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Old 03-04-2016, 09:54 PM   #9 (permalink)
Isaac Zackary
Full sized hybrid.
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic View Post
For the depreciation of the Leaf I drive my Mirage. The difference in property taxes and insurance compared to a Leaf, pays for my fuel up to 15k miles a year. The wife can keep driving her car longer which saves her much of the depreciation, keeping the car 7 or 8 years instead of replacing it every 3-4.

Obviously a much different situation from yours.

Sounds like a Leaf will work, but look at the total cost of ownership, with buying used the first step.

regards
mech
Trying to crunch numbers...

A 2014 Mirage goes for around $9,500.
If this car doesn't put out enough heat (it probably won't on 25mph streets at -40°F/-40°C) I'd have to add a preheater (around $3,000 installed). What about heated seats and steering wheel?
So far possibly $12,500.
For a few miles per day I'm probably going to spend around $30 per month in fuel. (About what I spend now in my Golf.) $360 per year. $3600 for 10 years.
Now we're at $16,100, possibly. Or maybe $12,600 depending on how well this thing heats.
Insurance and maintenance? (Help!)
So then I drive it for ten years and then sell it for the depreciated value of a 12 year old Mirage (that hopefully still runs fine. Probably will I guess.)

I can pick up a 2013 Leaf for around $11,000 or so. But I can still get a $2,500, more or less, tax credit making it about $8,500.
Hopefully the Leaf will put out good heat at -40°F/-40°C and still be able to go some 10 miles. (Otherwise I will have to find a brick wall to bang my head against.) But hey! Heated seats and steering wheel are included!
I wonder how much electricity these things will use up during the winter??
Insurance and maintenance? (Help!)
By the time 10 years have passed (13 years for the life of the Leaf) I'd take it I'd have already had to have replaced the battery (which goes for what? some $5,000 or so?) or it would be on its last leg and probably wouldn't be worth much.
That's about $13,500. Probably more with installation and all. Perhaps $14,500 up to now.
Oh! And don't forget to add $130 for a weekend rental of a gasoline car 6 times a year ($780) for ten years ($7,800).

So the verdict is? (I should have paid better attention in math class.)

Yes. It looks like the Mirage ($16,100) may be the cheaper and better option compared to the Leaf ($21,300). (But I wanted an electric! Waaaa!)

Last edited by Isaac Zackary; 03-04-2016 at 10:11 PM..
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