Offer in hand: New VinFast VF8 2023 City Plus; 36mo/45k mile total, 252/mo @ $2400DAS

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Hey guys, wanting to know what you guys think of this deal.

I actually like VinFast and chose to take one for a test drive, as it seems to be the cheapest EV available not named Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf.

During the test drive; I really liked the VF8. Fairly comfortable, nice interior, Tesla-ish. That’s when then sales professional mentioned: “you know we still have some 2023 “City” editions available for lease; they start at $149 a month…”

Queue the ! Metal Gear alert sound effect… but wait, aren’t those the versions that were literally the worst car on sale??

Turns out yes. They WERE. In fact they were so bad, VinFast actually shipped them back to Vietnam, updated every computer on board, replaced the entire terrible rear suspension with the newer suspension setup, and then shipped them back to USA to sell. These are new cars (ish). They do have a slightly lower range than the 2024’s; 207 miles Eco trim, 191 miles Plus trim; but this should be totally fine for me. That said… I drive… A lot. 15k miles a year should do it. Also, I like to keep a car about 3 years or so. Good news is, VinFast has a 10 year 125k bumper to bumper warranty; so I’m planning on needing a tire replacement (20" wheels shouldn’t be too insane for new tires) and maybe a cabin filter or three.

What do you guys think on the deal? Basically the totals are $252/mo after tax monthly payment; with about $2400 DAS which also is the first month’s payment in that amount.

The car is really nice; black exterior, white vegan leather interior; panoramic opening sunroof, head’s up display, heated and ventilated seats (front AND rear btw), self driving tech.

If you can live without some goodies, the 2023 City Eco model with slightly better range actually is going right now for $149/mo 36/10k with about $2300 DAS. I like the Plus, and need the extra annual miles so I’m paying more (duh) and I might actually buy the lease out at the end as that 10y/125k mile bumper to bumper warranty is quite appealing.

Anyway, besides the 191 mile range and it being the formerly worst car ever… deal? Or dud?

(Also yes, VinFast SoCal still has LOTS of these 2023’s available, just ask the dealer)

PS: To clarify the deal is “$0 down”; the ~$2,400 DAS is the true DAS with all the doc/tag/reg/etc fees plus 1st mo’s payment.

2

Seems fair for a lark but I wouldn’t say go as far as to buy it post-lease.

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Agreed. It will be all down to residual. I still haven’t seen the final lease doc, just the quote. I’m guessing it’ll be around $21k.

Also here’s a link to a “similar” build of mine for an example of what it looks like. I haven’t seen mine in person yet; it is being shipped over to my VinFast dealer from their central “hub”. I am test driving/signing/picking up next Friday when it arrives.

https://www.hannavinfast.com/new/Vinfast/2024-Vinfast-VF%208-3b0eb48dac18132baa613375d594830d.htm

4

You want to look at the latest crash test ratings on this. 2 star frontal crash test is not looking good.

https://www.reddit.com/r/electricvehicles/comments/1f3msvd/vinfast_vf8_crash_tested_by_nhtsa_scores_2_stars/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

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Lol am I gonna die if I buy this?? :sweat_smile:

The safety risks are a fair concern. Not sure what to say about that fatal crash other than always be ready to take over immediately if “autopilot” systems fail. VinFast uses German ZF’s automation systems which are actually pretty good from what I understand. That said, the software on these cars is pretty glitchy (even with updates, from what I gather on the forums they’re much better than before but still not perfect yet) so I plan to be extra alert when/if I use them.

In regards to the safety rating, the most important stat to me is side impact (those are the most dangerous). In that test, the side impact was 5 star. The front driver impact was 4 star. It was the front passenger that scored 2 star. That’s really odd… and I’m not sure why there’s such a discrepancy… but the European test results were good so I think the VF8 is probably alright honestly. Keep in mind cars are designed to maximize 5 stars on the test specifically… I think it is likely that the VinFast VF8 is in-general safe but somewhere in engineering the VinFast team messed up the optimization for the US test.

Maybe with these bad tests though some more negotiating is in order :thinking:

7

How much is an equinox EV?

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That’s a good question; @IAC what are Equinox’s going for right now typically?

9

Blazer EV is going to be a cheaper lease and is much more of a vehicle with 279 miles of range on the AWD.

10

You don’t have to ask anyone. Click on Marketplace

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I live near where the crash happens I just found it odd how this could happen when the person is not under the influence. You obviously know a lot about the car. But the reviews on these cars have been atrocious maybe they were all piling on but it just does not seem a worthwhile risks to me.

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No matter how cheap it is, always beware of a 1st year company / car. Look at Fisker.

And that isn’t cheap btw

13

DUde just get the equinox or blazer ev. don’t lease this death trap.

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You mentioned the warranty a couple of times. How useful is a warranty when the company goes belly up?

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Could be a collectible like Fisker’s :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: (that was a tongue in cheek comment).

Yeah, that accident in P’ton got a ton of publicity and a lot of people in my area knew the family too. It’s weird… that accident location is a pretty wide and well lit road, with little (read, no) reason to go off it.

Seems like OP is gunning for the unicorn (or shop queen)… good luck!!

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Unfortunately for me it won’t be. I would get Costco (I’m actually not sure if that’s active right now) and GM’s discount for corporate partners but that’s it. No lease return or competitor lease, no Bolt. No military/teacher/etc

Personally I’ve always hated the idea of these incentives like this. Either put the car on sale or don’t.

Imagine if a MacBook was $1,000 but current Windows users get $200 off and people in West Coast get $100 off but people in East Coast get $50 off because “market”.

But now I’m rambling. Long story long, a blazer or equinox will probably cost the same (or more likely more) because I probably won’t get the same incentives.

Also I hate GM interiors… I have no idea why GM cannot figure out how to use any decent plastics on their interiors. But maybe I’ll check it out.

I do like the VinFast. The interior is really nice, the HUD is great; there’s a lot to like. I would say I’m kinda surprised the amount of flame it’s getting on here, but it totally makes sense. You only get 1 first impression and VinFast completely faceplanted it.

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It’s a good point. But I don’t think that’s going to happen with VinFast. They’re delivering their second vehicle the VF9 now. Additionally, it seems like VIN group and the Vietnamese government are completely intertwined and Vietnam is trying to make VinFast a Hyundai competitor. So I think odds are better than not that VinFast sticks around for a while, even hemorrhaging cash since the owner and entire Vietnamese government are going to just keep writing checks to force it to work. Not sure if it will be alive a decade from now, but if it goes belly up in 2-3 years that’s why it’s a lease.

And yes, I liked Fiskers too. RIP. We shall see if even Lucid survives; they’re bleeding an insane amount of cash too.

18

It’s not first impressions, it’s dealing with a first time company for parts , warranty, service. Vinfast doesn’t have the infrastructure down yet and if it does go under, you are stuck with a boat anchor.

Ask anyone who has a Lucid that needs repairs, and look at Rivian, repairs are at a premium due to it being a first gen run.

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Also what’s a cheaper deal? CA doesn’t have any state incentives anymore (unless you make like $35k a year)

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Hyundais are doing good
From Market Place
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Of course you need to adjust it a bit to get the 45k (These are 30k) but the Limiited is cheaper than your deal and has 360 cameras, panoramic moonroof, digital rearview mirror, but doesn’t have a rear wiper…lol

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