How much would you save driving Leaf?

[jeff88]

Here's my savings using PG&E's EV Rate Plan (which is 9 cents when charging at night) and a $3.75 gas price.


Here's the same, except I made the electricity cost 0 cents, because if I got an EV, there's no way I'm using utility power for my EV!


That's an 11 year payback! If I got an EV, I'd be praying that gas prices go up so my payback goes down!

[dhanson865]

Originally Posted by darcane

Yeah, even with the all the "perks" (aka gov't subsidies), it's going to take many, many years of paying for gas to recoup that $21k price tag.

I'll keep my Civic (for now), thank you.

Why would you pay $21K?

I got mine for $8995 a few months ago and if you watch autotrader.com you can find them cheaper than that.

Cheapest one on there right now is $7995 but I saw one not long ago at $6995.

Seriously you have to have smartphone and a OBDII adapter so you can check the battery status before buying a used one but you can easily save $10K or so buying a used one.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by dhanson865

Why would you pay $21K?

I got mine for $8995 a few months ago and if you watch autotrader.com you can find them cheaper than that.

Cheapest one on there right now is $7995 but I saw one not long ago at $6995.

Seriously you have to have smartphone and a OBDII adapter so you can check the battery status before buying a used one but you can easily save $10K or so buying a used one.

To be honest, I didn't even check used prices. Most new models of cars seem to have super high resale value until they are 6-10 years old or have a second generation released. A quick scan of my local craigslist shows about a dozen for under $10k. That's a lot more of a drop than I had expected.

Will still take many years to recoup the costs compared to the Civic though...

[thingstodo]

Originally Posted by darcane

To be honest, I didn't even check used prices. Most new models of cars seem to have super high resale value until they are 6-10 years old or have a second generation released. A quick scan of my local craigslist shows about a dozen for under $10k. That's a lot more of a drop than I had expected.

Will still take many years to recoup the costs compared to the Civic though...

The Leafs that were leased for pretty cheap (I hear stories of $99 / month) are starting to be turned in.

I've heard that there were/are a lot of Leafs leased instead of purchased. So prices for used should be reasonable for 2 or 3 years at least. There are a bunch of Leaf's on the lots, unsold, now. Maybe a couple of months worth. And there is a new leaf for 2016 that is supposed to have 100 mile range, so they may have to cut the prices to get the 'old' inventory sold to make room for the new model ... in a few months.

I don't think it's really a good thing for EVs to have huge depreciation. But it's a good way in for many who could not pay the premium that was placed on the electric cars ... to drive a good used *ELECTRIC* car for a much more reasonable price.

The batteries, which is what everyone is worried about on these cars, have been doing well with a couple of well-documented exceptions. There is still some discussion if there was a problem with the batteries, or a problem with the instrumentation that estimated the State of Charge. I think the warranty on the battery is 8 years? Can anyone with a Leaf confirm that?

If the 39 month old Leaf starts out much less than a 3 year old civic then it appears to me to be a no-brainer - get the (used) Leaf!

Am I missing something?

[UFO]

I can't quite justify it now as my VW TDI is still working just fine on 100% renewable fuel that costs $0.80/gallon and gets 40mpg, but I do not understand how this is simply a financial decision. The fact that one would use absolutely NO gasoline is a huge selling point to me, and I would expect that many on this website would agree.

Yes?

[elhigh]

My HCH isn't great shakes against a lot of the other hybrids here, but it casts the Leaf's advantages into a bad light: $200 "savings" per year. $17 per month!

That figures out to, after the rebate (assuming I could even get it), a 107-year payoff.

Man. I hope the battery technology improves.

[KrautBurner]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

After the payment its self and full coverage insurance I would be saving negative several hundred dollars per month.

you need to keep in mind,
you're also paying for a NEW car

I see the newest car you have is 12 years old

when considering the price of (just about any) new vehicle, it works pretty well


- - - - - - - - - - -

I currently drive a 1995 Nissan 200SX (1.6L 5sp with 225K miles) getting 37mpg on my 110 mile/day commute
and have no car payment


I can Lease a NEW leaf (on a 30K mile / year lease) for about $300/month
the calculator says I'd save about $178/month
$2.85/gal, 37mpg, $0.07/kwh

that means, I'm driving a NEW CAR (with Cruise control, AC, and a decent radio) for about $120/month
that's not bad

I'm not accounting for insurance, as I'm not sure what the LEAF will cost
but I do currently have full coverage on my 200sx (and since it's a "sporty" car that teenagers like to wreck) I cant imagine the leaf being much more

my big hangup is the fact that the LEAF might not be able to do my round trip commute
(they are in the process of putting in FREE CHARGING STATIONS at my work)

[KrautBurner]

Originally Posted by thingstodo

The Leafs that were leased for pretty cheap (I hear stories of $99 / month) are starting to be turned in.

I've heard that there were/are a lot of Leafs leased instead of purchased. So prices for used should be reasonable for 2 or 3 years at least. There are a bunch of Leaf's on the lots, unsold, now. Maybe a couple of months worth. And there is a new leaf for 2016 that is supposed to have 100 mile range, so they may have to cut the prices to get the 'old' inventory sold to make room for the new model ... in a few months.

...
I think the warranty on the battery is 8 years? Can anyone with a Leaf confirm that?

If the 39 month old Leaf starts out much less than a 3 year old civic then it appears to me to be a no-brainer - get the (used) Leaf!

Am I missing something?

I was just talking to a dealer in WA
he said they have sold over 200 LEAFS
and only 9 were purchased (the rest were leased)

[Fat Charlie]

I put in my pre-grille block mileage. Nissan says they'll save me $601 a year.

Whoo! So if I'd bought their car last year instead of the Fit, I'd be a year and a half into the 10 years it'd take before fuel savings covered the price difference.

[jamesqf]

Interesting example of how not to inspire confidence in your technology. I thought I'd run my numbers through their calculator, even though I'm pretty sure that with an Insight averaging 70+ mpg, I'd get a negative return. So first question is "What's your ZIP code?", but there's no field in which to enter it! Sheesh, if you can't even hire people competent enough to write a simple web form...