2015 Nissan Leaf S

Ask the Hackrs
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I have a 2015 Nissan Leaf S lease that is coming to an end next month. It was a 4 yr/48K lease and I have 29,900 miles on it currently. Residual is $8,700 and the battery is in great condition (all 12 bars). Wondering if I should look at buying from the dealer (is there room for negotiating the residual value?) or just return it?

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The residual of $8700 sounds pretty close to current dealer wholesale auction value for a clean low mileage 2015 LEAF with 12/12 bars. My residual on a 2013 was $16K so I walked away (plus my battery was 10/12 due to massive heat degradation at only 24K miles).

Actually to correctly identify residual value I need to know your trim (S, SV, SL) and any options. I have first hand experience wholesaling about 100 LEAF’s though I’m out of that business now. I’m willing to take some time to help you out with this because you’re helping save Earth from becoming a miserable uninhabitable cesspool.

Also consider upgrading to a TESLA Model 3 which I just did. If you can let go of the interface associated with legacy automobiles that preceded it, the Model 3 is like piloting the Starship USS Enterprise. I love it. My prior experience is 2013 LEAF SL, 2015 Fiat 500e and 2016 Chevy Volt.

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For someone considering their first EV, what do you think is the best value in used Leafs (Leaves?)? Long range is not a concern. Just want a cheap car for short commute and urban errands.
Edit: also, are there certain markets where good cars are plentiful? Such as, placed where climate has not degraded batteries. Or is this a relative non-issue.

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Come on, man…at least post where you are and what your budget is. It’s really impossible for us to tell what your best option is without knowing where you live.

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Thank you @Zarasa. The trim level is S. I’m located in Seattle. So $8700 + disposition fee looks like a good deal?

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I have not seen anything good in your area lately. If you like the car and since your cold climate helps with keeping the battery in top shape (since no TMS on any Leaf) you could try to buy it. You RV is low enough that you are not risking much. Even a cheap 500e from CA would cost about the same after shipping and tax…and that would actually be an inferior car. The most important thing is that you know your car and know how reliable it is…with a used car purchase you are taking a bit of a gamble.
Not sure why you are including the disposition fee…that is waved if you buy it or lease another.

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Hey @gladiator25 sorry for the slow response. I’m traveling in the Swiss Alps and lost my data for 24 hours.

I took a look at the wholesale market price for your LEAF S and your residual is similar to recent auction prices for the car.

For reasons summarized by Mark.ca I’d pull the trigger and buyout your LEAF. Since you live in a temperate environment you should be able to get another 120K+ miles out of the car before a battery replacement is even a consideration.

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@leasemenow If you’re looking for the CHEAPEST USED low range EV commuter and don’t care about rear seat passengers then 2015+ Fiat 500e is the way to go. Depending on the market and time of year you can find lease return examples with less than 30K miles for less than $8K retail. My info is about 6 months old from when I wholesaled a batch of 25 of these cars. Unfortunately the export market recently discovered this car and started driving prices up.

I drove one for a while in NorCal and loved it. Excellent suspension, go kart like fun, HOV and liquid cooled battery (unlike LEAF). Reliability is not bad, but finding a dealer is hard as there are few in NorCal.