I leased a 2014 Volt in 4/14, and transferred the lease to a friend who really wanted it 18 months later (I thought I would get a Gen 2 immediately, but VW's TDI fiasco got in the way). My friend got a call from US Bank last week to schedule an inspection for the end of the lease in April. She said she was considering buying it, and was transferred to that department. She asked what they'd sell it for, and was initially told $23.9k, the lease residual. She noted that she'd heard that US Bank was selling the cars at $12-13k to avoid taking them back for auction. The rep asked her to hold, and came back a couple of minutes later with a price of $13.3k, plus she wouldn't have to make the last two payments (net price of $12.8k). I thought that's where she'd end up, I was just surprised that was US Bank's first bid. The car has 33k miles, is in great shape, never had a problem. I'm driving my JSW TDI essentially for free until sometime next year, when I'll sell it back to VW at the fixed buyout price. I've assumed I'd move into a Gen 2 Volt or Prius Prime at that point, but I think I'll look at a 2015 Volt as well, the last and most refined of the Gen 1's. They'll all be coming off three year leases at that point, and if I can pick one up for a similar price in excellent condition with low miles, it would be very tempting. I loved mine while I had it, and they've proven very reliable cars. A Gen 2 has higher range, better gas mileage and more bells and whistles, but a Gen 1 for $13k or so would be an excellent commuter at a great price. We'll see.
She lives in the Atlanta area, but gm-volt posters from around the country have been posting similar stories for the last couple of months. In most cases it took a few rounds of negotiation to get to that number, US Bank seems to have given up fighting. Carvana, an online buying service in the southeast, has a few dozen 2014's with low-ish miles for $12-15k on their site. I assume that by this time next year the same will be true for 2015s.
Georgia had a tax rebate on EV's, so many folks leased Leafs and Volts with Federal and State rebates included in the price....So Leafs are even more dramatically cheap, since many more are coming off lease, since they had higher rebates and were cheaper to lease....Used PIP's are also coming down in price as folks trade them in for Primes and Volts and Bolts, but not as steeply as Volts and Leafs...As more as yet scarce Primes become available, more PIP's at cheaper rates may come available too...The Volts are getting snatched up much more quickly than Leafs, and the Leaf prices are still quickly declining...2014 Volts coming off lease are selling wholesale for what 2013's were selling for last year...Also cheap for all its features is the 2014 Honda Accord plug-in, the only year it was produced...
I'm thinking I'll wait till Primes come off lease and dump the wife's '07 if it holds up that long. A PiP and a Prime in the same home might require some wiring changes, though, and my breaker panel is full. Good thing I'm an electrician.
it will be interesting to see what a 3 or 4 year old prime is going for. assuming a plus nets out around 20k new, maybe $7,500. - $10,000.?
The Spark EV used prices are dropping little by little, too. I've been thinking about picking one up.
I got my PiP, about 4 years old with 52k miles, for $20,005 less than the window sticker that was folded up in the owner's manual. So, yes I'm very curious to see what used Primes will get in a few years.
In 2016 I paid for dynamic cruise control and collision avoidance and never looked back but I also got this in plug-in hybrids: 2014 BMW i3-REx and 2017 Prius Prime. dynamic cruise control - makes a cross country just sitting in a comfy chair and listening to tunes. collision avoidance - deals with unskilled drivers we share the road. plug-in hybrid - the best of EV and gas EV: all but gone, the gas engine warm-up penalty City: +100 MPGe around town with half or more free Highway: 40-55 MPG on the highway easily handles +1000 miles per day I visited the local Chevy dealer and found their Volt did not have dynamic cruise control (they call it adaptive cruise control) and killed any consideration. No EV has the flexibility to drive anywhere in the USA at a moments notice. There are 24 hour, truck stops along every Interstate typically 30-50 miles apart. Towns with 50,000 people or more typically have at least one 24 hour gas station. There are no free gas or diesel pumps around town. In contrast, I can easily drive a week without paying for electricity. At $0.25 for 10 miles, merchants use a free charger to get my business which is cheaper than anything else to attract EV customers. Bob Wilson
I visited the local Chevy dealer and found their Volt did not have dynamic cruise control (they call it adaptive cruise control) and killed any consideration. Bob Wilson[/QUOTE] Bob, the 2017 Volts finally have adaptive cruise control OPTION....And the Prius Prime finally, and the Prius Prime finally has lane departure warning, but NOT lane keep assist, which none of the prius Plug-ins had, but regular Prii and Prius v, with deluxe packages, had it as an option in the Advanced Technology package
safety feature 2017 Volt 2017 Prime utility 1 dynamic cruise control optional($) standard follows leading vehicles 2 collision avoidance optional($) standard avoids running into pedestrians and cars 3 lane keep assist optional($) optional($) keeps within the lines 4 lane departure warning optional($) standard alerts to lane departure Source:
I bought a 2013 Volt last month, a previous 3 year lease, with 12,000 miles for $12,900. It has heated seats, lane departure, crash avoidance (or whatever they call it - I have sensors on the front that detect and warn you if you are too close to a vehicle), backup camera, and rear parking sensors. Navigation comes through OnStar and loads to the combination meter, or whatever GM calls theirs. I still love the Prius even though I dont currently have one, but haven't used a single drop of gas since I bought it (1,500 miles ago now!). YES, there are great deals on used Gen 1 Volts.
Where did you find your Volt? Dealer? Private party? That's a great deal for the option package. My friend finalized the deal to buy out my Volt for $13.1k, so $12.6k net of final payments. I'm happy for her, but still a bit jealous. I would have been happy to have that car for the next several years at that price.
Sorry for the late reply, I havent checked in here. I know its PriusChat, but didnt there used to be a subforum for "Other EV's"? I'd come more often if there was a place for me to yak about my Volt, lol. Anyways, after MONTHS of searching, I found my Volt at a B-lot on Traverse City Michigan. Problem: I live in Southeastern Michigan, 4.5 hours away from the B-lot. However, it had every option I wanted - I really wanted both safety packages and heated CLOTH. I did not want leather again. My dog scratches the hell out of it. But I did want heated seats. It is so hard to find a Volt optioned like mine, so when I did find it, I almost didnt believe it, lol. I called the lot, and first off - they were totally awesome and offered to deliver the car to me!! Sight unseen. I gave them a deposit over the phone with my debit card, and had them do a walk around on FaceTime. I also got a carfax. And then looked up the service history on the GM owners site. The carfax was spotless, the service history was literally null, it hadnt even required its first oil change yet. The gas engine only has 4,000 miles on it. The car itself had 12,500 miles on it. ANYways, Im rambling, I know. It took patience and perseverance. It paid off!! I LOVE my Volt. I still love the Prius, and still talk them up to all my friends and family. The Volt isnt for everybody. If your commute is less than 45 miles a day, then you are golden. If not, the Volt's gas mileage on gas isnt that great. I was averaging 34mpg when I drove it home from Traverse City. Out of 225 miles, 40 were all electric though. I have not used gas since February. The car made the engine run for 10 minutes for "engine maintenance mode" a few weeks ago because I hadnt used gas in so long. Also, the Prius has light years more room in the trunk and back seat. I miss that sometimes. But not enough to sell the Volt and get back into a Prius. I charge free through work, and free Chargepointe stations in my area, so cost of ownership is low too, lower than the Prius ever was.
