutes to charge close-to-empty battery using DC charger vs 3-4 hours using 240V.

 

[pangolina]

My 5 yo Leaf is down to 75% battery (~50 mi range), even with low mileage and babying the pack.

I consider myself lucky then - when I bought mine it had (and still has) 10 out of 12 bars. About 80%? It shows ~60 miles when fully charged. Car is about 5 y.o. (2011) and had ~32000 when I bought it. It originally was registered in TN as a fleet car. I'm it's second owner.

 

[freefaller1985]

I bought a used 2014 Leaf SL to hold me over till I get my Model 3. Seems used Leafs are pretty cheap. I paid 9k for mine and it had 21,000 miles on it. There's a few dealers selling the new 30kw Leaf for $18,000. I say a used Leaf is a good car to get the feel of driving an EV.

 

[tga]

A used Leaf may be an option. Be sure to check the battery capacity reading on the dash, and don't buy one from a hot climate area, like Phoenix or Texas. The Leaf's lack of battery cooling is not good in hot climates.

Since the Leaf's battery capacity display can, and has been, reset by dishonest dealers, you can't really trust it.

I might need to start a new thread but my question now is that I've been thinking of getting a savings account through a credit union soon then applying for my M3 loan from them for quite sometime. Now it looks like I'll be doing both at the same time.

I've read some good reviews on Alliant from Tesla owners, their online presence is attractive to me, and their rates seem competitive with other credit unions that I can join....anyone here a member?

I've been a member of Digital Credit Union for almost 20 years. Highly recommend them. They offer rates as low as 1.74% (exc credit, auto-withdrawal, up to 65 months), with a further 0.25% off for EV's (and other high-mileage cars). Same rates for new and used car loans. You can make deposits on-line, via your smart phone, or at affiliated CU's across the country.

DCU Auto Loans | DCU | Massachusetts | New Hampshire
Energy Loans | Fuel Assistance | DCU | MA | NH (Click the details tab and scroll down for car loan info)

 

[JoRey]

I would strongly recommend against the the Leaf, it has a mayor engineering defect. The batteries tend to degrade very quickly, because of the BMS system and that the batteries are air cooled. Even in colder climates the most the batteries will last is 150,000. I strongly recommend the Volt, in fact there have been zero batteries replaced do to degradation the highest mileage one has 300,000+ miles.

 

[MTL_HABS1909]

Bienvenue chez nous! Pardon my French. Welcome to the forum!

If you can convince Nissan to do this where you live, it would be a really great option. Get a brand new Leaf at a significant discount. Nissan might make its biggest LEAF sale ever through a group buy in Montreal, over 2,500 people signed up

I'm one of the over 3000 people who have now signed up. The plan is that we'll sell my gf's full ICE car and use the leaf for all of our daily commuting and keep my hybrid for any longer trips we need to take. Once the Model 3 comes out, it will take over as our primary car and the leaf will be my gf's car for whenever we have to travel separately.