Nissan Leaf

[Jambe]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ho...d-new-electric-car-for-under-14000-2016-11-02

If I could actually buy one for under $14000 I think I would.

Hoping that Seth will see this and comment.

 

[Rob Croson]

The title of this thread should be changed to "Nissan Leaf", not Versa.

The $14,000 price is a bit misleading. It doesn't account for the fact that the $7,500 electric car discount is taken as a reduction of your tax liability when you file your taxes. If you don't have $7,500 in tax liabilities, you lose any excess amount. (Check with your accountant before counting on this money! Also, does anyone know how much longer this incentive applies to Nissan vehicles? There is a limit.) I'm not sure how his Colorado state incentive works, your state may not have a similar program. It also includes a $6,000 incentive from Nissan for buying with no money down and financing the entire amount, albeit at a 0% interest rate. It may or may not be available when you go to buy.

Overall, this guy did get an awesome deal, so long as the car meets his needs. He does say that he basically doesn't need a car at all, and bikes or ride shares pretty much everywhere, so I would guess it does that pretty well.

 

[MagicDragon]

The title of this thread should be changed to "Nissan Leaf", not Versa.

The $14,000 price is a bit misleading. It doesn't account for the fact that the $7,500 electric car discount is taken as a reduction of your tax liability when you file your taxes. If you don't have $7,500 in tax liabilities, you lose any excess amount. (Check with your accountant before counting on this money! Also, does anyone know how much longer this incentive applies to Nissan vehicles? There is a limit.) I'm not sure how his Colorado state incentive works, your state may not have a similar program. It also includes a $6,000 incentive from Nissan for buying with no money down and financing the entire amount, albeit at a 0% interest rate. It may or may not be available when you go to buy.

Overall, this guy did get an awesome deal, so long as the car meets his needs. He does say that he basically doesn't need a car at all, and bikes or ride shares pretty much everywhere, so I would guess it does that pretty well.

Consumer reports has a review of the Nissan leaf on youtube. They were not overly impressed by the range on a charge. Advertised at 115Miles CR experience is more like 65miles. They put the net purchase at $30,000 and a long way from $14,000. In Colorado there are not many EV charging stations as of now. In Longmont there are 4 run by the city. They charge $1/hour for a slow charge and $3 for a quick charge. CR also stated it takes "a very long time to charge.

 

[Elio Amazed]

Previous versions of the Leaf had a charger that was capable of a 3.3Kw 110-120v rate or a 6.6Kw 220-240v rate.
That's AC charging. I believe that they can be quick charged with a public DC charger a lot quicker.
I remember seeing talk of Nissan upping the AC intake amperage.

And yes, Seth is the person we're waiting on for this one...

One other thing. All the federal tax incentives are due to expire at the end of the year.
If anyone gets wind of an extension into 2017, please post it as soon as you become aware of it.
The current incentives are also conditional in that only the first 250,000 of an EV model sold are eligible.

The Leaf has long exceeded that worldwide and is getting real close to that number in the US.
One more thing to consider before pulling the trigger and then being financially surprised.

I have heard a lot about slightly used Leafs (Leaves?) depreciating like mad.
I recently saw a post elsewhere where the OP picked up a Leaf with 11K on it for $14K.

 

[Sethodine]

Yeah, I picked up our 2012 Leaf for $14k (that was back in May 2015). It had 26k miles on it at the time.
Even at 4 years old, we can still get 65 miles out of it as long as we drive economically. Because of the massive depreciation on them (nobody wants a "short-range" EV) I don't think we'll trade it in. We do plan to buy a used long range EV, probably a 2017 or 2018 model coming off lease around 2020 or 2021.

Personally, I'm looking into scooping up Leafs once they hit the $1000 price range, and converting them into little stealth campers. With plenty of free chargers still around, they are a car that can keep you warm and get you across town without spending a dime--something that a lot of homeless families could use until they get a more stable home. Combined with some cheap hardware, the 3.3kw inverter could even run many small appliances right off the car's battery.

 

[Jambe]

Leaf > Versa = Brain Fart
I didn't think I could edit a thread title. Just found out that has been changed and editing is now allowed.